Five die as small plane crashes in central Texas

Five people were killed when a small plane carrying pickleball players crashed into trees in central Texas.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the crash occurred in the city of Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin.

“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced dead at the scene,” Sergeant Billy Ray told reporters. he said.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a post on Facebook that the names of the victims were not released.

The Amarillo Pickleball Club confirmed the victims were members flying to a tournament.

According to flight history, the Cessna 421C took off from Amarillo and was headed to New Braunfels National Airport.

Aerial photos published online by the Austin American-Statesman show the plane completely destroyed in a forested area.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are handling the investigation, Ray said.

At least one pilot in the area confirmed that the troubled plane’s locator emergency device was emitting a distress signal.

The National Weather Service said skies were mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash, and the storm hit two hours later.

Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he played many games with four of the five people who died.

“I gave them medals. They were excellent players. They went out to win some matches,” he said.

Dyer said a second plane was heading towards the event at the same time. Officials confirmed the plane landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio.