5 Pickleball Club Members Killed in Texas Plane Crash

A small plane carrying five members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club crashed into a wooded area in Texas Hill Country late Thursday night, killing all aboard, authorities confirmed Friday.

The Cessna 421C departed Amarillo en route to New Braunfels National Airport for a tournament at the Cranky Pickle venue. The crash occurred around 11 p.m. in Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Billy Ray said the pilot and four passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were identified as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling and Hayden Dillard.

Air traffic control audio captured controllers noting the aircraft's erratic movement before its radar track vanished. A pilot from a second plane, carrying other club members on the same route, reported losing contact. "I haven't heard anything from him," the pilot said, according to the recording. A controller replied, "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." The plane's emergency locator transmitter activated, prompting a 911 call that led rescuers to the wreckage in a...