A small plane carrying pickleball players crashed into trees in the Texas Hill Country region, killing all five people on board, authorities said Friday.
The accident happened around 11 p.m. Thursday in the town of Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
"The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced dead at the scene," said Officer Billy Ray.
The Amarillo Pickleball Club said the victims were club members traveling to a tournament. They were later identified as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling and Hayden Dillard.
"In these difficult times, please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers," the club's response said.
The plane, a Cessna 421C, had taken off from Amarillo and was heading to New Braunfels National Airport. Aerial photos released by the media show the plane completely destroyed in a wooded area.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the aircraft was traveling at high speed at the time of the collision and there are no indications of a mid-air collision.
A resident of the area, Stacey Rohr, said she felt a loud bang and shaking in her home. “It was so close I thought the back of my house was on fire,” she said.
The players were traveling to a pickleball tournament in Cranky Pickle, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. Organizers announced Friday's tournament was canceled, but activities will resume with a tribute to the victims.
"We are deeply saddened. The pickleball community is very close-knit, everyone knows each other," said organizer Martin Robertson.
Club president Dan Dyer said he had played frequently with four of the victims. "They were great players, always competitive," he said.
Authorities said another plane, traveling from Amarillo to the same event, landed safely in New Braunfels.
According to air traffic control communications, the pilot of the crashed plane had begun to move erratically before disappearing from radar. An emergency device on the plane had sent a distress signal, leading to the notification of emergency services.
According to the National Weather Service, the weather in the area was mostly cloudy shortly before the accident, while a thunderstorm was recorded about two hours later.
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