A small plane carrying pickleball players crashed into trees near Wimberley late Thursday night, killing all five people on board, authorities said.The plane, a Cessna 421C, took off from Amarillo en route to New Braunfels National Airport.
The accident happened around 11 p.m. in Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Pictures from the scene showed the plane destroyed in a wooded area.“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced dead at the scene,” said Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters, according to the Associated Press.The names of the victims were not immediately revealed. The Amarillo Pickleball Club said those on board were members traveling to a tournament.The players were headed to an event at Cranky Pickle in New Braunfels. The tournament was canceled on Friday, and organizers plan to honor the victims.Air traffic control audio indicated concern shortly before the accident. “It started moving erratically and now its path has disappeared from view. So we want to make sure all is well with it,” one observer said.Federal agencies are leading the investigation into the incident.
Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he knew most of the victims and played with them. “I handed them medals. They were excellent players. They came out to win some matches,” he said. “Every weekend, there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get sick and some people don’t. But once they do, they’ll travel to a tournament.”Another plane traveling from Amarillo to the same event landed safely in New Braunfels. At least one pilot reported that he received a distress signal from the plane before it went down.Weather conditions in the area were mostly cloudy before the accident, with a thunderstorm reported later by the National Weather Service. Wimberley and New Braunfels are popular tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country.
