Some of the skydivers killed in Missouri plane crash were experienced jumpers

Some of the skydivers killed in Missouri plane crash were experienced jumpers 0 seconds of 52 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? 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The Missouri-state-highway-patrol" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="134877" data-entity-type="organization">Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a statement that troopers were on the scene, assisting the Butler-police-department" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="146299" data-entity-type="organization">Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office. More Videos 0 seconds of 51 secondsVolume 90% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up White House previews the cage-match arena for upcoming UFC spectacle 00:30 Auto1080p1080p720p540p360p270p180p 00:00 00:51 00:51 More Videos Close 2 of 7 | A plane carrying passengers planning to spend a sunny afternoon skydiving crashed Sunday in Missouri, killing all 12 people aboard, authorities said. 3 of 7 | Emergency personnel investigate the site of a plane crash at the Butler-memorial-airport" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="146301" data-entity-type="location">Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Mo., Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) 4 of 7 | The wreckage of a plane crash burns in a field in Butler, Mo, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mid America News Review via AP Photo ) 5 of 7 | The wreckage of a plane crash burns in a field in Butler, Mo, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (Mid America News Review via AP Photo ) 6 of 7 | A Bates County Sheriff’s Deputy mans a roadblock outside the scene of a plane crash at Butler-memorial-airport" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="146301" data-entity-type="location">Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Mo., Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) 7 of 7 | Missouri-state-highway-patrol" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="134877" data-entity-type="organization">Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing talks to the media about the plane crash at Butler-memorial-airport" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="146301" data-entity-type="location">Butler Memorial Airport, in Butler, Mo., Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann) By JOHN SEEWER and JOSH FUNK Updated 8:13 PM MESZ, June 15, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Several of the skydivers killed when their plane crashed moments after taking off from a Missouri airfield were experienced jumpers and they belonged to a community with a unique bond, one friend said. Federal investigators were at the crash site Monday, a day after the plane carrying a pilot and 11 passengers slammed into in a field and burst into flames Sunday, killing all on board, authorities said. Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson. Kevin Payne, who had jumped with seven of the skydivers on the plane, said they were all different in almost every way, except that they were all brought together as a “sky family.” undefined AP AUDIO: Some of the skydivers killed in Missouri plane crash were experienced jumpers AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on a deadly plane crash over the weekend. “There is a joy and peace and freedom to what we do. That’s what most people never understand,” Payne, of Parkville, Missouri, wrote in an email. “It’s not about the adrenaline. It’s about really flying together with your family in that brief, exquisite instant that people who live their lives on the ground will never understand.” While the exact cause of the crash won’t be clear for a year or more until the National Transportation Safety Board publishes its final report, weather did not appear to be a factor. Witnesses say the plane was roughly 100 feet (30 meters) from the ground when it made an abrupt left turn before crashing. It appeared to be losing power, and the pilot may have been trying to reach a highway to land when the plane stalled and went down nose first, said Dennis Jacobs, acting airport manager of Butler-memorial-airport" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="146301" data-entity-type="location">Butler Memorial Airport. The private plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City, he said. The crash site in the small town of Butler is roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Kansas City. Skydiving plane crash investigations often reveal poor maintenance and weak safety oversight 3 MIN READ 12 dead as a plane on a skydiving outing crashes in Missouri, authorities say 3 MIN READ 79 Skydiver gets rescued after crashing into scoreboard before Virginia Tech spring game 1 MIN READ Skydive Kansas City said in a statement that its team and the close-knit skydiving community was in shock. “This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community,” the company said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost.” The Pacific Aerospace 750XL — a single engine turboprop plane — is a popular model in skydiving because it’s designed for the sport and can quickly take parachutists to jumping altitudes while using short runways. This particular plane, which was built in 2010, had made nine successful flights in the days before the crash, including two on Sunday morning, according to FlightAware, a digital flight tracking company. Federal investigators have voiced concerns about weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations, citing the need for stronger aircraft inspections. The NTSB said after a crash killed 11 people in Hawaii that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights. Skydiving businesses operate under the same FAA rules that apply to any small plane owner as long as their flights don’t venture more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) away. Those rules also cover tourist helicopters and other local flights because the FAA considers those operations less complicated than a charter company or airline. As a result, FAA oversight of skydiving operators isn’t as stringent as the NTSB has recommended in the past. But aircraft owners are expected to follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule and recommendations. The United States Parachute Association, the sport’s governing body, said in a statement after Sunday’s crash that “a loss of this magnitude is felt profoundly across the entire sport.” The group said Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all maintenance requirements established by the FAA. The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error. Associated Press reporters Kristen M. Hall in Kansas City, Missouri; Cathy Bussewitz in New York, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed. JOHN SEEWER Seewer covers state and national news for The Associated Press and is based in Toledo, Ohio. twitter mailto JOSH FUNK Funk covers transportation including aviation safety, trucking and airlines along with the major freight railroads. Funk also covers Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, drones, the effort to break China’s stranglehold on rare earth elements and agriculture. twitter mailto