A small plane crashed in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people aboard, officials said Friday.<\/p>\n
The crash happened Thursday night in Wimberley, a city about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of Austin, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 421C crashed around 11:25 p.m. with five people on board. It said the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.<\/p>\n
The plane took off from Amarillo, Texas, about two hours earlier and was headed to New Braunfels National Airport, according to the flight history.<\/p>\n
Becerra said preliminary information indicates the plane was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed. He did not release the names of the victims, pending notification of family.<\/p>\n
He said a second aircraft traveling in the area landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of San Antonio.<\/p>\n
A pilot said he and the pilot of the Cessna were flying there together, according to Air Traffic Control audio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven’t heard anything from him,\u201d the pilot says on the recording.<\/p>\n
A controller responds: “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.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least one pilot in the area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal. The controller called 911.<\/p>\n