Deadly Skydiving Crash Investigation
Twelve Die in Missouri Skydiving Plane Crash as NTSB Investigates Oversight
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A plane carrying 12 people crashed and burst into flames near Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri on June 14, killing everyone on board, AP reported. The aircraft, operated by Skydive Kansas City, went down just 300 meters from the runway shortly after takeoff — making it the deadliest U.S. skydiving crash since 2019.
The crash happened around 11:30 AM when the single-engine turboprop failed to gain altitude, made a sharp left turn, stalled, and plunged nose-first into a field, according to CNN. Eleven of the victims were skydivers. The twelfth was the pilot. Families of some victims were at the airport and witnessed the crash, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson confirmed.
What Witnesses Saw in the Final Minutes
Dennis Jacobs, the director of Bates County Emergency Management, gave the clearest account of what went wrong. He said the plane appeared to lose power almost immediately after takeoff. The pilot attempted an emergency landing but stalled at low altitude. At 11:32 AM, the wreckage caught fire. Jacobs described the scene as "brutal," according to AP.
Missouri State Highway Patrol shut down Interstate 49 Business in both directions after debris was found near the roadway, KCUR reported. The airport suspended all flights. The Pacific Aerospace 750XL involved was a 2010 New Zealand-made turboprop rated to carry up to 17 skydivers, per FAA records.
Skydive Kansas City's History at Butler Airport
Skydive Kansas City has operated at Butler Memorial Airport since 1998. In 2024, a company called Bucketlist Experience bought it. The new owner was running what it called "The 2026 Experience" safety initiative at the time of the crash, according to The Washington Post.
This was not the operator's first close call at Butler. In May 2024, a previous Skydive Kansas City aircraft crashed near the same airport. All seven people on board escaped by parachute before impact, the Bates County Sheriff confirmed. That incident drew little national attention. This one will be different.
A Regulatory Gap the NTSB Has Long Warned About
Skydiving planes are not held to the same safety rules as commercial flights. They fly under FAA Part 91, the same basic rules that cover private hobbyists. That means no required safety management systems, looser maintenance schedules, and less rigorous pilot training. The NTSB has called this a critical weakness for years, NPR reported.
Former NTSB investigator Jeff Guzzetti told NPR that skydiving companies often have "inadequate maintenance" because the rules treat them like private fliers, not high-frequency operators. A skydiving plane makes repeated fast climbs and descents all day long — that stresses the engine far more than a typical private flight. In 2019, a similar crash in Hawaii killed 11 and prompted the NTSB to call the FAA's oversight "not strong enough."
Crash Lands on the Same Day as a New Aviation Safety Bill
The timing added a sharp political edge to the tragedy. The House approved a new Aviation Safety Bill on the same day as the crash, PBS News reported. Lawmakers may now push to amend it to include stricter rules — similar to Part 135 commercial charter standards — for skydiving operators specifically.
U.S. Representative Mark Alford, whose district includes Butler, visited the site and promised federal support for victims' families, KCUR reported. The USPA recorded just 16 skydiving deaths across 3.47 million jumps in all of 2025. This single crash nearly matches that entire year's toll in one morning.
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