The Missouri skydiving community is in mourning after a tragic plane crash south of Kansas City claimed the lives of 11 skydivers and a pilot. The accident occurred around noon on Sunday in Butler, Missouri, as an aircraft supporting Skydive Kansas City was taking off, the company confirmed in a statement on Monday.
Skydive Kansas City expressed profound grief over the loss of all 12 individuals onboard. “This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community. Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost,” the company said.
The company requested privacy as they focus on managing the tragedy and cooperating with authorities. They are working alongside local officials, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to determine the cause of the crash. “At this time, the focus of the management and ownership team is to assist investigators and to support the staff and the broader skydiving community. The entire team is in shock, and the community is close-knit,” the statement added.
Authorities had not released the names of the deceased by Monday morning, as efforts to notify next of kin were ongoing. Dennis Jacobs, director of the local county emergency management department, told KMBC that the aircraft carried nine experienced skydivers, two tandem jumpers, and a pilot. The plane took off, turned, and nosedived approximately 300 yards from the runway.
Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson expressed condolences during a Sunday press conference. “Our hearts go out to them. There’s nothing you can say to make it better. We just pray for their loved ones, their families and they can recover some sense of normalcy. Same thing with the first responders,” he said, adding that the incident appears to be an accident.
The tragedy deeply affected the local skydiving community. Charles Crinklaw, a skydiver with nearby Falcon Skydiving, told KSHB 41 that many of the victims were personal acquaintances. “Everybody on that plane was somebody that I know. I know four of them very, very well. They jumped with me on a regular basis,” he said. He described one victim who worked with the United States Parachute Association, teaching new instructors how to be coaches. “It shocked everybody. We just were walking around here numb for a while,” Crinklaw added.
The NTSB stated that investigators will document the scene and examine the aircraft, requesting radar data, weather information, maintenance records, and the pilot’s medical records. The investigation will focus on the human, machine, and environmental factors.
