A young man with Florida capital city ties was among 12 people killed in a devastating June 14 skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri.
Blake Thacker, 25, was remembered as driven, adventurous, and deeply accomplished for his age. The Bates County Coroner’s Office later confirmed he was one of the crash victims.
A 2019 graduate of Chiles High School, Thacker went on to attend the University of Florida. He was a National Merit Scholarship finalist and an honors student. He was living in Olathe, Kansas where he worked as a computer engineer.
He loved helping others, was environmentally conscious, and enjoyed spending time with his cat, Sasha, his family and skydiving.
Missouri Highway Patrol, Butler City Police and the Bates County Sheriff’s Department vehicles block access to the scene of a fatal plane crash involving a skydiving aircraft near Butler Memorial Airport in Butler, Missouri, on June 14, 2026. A skydiving plane crashed June 14 in the central US state of Missouri, killing 12 people on board, officials said.
His parents, Richard and Sherry Thacker, now mourn the loss of a son whose life was filled with promise, ambition, and an unmistakable sense of adventure.
“I knew immediately,” Sherry Thacker told the Tallahassee Democrat of her reaction after hearing about the incident. “My son would not have let me worry like that and he would have called to let me know he was OK.”
Richard Thacker said that was just how thoughtful he was.
Blake Thacker, 25, was an avid skydiver, a loving son and an accomplished academic. He died in a tragic plane crash while skydiving in Butler, Missouri June 14, 2026.
The last time Sherry Thacker heard her son’s voice was the night before the crash when he called to check on her; she was in Texas caring for her own mother, who died two hours after the crash.
“It was brutal,” Richard Thacker said.
They said skydiving wasn’t just a fun sport for Blake Thacker; it was a way of life.
“He was smart and could do anything he set his mind out to do, but everybody has their challenges and he told me multiple times, ‘Mom, skydiving has given me the confidence to do anything I want to do and has helped me in other areas of my life to be successful,’ ” Sherry Thacker said.
Blake Thacker, 25, was an avid skydiver, a loving son and an accomplished academic. He died in a tragic plane crash while skydiving in Butler, Missouri June 14, 2026.
He made his first skydiving jump as an 18-year-old in Quincy.
Blake Thacker’s dream was to skydive all over the world, including over the pyramids in Egypt. An avid flyer, he completed more than 300 jumps with hopes of becoming a coach, a license he would have been eligible to earn after his jump Monday.
“He was so excited because he would be able to help others and share his passion,” Sherry Thacker said.
Blake Thacker, 25, was an avid skydiver, a loving son and an accomplished academic. He died in a tragic plane crash while skydiving in Butler, Missouri June 14, 2026.
Plane crashed shortly after takeoff
In a matter of moments, what began as a routine takeoff turned into tragedy, leaving families and communities across states grappling with unimaginable grief.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft, a Pacific Aerospace P750, crashed shortly after takeoff from Butler Memorial Airport, about 65 miles south of Kansas City.
The private plane, operated by Skydive Kansas City, had departed from the airport and “turned around for an unknown reason” before crashing near a local highway around 11:20 a.m. local time, according to Bates County Emergency Management.
Blake Thacker, 25, was an avid skydiver, a loving son and an accomplished academic. He died in a tragic plane crash while skydiving in Butler, Missouri June 14, 2026.
“Blake was all about safety and controlling the things he could control, and this plane was out of his control,” Richard Thacker said emphasizing that no one is to blame for the tragedy. “Blake would never want the sport to be disparaged in any way.”
The crash is currently under federal investigation. That could take up to a year, officials said.
In the meantime, Thacker’s parents. who live in Alabama, want their son’s life to be a lesson of passion, kindness and finding joy in helping others.
“Blake had done great things, was doing great things and was destined to do even more and he was happy,” Richard Thacker said.
Alaijah Cross covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at abrown@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida native, avid skydiver dies in Missouri plane crash