12 killed in skydiving plane crash near Butler Memorial Airport

[chowder66]

Source: KCTV 5 Kansas City, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Twelve people are dead after a plane crashed near the Butler Memorial Airport, authorities have confirmed to KCTV5.

The crash occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 14, in the area of Business 49 Highway.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it is on scene, assisting the Bates County Sheriff’s Office and Butler Police Department.

All 12 people on board were killed, according to law enforcement officials. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims or details about the aircraft.

Read more: https://www.kctv5.com/2026/06/14/breaking-12-killed-plane-crash-near-butler-memorial-airport/

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So sad. This is about 60+ miles south of Kansas City, MO.

[milestogo]

1. Ugh.

There was a skydiving accident in Wisconsin in 2013. Amazingly, everyone survived.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/04/wisconsin-skydivers-two-planes-collide

[chowder66]

2. Wow.

[twodogsbarking]

3. I got nothing. So sad for sure.

[czarjak]

4. Butler, Mo.?

Wasn’t it famous for something else too?

[chowder66]

5. Yes. Butler, Mo. It's called Electric City because it was the first city west of the Mississippi to get electricity.

And it's where Robert Heinlein was born. Not sure what else it might be famous for.

[chowder66]

6. Civil War: Battle of Island Mound (aka "Battle of Fort Toothman")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler,_Missouri#Notable_people

[czarjak]

7. Thought it was something obscure like that.

Thanks.

[electric_blue68]

8. Woah! : ( Strength to all affected!

[Aussie105]

9. Sad news.

There is something in the human psyche that dictates that if you do something for fun, it can't possibly be dangerous.

[LisaL]

13. Being risky or dangerous is what makes it exciting.

It's a thrill seeking behavior.

[Aussie105]

15. Sure!

The thrill of possibly dying appeals to some.

"I faced danger and survived!"

Except those many climbing Mt Everest, or do anything dangerous who don't 'make it'.

They are very quiet.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. What A Weird Thing

People who were prepared to jump out of a plane got killed in a plane crash?
What a bizarre circumstance.

[FakeNoose]

11. From the OP link...

The AP says first responders checked the area under the flight path and did not find anyone who may have tried to jump out before the crash.

The story says that the plane had actually turned around and was headed back to the airport. Hmmm... Maybe some kind of engine problem? Also the story says that several of the passengers were learning to skydive on their first time out. They were supposed to jump in tandem with more experienced divers. In that case the newbies weren't going to jump out on their own, I wouldn't think.

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Yeah, I Saw That

Still odd that people who were recreationally engaging in what was developed as an emergency procedure is just bizarre.
I guess I assumed something went horribly wrong with the plane.

[Aussie105]

16. The danger zone in sky diving:

You are safe on the ground and relatively safe when the plane reaches a suitable altitude for jumping.

Anywhere in between though . . .

[Hassin Bin Sober]

21. One of the reason "commercial pilot" (non airline) is near the top of the list for dangerous jobs.

[oasis]

14. Imagine the terror each of them felt. Very sad.

Rest in peace.

[GReedDiamond]

17. Back around 1975 or so, I...

...met an "older" guy who lived in the same apartment building as me in a Chicago suburb.

In the 60s, he had been an Alabama State Trooper, but got drafted or enlisted (not sure which) in the army and sent to Viet Nam, where he started smoking weed.

He was still an army reservist, but in his spare time, he was in a skydiving team called "The Roachpile."

As they were in the plane approaching the jump site, they would sit in a line and take bong hits before jumping, passing the bong down the line and back.

As they plummeted toward earth, they would form an "8-man star," joining hands in a big circle before breaking up and deploying their parachutes.

He told me one time they dropped acid before the plane took off!

Again, this guy had been an Alabama State Trooper in a previous phase of his life, but Viet Nam took care of that.

I moved to Hollywood CA in early '76, and never heard from him again.

Always wondered what happened to him...

RIP to the skydivers, too sad.

[chowder66]

18. That's crazy!! And hello neighbor!

I'm here in Hollywood as well.

[GReedDiamond]

19. Yeah, Cass (his name I forgot to mention)...

...was quite a character!

If he's still around, I figure he'd be 85-90ish.

One day he asked me to come into his apartment, and he showed me where he kept his handgun, "in case you ever need it." He advised that if I ever did need it, to shoot to kill. Fortunately, I never needed it.

Also, I've been in the Pasadena/Sierra Madre area since late 1979.

When I was in Hollywood, I was in the apartment building on Whitley Ave at the corner of Hollywood Blvd, across from Frederick's of Hollywood.

I was in Apt 1, so I had lots of people randomly knocking on my door, looking for the manager or whoever.

One time, I answered the door and 2 black robed/hooded, what looked like druids were standing there.

Another time, I answered the door and met what would later become my wife. That only lasted maybe 2 years.

It was an "interesting" time!

[chowder66]

20. Druids. Lol.

Ha. When I moved here, the first place I lived was Pasadena, but that was for only two weeks.
I also used to live on Whitley as well. I was at the top of the hill in a basement loft in one of the buildings. That’s where I watched LA burn from the rooftop of our building during the riots.