There’s still plenty to unpack in a plane crash that killed 12 people in rural Bates County, Missouri on Sunday.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are leading an investigation into the incident. Local authorities told KSHB 41, families of victims are still being notified about the crash.
The Butler community is also in shock over the crash. Northern Bates County Commissioner John Gray told Scripps News Kansas City that Bates County is a skydiving destination, and it isn’t uncommon to see enthusiasts catching an adrenaline rush.
“Skydive KC, man, thousands of people come down to skydive,” Gray said Sunday afternoon, just hours after the crash. “You pray for the families and the friends of those families that lost loved ones today, nobody woke up this morning and thought, 'Hey, I’m not going to be here tonight.'”
Gray says he’s lived through a plane crash while on a trip in Alaska and was able to walk away from the accident.
For folks in Butler, it’s not uncommon that a beautiful Sunday would include a skydiving trip.
Gray says he experienced a lot of anxiety when he heard about Sunday’s crash after church.
“I come out of church this morning and my wife called and your heart just sinks. You don’t even know how to respond,” he recalled. “My first phone call, after I got to Butler, was to a friend of mine. He’s done 5 to 6,000 jumps and was supposed to be there this morning. He says — told me he was okay. He and a buddy went to another jump zone — in 20 years they’ve never been there… A good friend of mine lives down the road, his daughter jumped just a few days ago… You just pray it’s no one you know.”
Authorities expect to remain on scene for a couple days, according to Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.
“When I start to think about it, I start to break down,” said Dennis Jacobs.
Jacobs is the acting Manager of the Butler Airport Commission and Bates County Emergency Management Director. He told Scripps News Kansas City he’s finding ways to keep himself busy and take his mind off the tragedy.
“I saw smoking wreckage, burning wreckage,” Jacobs said in an interview. “It was just, the heartache in seeing that is just horrible. Knowing now it was 12 people on board, just thinking for them and their families, the heartache and loss involved in that. It’s hard to wrap my head around it sometimes.”
“In one moment, things change,” he added.
Jacobs explained state aid had begun to arrive on Sunday evening, including numerous outside organizations to provide support to first responders and some grieving family members who witnessed the incident.
Jacobs said most of the skydivers on board a Pacific Aerospace 750XL were experienced, while two novice skydivers would jump as a tandem, and there was only one pilot. He added the plane's manifest, which is an official, confidential document to detail what passengers and equipment is on board, did change. As to what changed, Jacobs did not know.
There is still no indication as to what caused the plane to go down.
According to Jacobs, Skydive KC was involved in a 2024 crash near the Butler Memorial Airport.
A jumper unintentionally deployed their emergency parachute, causing the individual to fall out of the plane and make contact with the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer.
The plane crashed in an open farm field. All individuals in the aircraft parachuted out and lived, though the first jumper sustained serious injuries. A 2024 NTSB report states that the aircraft was “destroyed.”
In June of 2025, a plane experiencing a mechanical function became inoperable, lost control and crash-landed on top of an aircraft hangar in Johnson County, Kansas.
Two people aboard the aircraft suffered minor injuries. The plane had taken off from Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri.
Jacobs also confirmed that aircraft was operated and leased by the same company involved in Sunday’s deadly plane crash. Jacobs told Scripps News Kansas City the airport commission never had any safety concerns with Skydive Kansas City.
“Freak accidents,” he stated. “They’ve had their fair share of them.”
He went on to add the airport commission has no authority to refuse one’s use of the property, even if there were suspicion. Jacobs explained they would contact local law enforcement to address any concerns, and the FAA could get involved for a ramp check if necessary. Jacobs did not indicate the operators had any previous ramp checks by the FAA.
Additionally, the FAA has strict guidelines for commercial operators, who must undergo strict inspections. It is not under the purview of the local airport commission.
Jacobs says his focus remains on providing as much support to the families impacted, local law enforcement, and cooperating and assisting with federal investigators as needed.
“The impact it’s going to have on the community is right now we’re in shock and there is a lot of people praying,” Jacobs added.
The investigation remains ongoing and local non-profits are offering services to those impacted by Sunday’s incident. For more details on services provided by Code 1 Wellness, click here.
This story was originally published by Ryan Gamboa with the Scripps News Group station in Kansas City, Missouri.
