Man who died in Missouri plane crash was ‘doing what he loved best’
Among the victims in the Butler plane crash that killed 12 people Sunday morning was 39-year-old Matthew Swope, the man’s mother said.
“One of them was my youngest child, Matthew Cole Swope, 39 y/o, doing what he loved best,” Dorcie Swope wrote in a Facebook post Sunday evening.
“We don’t have details of what caused the crash as the NTSB/FAA are investigating. We will post updates as we get more info. Please pray for his 3 sisters, 2 brothers, myself and entire family as we traverse this unknown territory,” she wrote.
Matthew Swope’s Facebook page, which features a series of skydiving photos, said he was an Independence resident.
Authorities have said a plane laden with 11 skydivers and a pilot crashed during takeoff at the Butler Memorial Airport around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The plane was operated by Skydive Kansas City. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
Authorities have not officially released the names of victims. But the names of those identified through tributes by family members, friends and others on social media so far include Jen Sharp, an internationally recognized skydiver and instructor, Marcus Miller, Matthew Cole Swope, Michael Shanahan, Dustin McKinney, Dane Cordes, Nick Nash, William Fischer, Blake Thacker and David Hershberger.
In a social media post Sunday evening, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote that, “Like many in our region who have had the opportunity to sky dive, my route took me through the familiar path traveled by Sky Dive Kansas City today to Butler Airport. My heart breaks to learn that twelve people did not survive their journey. My condolences to their families, friends, and all who knew and loved them.”
In a response to Lucas, Caden Bahl, who identified himself as Swope’s nephew, said his uncle “went out the way he’d have wanted to, doing what he loves. After surviving many things as a kid, including cancer that he should realistically have not survived.
“He told people that he was at terms with that and would live his life exactly how he wanted and he did just that,” Bahl wrote. “Matthew Swope will forever be in our minds as a light for our family and many others.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM.
