11 skydivers, pilot killed after plane crashes south of Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Twelve people, almost all skydivers, are dead after a plane crashed south of Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday.

A spokesperson with Bates County Emergency Management said that just before 11 a.m., a private plane leaving the Butler Memorial Airport turned around for an unknown reason before crashing in the area of Business 49 Highway.

Missouri Highway Patrol confirmed that all 12 people aboard the plane are dead.

Eleven skydivers and a pilot were said to be aboard, sources told Nexstar’s WDAF.

“The plane took off and then, at that point, it went down. We’re not sure exactly anything beyond that,” Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson told reporters during a press briefing on Sunday.”

Multiple people, including family members of the victims, witnessed the crash, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department confirmed.

Emergency crews were searching the area to determine if any skydivers were able to jump from the plane before the crash.

Responders were able to quickly extinguish the plane, which became engulfed in fire after crashing, according to Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing. He described the scene as “brutal” to the Associated Press.

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is a single engine turboprop plane model that’s popular for skydiving but has also proven useful for other uses, including cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry as many as 17 skydivers and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways. The plane that crashed Saturday was manufactured in 2010, according to FAA records.

Flight Radar data shows the plane reached an altitude of about 13,400 feet after taking off on Sunday morning before descending quickly for about two minutes.

The investigation into the crash is expected to last several days as authorities work to determine what led up to the crash.

Authorities do not suspect any criminal activity or terrorism in the plane’s crash, and Anderson said they do not believe there is any connection to the World Cup. Kansas City is one of the more than two dozen North American cities playing host to the soccer tournament.

The Butler airport had another skydiving-related crash as recently as 2024. In May of that year, seven people on a single-engine, six-seater Cessna U206C had to eject from the aircraft after one of the passenger’s parachutes prematurely deployed, causing complications to the daily skydiving operation.

All seven people on board returned safely to the ground, including the pilot. The plane was considered a total loss.