Small Plane Crashes on the Way to Pickleball Tournament in Texas, Kills Five
A small plane crash in Texas resulted in the deaths of all five passengers on board as they were on their way to a pickleball tournament on Thursday.
A twin-engine Cessna 421C was heading toward New Braunfels National Airport in Guadalupe County, Texas, when it crashed just after 11 p.m.
KTBC reported that the five victims included pilot Justin Appling, as well as Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, and Stacy Hedrick.
Agents from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
Five people were killed after a Cessna plane crashed and caught fire in a wooded area of Hays County, Texas; the FAA and NTSB are investigating, with no immediate signs of a midair collision reported.
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The cause for the tragic incident is not yet known.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said that first responders answered a call about the downed aircraft on Thursday night.
A fire that started after the impact destroyed the plane, which had departed from Amarillo.
There is no indication of a midair collision, but the plane was known to be flying quickly at the time of the crash.
The plane had a normal takeoff, reaching a height of 17,400 feet, but suddenly started dropping over 5,000 feet per minute, while radar contact was also lost.
Dillard and Appling owned a manufactured home dealer in Amarillo, the Associated Press reported.
Sarah Lister, who knew the pair through pickleball tournaments, said that Appling had a natural wit, while Dillard was an exemplary mother and businesswoman.
“The pickleball world is super, super small, even though it’s huge at the same time,” Lister told the outlet.
“And when one of us has a tragedy like this, it’s like it’s the whole community that gets hit.”
Lister added that Dillard had two daughters, one of which is preparing to start college.
Leroy Clifford, who traveled to the same tournament on a different plane, was also close to most of the victims.
“One thing I can say about this group is this group, you wanted to be around this group. They were fun, carefree, not uptight, just relaxed, loved to joke with each other, make fun of each other,” Clifford said.
“You couldn’t ask for better friends, honestly.”
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