Plane carrying pickleball players crashes in Texas, five dead

A small plane carrying pickleball players crashed into trees late Thursday night near Wimberley, killing all five people on board, authorities said.The aircraft, a Cessna 421C, took off from Amarillo and was bound for New Braunfels National Airport. The crash occurred around 11 p.m. in Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Images from the scene showed the plane destroyed in the woods.“The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased at the scene,” said Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters, according to the Associated Press.The victim’s name was not immediately released. The Amarillo Pickleball Club said the people on board were members traveling to a tournament.The players were heading to an event at Cranky Pickle in New Braunfels. The game was canceled on Friday and organizers planned to pay tribute to the victims.Air traffic control audio shortly before the crash indicated concern. “He started moving erratically and now he’s gone from the scope. So we want to make sure he’s OK,” a controller said.Federal agencies are leading the investigation into the crash.Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he knew most of the victims and played with them. “I gave them medals. They were great players. They wanted to win some games,” he said. “There are dozens of games every weekend. Some people will get the virus, others won’t. But once they do, they will go to the games.”Another plane flying from Amarillo to the same event landed safely in New Braunfels. At least one pilot reported receiving a distress call from the plane before it crashed.Weather conditions in the area were mostly cloudy before the crash, and the National Weather Service later reported thunderstorms. Wimberley and New Braunfels are popular tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country.