Five people were killed late Thursday when a small plane crashed in the Texas Hill Country, authorities said Friday.
The Cessna 421C went down around 11:25 p.m. in Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a statement. Emergency crews were dispatched at about 11:05 p.m. following reports of an aircraft down.
“Authorities have confirmed that all five occupants lost their lives as a result of the incident,” Becerra said. Sgt. Billy Ray with the Texas Department of Public Safety told reporters Friday that the pilot and four passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.
Preliminary information indicates the aircraft was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact, according to Becerra and the Hays County Homeland Security and Emergency Management office. “Based on current findings, there is no indication of a mid-air collision,” the county said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane had five people on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. “The identities of those involved are also being withheld pending next of kin notifications,” Sgt. Ray said.
Flight data shows the Cessna took off from Amarillo, Texas, about two hours before the crash and was headed to New Braunfels National Airport, roughly 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. A second aircraft traveling in the vicinity landed safely at the New Braunfels airport.
Air traffic control audio indicates the two pilots were flying to the tournament together. “I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot of the second plane said on the recording. A controller responded: “He started to move erratically and now his track is disappeared from the scope. So we want to make sure everything’s all right with him.” At least one pilot in the area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal, and the controller called 911.
The Amarillo Pickleball Club said those on board were members traveling to a tournament. “The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” Sgt. Ray said. Club president Dan Dyer said he’d played many games with four of the five people who died. “I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,” Dyer said. The players were headed to an event at the Cranky Pickle in New Braunfels, which was canceled Friday to honor the victims.
A resident told NBC affiliate WOIA she heard a buzzing sound when the crash occurred. “It shook when it landed. It was like something I never heard or felt,” she said. “That just blows my mind and it’s right here … just very sad about the whole thing and also feeling very grateful that it wasn’t any closer.”
According to the National Weather Service, it was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash but there was a thunderstorm two hours later. AccuWeather forecasters said weather conditions were not a factor in the crash, with no rain reported at the time and winds below 10 mph. “Conditions were quiet at the time of the crash, but the weather turned wetter later overnight,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Wimberley, with a population of about 3,000, is a popular tourist and hiking destination next to the Blanco River. Wimberley Mayor Jim Chiles told The Associated Press early Friday that he did not have any information about the crash.
The NTSB and FAA are leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.
