TWELVE (12) Killed As Skydiving Plane Crashes Near Airport In Missouri

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A plane carrying twelve (12) people — a pilot and eleven (11) skydivers — while on a skydiving outing in Missouri, crashed in a field and became engulfed in flames on Sunday morning (14th June, 2026), killing all aboard. The plane is said to have turned around for an unknown reason before crashing near a Highway. Director of the Bates County Emergency Management Agency and the Acting Airport Manager, Dennis Jacobs, said he suspects the plane experienced power issues prior to the devastating crash.

Investigators are now piecing together the aircraft's final moments as families anxiously await answers.

The crash occurred shortly after the plane took off from a local Airport, around 11:30 AM. Some family members of those who died were at the Airport to watch the jump and tragically witnessed the crash, according to Bates County Sheriff, Chad Anderson.

Following the crash, a heap of blue and silver mangled metal lay in the grass near Butler Memorial Airport, with a massive lineup of emergency vehicles gathered on a nearby street. Clergy and volunteers went to the site to assist relatives, Anderson said, and officials were working on Sunday afternoon to identify all victims and notify their next of kin.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were also on the scene on Sunday afternoon, Anderson said, and a team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was en route at the time.

The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, said Jacobs. It was identified as a single engine turboprop plane. “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.”

Emergency responders extinguished the fire in the wreckage soon after the crash, Jacobs said, calling the scene “brutal.” First responders also checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who might have tried to jump out before the plane came down, he said.

The Pacific Aerospace 750XL that crashed is manufactured in New Zealand and is a model that is popular for skydiving and also has proven useful for carrying cargo, aerial surveying and medical evacuation flights. The aircraft can carry more than 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) and is capable of taking off and landing on short runways, according to the manufacturer. The plane was built in 2010, according to FAA records.

Skydiving companies operate in the region eight (8) or nine (9) months of the year, with the season usually starting in late March or early April and lasting into October or November.

The crashed occurred on a sunny day in the area. Data from the digital flight tracking company, FlightAware, shows the plane had already completed two (2) short flights on Sunday (14th June, 2026) before the crash. Two (2) more successful flights were logged on Saturday (13th June, 2026), and five (5) on Friday (12th June, 2026), according to FlightAware.

It is not yet known what factors may have contributed to the crash, Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing said, and those details will be part of the investigation carried out by NTSB officials.

Several of the skydivers killed were experienced jumpers, including one of the nation’s leading female jumpers.

Federal investigators were at the crash site on Monday (15th June, 2026), a day after the plane crashed.

The United States Parachute Association, skydiving’s governing body, said its Technology Director, Jen Sharp, was among those killed. “Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the people in our sport,” said the organization’s Executive Director, Albert Berchtold.

Sharp taught skydiving instructors, wrote educational materials and made 6,800 jumps since her first one in 1989, according to her website. She once jumped into Denver’s Coors Field ballpark while dressed as the Queen of England and was part of the Everest Skydive in the Himalayas, her site said.

Investigations are continuing into the fatal crash.

More on this as it becomes available. 

[Source: The Associated Press]

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