Dead in crash of plane on skydiving outing in Missouri, authorities say

A skydiving flight near Butler, Missouri, crashed on Sunday, killing all 12 people aboard. The aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace 750XL single-engine turboprop operated by Skydive Kansas City, had just taken off and appeared to turn left before it fell to a field adjacent to Butler Memorial Airport. Emergency responders extinguished the flames within minutes, but the loss was confirmed as a deadly accident. Butler is a small town of about 4,300 residents, and the airport hosts roughly 30 privately owned planes, including skydiving and crop-dusting operators. The flight was part of a weekend skydiving operation that draws participants from the region. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were en route to determine probable causes. Authorities have not disclosed elements of the investigation or preliminary findings. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing described the scene as brutal and indicated that maintenance, power loss, or other factors could be explored as possible causes. The NTSB will lead the inquiry, with FAA involvement, to assess aircraft maintenance, operator procedures, and safety practices for skydiving flights.