A plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers on a skydiving outing crashed into a Missouri field in flames on Sunday, killing everyone aboard, authorities said.
The crash happened shortly after the aircraft took off from a local airport around 11:30 a.m., Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said during a news conference.
Anderson said that officials with the Federal Aviation Administration were on scene Sunday afternoon.
“A plane crashed on the property of the airport. We are treating that as a mass casualty. This is not a commercial airliner that has crashed. It’s a local airplane that took off from our local airport,” Anderson said.
“The plane took off and then at that point it went down. We’re not sure exactly anything beyond that,” he added.
Anderson said the investigation into the crash will be handled by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In a statement to Global News, the NTSB said, “On scene, investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records.
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“NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation.”
The preliminary report will contain factual information gathered during the initial phase of the investigation and will be available within 30 days, the NTSB added.
Global News has reached out to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Bates County Emergency Management and Skydive Kansas City for further comment, but has not received a response.
The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County Emergency Management Agency director. It was identified as a single-engine turboprop aircraft.
“It had just taken off and made a left turn” before the crash, Jacobs said. “In my opinion, I think it was losing power, and he was trying to make it over to the highway and land, and he stalled and went down nose-first and caught fire.”
Jacobs said that emergency responders put out the fire in the wreckage soon after the crash, calling the scene “brutal.”
In a statement posted to social media on Sunday, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said, “Our hearts go out those who lost loved ones in today’s tragic crash of a skydiving plane near Butler Memorial Airport.”
Missouri Congressman Mark Alford also shared his condolences Sunday and said he travelled to the scene of the crash.
“I traveled to the scene today and just got off the phone with Secretary Duffy & the Department of Transportation office. The NTSB is on their way to begin a full investigation, and I will work to ensure they have every resource needed to get answers for the victims and their loved ones,” Alford wrote in a post on X.
“Right now, our focus is on supporting the families. We are here with them on the ground. The American Red Cross is providing assistance, and Osage Valley Electric Cooperative has opened its doors near the airfield to offer shelter and support during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.
Butler Memorial Airport saw another skydiving-related crash in 2024.
Seven people aboard a plane in Bates County survived when the plane went down near the airport in May 2024.
“The pilot reported that during a skydiving flight, the first jumper scraped his emergency parachute handle while moving toward the jump door,” according to the accident report.
“The jumper’s emergency parachute deployed out of the airplane and subsequently dragged him into the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that he heard a loud ‘bang’ and focused on maintaining control of the airplane. After the remaining jumpers exited the airplane, the nose of the airplane ‘dropped straight down,’” the report added.
The pilot was able to release his seat restraints, open a cargo door and exit the airplane. He opened his emergency parachute and landed safely with the other jumpers, the report adds.
“The airplane was destroyed when it impacted a field near the departure airport. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation,” according to the report.
The probable cause was listed as the jumper’s unintentional deployment of his emergency parachute and subsequent impact with the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer.
—with files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
