Victims identified in Butler, Missouri, plane crash that killed 11 skydivers, 1 pilot

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The names of the 11 skydivers and the pilot killed Sunday morning in the Butler, Missouri, plane crash have been released. The Bates County Coroner's Office confirmed the names of the victims on Tuesday afternoon, just two days after the crash. Their names are: The victims, who included experienced skydivers, crashed shortly after taking off from Butler Memorial Airport just before 11:30 a.m. Sunday. The plane turned around for an unknown reason before losing control, crashing into a field on airport property and catching fire, killing everyone on board. Some family members of the victims witnessed the deadly crash, Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson told reporters in a news conference. According to the update from the coroner, the office wanted to wait to release the names of the victims to allow time for family and friends to reach out to their extended families. "We ask that you allow time and pray for everyone involved as this investigation will take months to complete and has touched people nationwide," the coroner's office said. "God bless you all." In a news conference on Monday, the vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Michael Graham, said that a preliminary report would be available within 30 days. As the agency leading the investigation, the NTSB said it expects the investigation to take a year or longer to complete its final report and identify the cause of the crash. Records show that the aircraft -- a Pacific Aerospace 750XL with the tail number N221BN. -- was registered to a Tennessee-based company known as SkyHi Aero, LLC. The aircraft was manufactured in New Zealand and is described as being capable of holding up to 17 passengers. The plane is specifically designed for large skydiving parties. Registration records show that it was constructed in 2010 and registered to a Tennessee-based company, known as SkyHi Aero LLC. The aircraft was also once used by a Chattanooga skydiving company before being operated by Skydive Kansas City, which rents a space at the Butler airport. Earlier that day, the company had already flown the plane multiple times, according to FlightAware. Records show it taking off from the airport at 9:20 a.m. and returning to the ground after about 22 minutes. Then, nearly an hour later, the plane took off for another session before safely landing. Skydive KC, established in 1998 and based in Butler, says on its website that it provides one of the highest altitudes for skydiving in the region (14,000 feet) due to its distance from the congested Kansas City airspace. Previous reporting shows the company had another crash as recently as 2024. In May of that year, seven people on a single-engine, six-seater Cessna U206C had to eject from the aircraft after one of the passengers’ parachutes prematurely deployed, causing complications to the daily skydiving operation. All seven people on board returned safely to the ground, including the pilot. The plane was considered a total loss.  Skydive Kansas City, which coordinated the flight Sunday, released a statement following the crash: “This is a devastating loss for everyone connected to Skydive Kansas City and for the wider skydiving community. Our deepest sympathies are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all who were lost. “At this time, the focus of the management and ownership team is to assist investigators and tosupport the staff and the broader skydiving community. The entire team is in shock, andthe community is close-knit. We ask for privacy as we direct all efforts toward managing this tragedy and remaining available to authorities as they work to determine the cause." Witnesses and anyone with information about the crash are asked to contact the NTSB with tips at [email protected].