The five pickleball players killed in a horrific plane crash en route to a tournament have now been identified, as their club shared a moving tribute to the athletes.
The small Cessna plane crashed in a wooded area Thursday near the small town of Wimberley, outside of Austin, Texas, and was traveling at a “high rate of speed” when it went down, local officials said.
Amarillo Pickleball Club identified the victims, whose reported ages ranged from teens to mid-40s, as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling, and Hayden Dillard.
The club described them as “five members of our Amarillo pickleball family.”
“All five were killed last night in a private airplane crash near Austin, TX, while en route to a pickleball tournament. Although many were friends to players, the loss is most horrible to their close family,” the organization said Friday.
Tascosa High School’s tennis team also shared a tribute to Wilson, who was an alum.
“Seren was so much more than an alumni and 2022 UIL Team Tennis State Champion, she was a constant supporter of Sandie Tennis and someone who poured so much into this program and the players. Seren loved big and her presence, encouragement, and spirit will be deeply missed by so many,” the team wrote on Facebook Friday.
Amarillo Pickleball Club President Dan Dyer told the Associated Press he had played several games with four of the victims.
“I’ve handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games,” he said. “Every weekend there are dozens of tournaments. Some people get the bug; others don’t. But once they do, they’ll travel for a tournament.”
The group departed Amarillo, Texas, in the Cessna 421C plane en route to New Braunfels National Airport, according to records reviewed by the AP.
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“Based on current findings, there is no indication of a mid-air collision. A second aircraft traveling in the vicinity landed safely in New Braunfels,” Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said.
The plane also caught fire at one point, which “would indicate some pretty severe damage,” a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety told reporters Friday.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash with assistance from the FAA.
“An NTSB investigator arrived at the accident site Friday. After the wreckage is documented at the crash location, it will be moved to a secure facility for further evaluation,” an NTSB spokesperson told The Independent.
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