12 dead after plane full of skydivers CRASHES just after takeoff from Missouri airport

Published: 18:56, 14 June 2026 | Updated: 19:28, 14 June 2026 A pilot and 11 skydivers died after a private plane crashed in Butler, Missouri on Sunday morning. The aircraft crashed just after takeoff at 11.30am, a spokesperson with Bates County Emergency Management told the Daily Mail. The plane took off from Butler Memorial Airport when it 'wasn't able to get enough climb,' and attempted to make a left turn to land on an adjacent highway, the spokesperson told Daily Mail. 'The plane wasn't able to land,' and it crashed near Business 49 Highway, the spokesperson confirmed. Eleven victims were skydivers from the company Sky Dive Kansas City, and the other victim was the pilot. All passengers on the aircraft died. When contacted by a reporter at the Daily Mail, a representative of Skydive Kansas City emphatically said they 'can not talk about this right now' before abruptly ending the call. First responders and Missouri State Highway patrol are on the scene of the crash, and are scanning the area to see if additional skydivers jumped from the plane before it crash.  The aircraft crashed just after takeoff at 11.30am, a spokesperson with Bates County Emergency Management told Fox4 A pilot and 11 skydivers died after a private plane crashed in Butler, Missouri on Sunday morning Aerial view of Butler Memorial Airport aerial Investigators are working to determine what caused the crash as crews clear the wreckage from the scene. The Bates County Sheriff’s Office said all lanes of the highway remain closed and has not provided a timeline for reopening.  The Daily Mail reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Missouri State Highway Patrol for comment. Butler, Missouri, is roughly 65 miles south of Kansas City.  This is a breaking news story.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.