Missouri skydiving plane crashes after takeoff, killing 11 skydivers and pilot

A single-engine turboprop carrying skydivers never climbed out over Butler, Missouri, turning sharply left and crashing in a field just 300 yards from the runway. Eleven skydivers and the pilot died in the wreck, a sudden loss that is now drawing scrutiny to takeoff safety in a corner of aviation many passengers never see.

The aircraft had departed Butler Memorial Airport at about 11:20 a.m. local time and failed to gain the altitude needed to reach air traffic control, according to local emergency officials. Dennis Jacobs, the acting airport manager and Bates County emergency management director, said the plane made the abrupt left turn moments after liftoff before going down near the airport in Bates County. Authorities said the roadway near the crash site was being shut down as a precaution while crews worked the scene.

The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City and was identified as a Pacific Aerospace 750XL manufactured in 2010. That model can carry up to 17 skydivers, underscoring how many people were aboard when the aircraft came down only minutes after takeoff. Emergency crews searched the area by foot and drone, and officials said no one was able to jump before impact.

The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the crash, and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified. Victims had not yet been publicly identified because families were still being informed, and officials continued to coordinate among the Butler Police Department, the Bates County Sheriff’s Office, Bates County Emergency Management and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The wreck comes against a broader safety backdrop for skydiving operations. The United States Parachute Association says there were eight fatal aircraft crashes related to skydiving in the past decade, causing 25 deaths. Even as civilian skydiving has become safer overall, the sport still carries rare but severe risks: the association reported a record low of nine U.S. civilian skydiving fatalities in 2024, while noting that the 2000s and 2010s averaged more than 20 deaths a year.