NTSB Preliminary Report: Skydive Plane Crash Near Butler, Mo., Kills 12

BUTLER, Mo. — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the June 14, 2026, crash of a turboprop skydiving aircraft that killed all 12 people on board. The plane, operating a commercial parachute flight, went down shortly after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport (BUM).

Investigators determined the aircraft was within its weight-and-balance limits at departure. The Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop engine was producing power at the moment of impact, and two fuel samples recovered from the wreckage tested clean, with no contamination detected. No mechanical or fuel-system failures have been identified to date. Notably, a clipboard that may have contained the jump manifest or other operational paperwork was not recovered at the scene.

Security camera footage obtained by investigators shows the aircraft midway down the runway during its takeoff roll, then captures it in a steep bank — wings nearly perpendicular to the ground — immediately before impact, indicating a loss of control shortly after liftoff. The 12 occupants included the pilot, tandem instructors, tandem customers, camera operators and additional jumpers. Because the aircraft was not required to carry a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, investigators are reconstructing the sequence of events through wreckage examination, ground witness accounts and surveillance video. A final report detailing probable cause is expected to take a year or more.