12 dead in Missouri skydiving plane crash, officials say
All 12 occupants of a skydiving plane that crashed Sunday about 60 miles south of Kansas City died, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
The aircraft then took a sudden turn, and struck the ground at a steep angle, he said. Jacobs said pilot and 11 passengers, on their way to spend the afternoon skydiving, were not able to evacuate. Family members on the ground witnessed the crash, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson said.
At a Sunday news conference, the sheriff told reporters that the crash “for all intents and purposes appears to be an accident.”
“It’s absolutely a call nobody wants to have on any day,” Anderson said. “We just want to make sure that the public knows they’re safe.”
Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration were already on scene at the airport where the crash occurred; they will investigate jointly with the National Transportation Safety Board, the sheriff said.
The Red Cross also responded to the incident about 65 miles south of Kansas City, and a family information center was set up at the airport.
Skydive Kansas City is based at the airport and has operated in the area since 1998, according to their website, specializing in tandem dives and certification training.
“This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,” the company said in a statement. “The entire team is in shock.”
Chris Hall — a former competitive skydiver — ran the company that he founded with his father until he retired in 2024 and sold it to the Indiana venture capital company Little Engine Ventures. Hall did not immediately return calls or emails requesting comment, nor did Little Engine Ventures.
On Sunday, the weather in Butler was sunny and dry, with temperatures in the mid-70s and winds from the north-northeast at between 5 to 15 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
In a statement, the FAA said preliminary information shows that the agency was not providing air traffic control services at the time of the crash. The FAA described the plane as a skydiving aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750.
The NTSB said they will arrive Monday at the scene to investigate the crash. The investigation will include analysis of radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records. A preliminary report will be complete in 30 days, a spokesman said.
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