A tragic plane crash has claimed the lives of twelve individuals in Butler, Missouri.
According to authorities, an airplane carrying eleven skydivers and one pilot crashed shortly after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport just south of Kansas City early Sunday (June 14).
A spokesperson for Bates County Emergency Management told media that the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. after a private plane left the airport. The plane turned around “for an unknown reason” before crashing.
The spokesperson confirmed that all people aboard the plane died, including 11 skydivers and the pilot. None of them has been identified as of press time. A representative for the Bates County Sheriff’s Office said that the accident was witnessed by multiple people, including some of the victims’ family members.
The FAA issued a statement following the crash, saying:
“A Pacific Aerospace P750 crashed while departing from Butler Memorial Airport in Missouri around 11:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, June 14. Air traffic services were not being provided at the time. Twelve people were on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation.“
Authorities shared an update with more information during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Justin Ewing told reporters that the plane, owned by Skydive Kansas City, was taking a group up to skydive.
A call was received by emergency personnel around 11:30 a.m. saying that the plane was down and engulfed in flames.
The plane that crashed was a Pacific Aerospace 750XL, a single-engine turboprop plane model popular for skydiving. The model is also used for other services, such as cargo transportation, aerial surveying, and medical evacuation flights.
Watch the press conference below:
As of Monday morning, the identities of 7 of the victims had been revealed by family members.
Among the deceased are the following:
Jen Sharp
Dane Cordes
Dane Cordes was remembered by his fiancee, Natalie Sickle, who wrote: “Oh babe you deserve a better ending than this, my love. 9 years with you wasn’t near enough time to laugh together and make memories. I try to remind myself that you passed doing what you loved to do. You were so passionate about skydiving and loved your skydiving friends (or should I say family).”
Dustin McKinney
Dustin McKinney’s death was confirmed by numerous friends who shared the news online, remembering him as “one of a kind. A genuine brother to everyone. An incredible father.”
Nick Nash
Nick Nash’s family and friends confirmed that he was among the deceased. In a post made to Facebook, Nash’s wife wrote, “..my best freaking friend.. my husband. my everything. god i love you so much and miss you so much already.”
Matthew Swope
Matthew Swope’s mother confirmed that he was one the plane that crashed. She wrote on Facebook:
“Today there was a tragic skydiving accident, 1 pilot, 11 parachuting passengers that died in a plane crash in Butler, Mo. One of them was my youngest child, Matthew Cole Swope, 39 y/o, doing what he loved best … Please pray for his 3 sisters, 2 brothers, myself and entire family as we traverse this unknown territory.”
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller was remembered by numerous friends who shared memories of him, saying that he died doing what he loved.
Dave Hershberger
Dave Hershberger’s death was confirmed by members of the skydiving community.