A small aircraft carrying a group of pickleball players crashed in the US state of Texas late Thursday night, killing all five people on board, authorities said.
The twin-engine Cessna 421C went down around 11 pm near Wimberley, a town about 65 km southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,” Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters. The identities of the victims were not immediately released. However, the Amarillo Pickleball Club confirmed that those on board were its members travelling to a tournament.
Crash heard miles away, aircraft destroyed
As per an NDTV report, residents near the crash site described hearing a loud disturbance moments before impact. Stacey Rohr, who lives nearby, said she felt her home shake.
“It was so close I felt like it was the back of my place up in flames,” she said.
Another witness, Cecil Keith, described to the local station KEYE-TV that there were problems with the plane as it flew over the region, noting that “It was like an engine backfiring — pow, pow, pow. Something was definitely wrong.” The photographs obtained by the Austin American-Statesman show the airplane lying in pieces in a forested area.
Yesterday: a Cessna 421 crashed in Texas (US). The 5 aboard died. Aircraft went down in Wimberley: Plane was on a private flight, carrying players from the Amarillo Pickleball Club from River Falls Airport to New Braunfels.
— Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) May 1, 2026
ADS-B data indicates the airplane was cruising at… pic.twitter.com/mpAF0zcZLQ
The analysis of flight data shows that the airplane had taken off from Amarillo bound for New Braunfels National Airport. According to air traffic control recordings, the plane was operating erratically before going out of sight.
There was a pilot of another airplane flying in the same direction who lost contact with the fallen aircraft. Moreover, it is reported that the emergency beacon of the aircraft was triggered shortly before its crash.
Investigation underway
Federal investigators are now handling the investigation into the accident. The weather at that time was stated by the National Weather Service to be mostly cloudy, with thunderstorms forming later in the night.
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Dan Dyer, the president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, had some personal connection to the deceased.
“I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players… Once people get into pickleball, they travel for tournaments,” he mentioned.
Another plane with participants from Amarillo arrived safely in New Braunfels, which together with Wimberley is among the popular locations in the Texas Hill Country.
