Tragedy as plane crash kills entire pickleball team in Texas

Five pickleball players were killed after a small private plane crashed in a remote area of Texas Hill Country.

The crash occurred at about 11:03p.m. on Thursday in the city of Wimberley, approximately 40 miles south west of Austin, Texas.

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“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters.

“The plane did catch fire. That would indicate some pretty severe damage to the plane. There are some pieces that are intact.”

The victims belonged to Amarillo Pickleball Club in Amarillo, Texas, and were later named in a statement posted to the club’s Facebook page.

“Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family: Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling, and Hayden Dillard,” the statement read.

“Please keep their precious families in your thoughts and prayers.

“All five were killed last night in a private airplane crash near Austin, TX, while en route to a pickleball tournament.

“Although many were friends to players, the loss is most horrible to their close family. And those families may need our help in these times.”

The club also offered a point of contact for those in the community who would be willing to “provide meals or logistical help.”

Amarillo Pickleball Club president Dan Dyer revealed he had played many games with the victims.

“I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,” Dyer said.

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“Every weekend there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get the bug; others don’t. But once they do, they’ll travel for a tournament.”

Plane details revealed as investigation gets underway

The aircraft was a Cessna 421C that took off from Amarillo two hours prior to the crash, with it headed toward New Braunfels National Airport.

A preliminary investigation has indicated that the plane was “traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact, and there is no indication of a mid-air collision”, per KFDM.

The weather was mostly cloudy in the area shortly before the crash.

Two hours later, there was a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service.

A second plane travelling in the area landed safely at the destination airport in New Braunfels, 50km northeast of San Antonio, according to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra.

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The pilot revealed that both he and the pilot of the troubled plane were flying there together, per Air Traffic Control audio.

“I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot said on the recording.

“He started to move erratically and now his track has disappeared from the scope. So we want to make sure everything’s all right with him,” an ATC controller responded.

It was later revealed that the Cessna plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal, prompting the controller to call emergency services.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash.

It is expected that the preliminary factual report will be released within 30 days, while a final report detailing probable cause and contributing factors can take up to two years.