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Tragedy struck in the Texas Hill Country as a small aircraft, carrying a group of pickleball enthusiasts, crashed into a wooded area, resulting in the loss of all five individuals on board, officials revealed on Friday.
The fatal incident occurred on Thursday night at approximately 11 PM in Wimberley, a town situated about 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” reported Sgt. Billy Ray to the gathered media.
The Amarillo Pickleball Club from Amarillo, Texas, confirmed that the victims were club members en route to a tournament. The deceased were identified as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling, and Hayden Dillard.
“Please keep their precious families in your thoughts and prayers,” the club expressed in a heartfelt statement. “While many knew them as friends through the sport, this loss is most devastating for their families. They may need our support during this difficult time.”
The plane, a Cessna 421C, took off from Amarillo and was headed to New Braunfels National Airport, according to the flight history. Aerial photos posted online by the Austin American-Statesman showed the aircraft destroyed in a wooded area.
A small plane carrying pickleball players crashed in trees in Texas Hill Country on Thursday
Brooke Skypala, right, was one of the five people killed in the crash on Thursday night
Glen Appling (left) and Hayden Dillard (right) had won tournaments togethers in the past
Promising young tennis and pickleball player Seren Wilson was also tragically killed
A preliminary investigation revealed the aircraft ‘was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact’ and ‘there is no indication of a mid-air collision’.Â
Stacey Rohr, who lives nearby, said she was in bed when she heard a crash and ‘felt everything vibrate.’
‘It was so close I felt like it was the back of my place up in flames,’ said Rohr, who immediately called her landlord.
The players were heading to a pickleball tournament at the Cranky Pickle in New Braunfels, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio, said Martin Robertson, head pro at the venue.
He said they canceled the tournament Friday and plan to say a prayer before they start Saturday and honor the players who died.
‘We’re very heavy hearted, heartbroken from this,’ he said. ‘The pickleball community is very tight knit. Everybody knows everybody.’
Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he’d played many games with four of the five people who were killed.
‘I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,’ Dyer said. ‘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.’
All five people on board were killed as they traveled for a tournament near San AntonioÂ
A pilot in the area confirmed the plane’s locator emergency device emitted a distress signal
Dyer said a second plane was traveling to the event from Amarillo at the same time. Authorities said it landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels.
‘I haven’t heard anything from him,’ the pilot of the second plane said, according to Air Traffic Control audio.
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. The controller called 911.
It was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash and there was a thunderstorm two hours later, the National Weather Service said.