Butler: A plane crashed near an airport in Butler, Missouri, shortly before noon local time on Sunday, killing all 12 people on board, including the pilot and 11 skydivers. Police officials revealed that the incident occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time. The aircraft involved was a single-engine propeller plane that took off from Butler Airport in Missouri, about 80-100 kilometers south of Kansas City. It failed to gain altitude, then made a sharp left turn before crashing just 200 yards from the runway and immediately burst into flames. All 12 people on board, including the pilot and 11 paratroopers, died instantly at the scene.

According to Thai News Agency, rescue workers quickly brought the fire under control and extinguished it, confirming that no one on board attempted to parachute out of the aircraft before it crashed. Local media reported that some family members of the deceased, who were waiting at the airport to cheer, witnessed the event firsthand, as the group of skydivers included those preparing for their first tandem jump with an instructor. The report also stated that the aircraft was operated by Skydive Kansas City, and flight data indicated that it had successfully completed two short flights that morning prior to the accident.

Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are currently on site investigating the wreckage and determining the cause of the crash. The FAA stated that the rural airfield lacked an air traffic control tower, meaning there was no coordination or radio reporting of any abnormalities from the pilots at the time of the incident. It is suspected that the aircraft may have suddenly lost engine power after takeoff, possibly due to a fuel system malfunction or engine failure. The pilot may have attempted to turn back to the airfield, causing the aircraft to lose lift and crash. The official NTSB investigation is expected to take almost a year.