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The Pickleball community is mourning the loss of some of their ownCredit: Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene,\u201d Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plane did catch fire. That would indicate some pretty severe damage to the plane. There are some pieces that are intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victims belonged to Amarillo Pickleball Club in Amarillo, Texas, and were later named in a statement posted to the club’s Facebook page<\/a>. <\/p>\n “Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family: Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling, and Hayden Dillard,” the statement read. <\/p>\n READ MORE SPORT<\/p>\n “Please keep their precious families in your thoughts and prayers.<\/p>\n “All five were killed last night in a private airplane crash near Austin, TX, while en route to a pickleball tournament.<\/p>\n “Although many were friends to players, the loss is most horrible to their close family. And those families may need our help in these times.”<\/p>\n The club also offered a point of contact for those in the community who would be willing to “provide meals or logistical help.”<\/p>\n Amarillo Pickleball Club president Dan Dyer revealed he had played many games with the victims. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,\u201d Dyer said<\/a>. <\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Players from the Amarillo Pickleball Club were travelling on a small plane to a tournament when it crashedCredit: Getty<\/p>\n \u201cEvery weekend there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get the bug; others don\u2019t. But once they do, they\u2019ll travel for a tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n Plane details revealed as investigation gets underway<\/p>\n The aircraft was a Cessna 421C that took off from Amarillo two hours prior to the crash, with it headed toward New Braunfels National Airport.<\/p>\n A preliminary investigation has indicated that the plane was “traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of impact, and there is no indication of a mid-air collision”, per KFDM<\/a>. <\/p>\n The weather was mostly cloudy in the area shortly before the crash. <\/p>\n Two hours later, there was a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service<\/a>. <\/p>\n A second plane travelling in the area landed safely at the destination airport in New Braunfels, 50km northeast of San Antonio, according to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra. <\/p>\n![\"FORT](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2240161255.jpg\")
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