Authorities have not released the identities of the five people who died Thursday night when their New Braunfels-bound Cessna 421C crashed in a wooded area near Wimberley.
The pilot and four passengers died at the scene.
However, the Amarillo Pickleball Club identified them as Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling, and Hayden Dillard.
They were en route to a pickleball tournament.
“Although many were friends to players, the loss is most horrible to their close family,” the group posted on Facebook.
The plane was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit the ground, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said on social media. There is no indication of a mid-air collision.
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters this morning the plane was on fire, indicating “some pretty severe damage.”
Some parts of the plane, tail number N291AN, are intact.
Another Cessna 421 traveling in the vicinity landed safely in New Braunfels.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene of the crash in the 200 block of Round Rock Road at approximately 11:05 p.m.
The twin-engine piston aircraft departed from Amarillo at 9:11 p.m. and was scheduled to arrive in New Braunfels at 11:10 p.m., according to data on FlightAware.com.
The plane that landed safely in New Braunfels also departed from Amarillo.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance data posted by the Aviation Safety Network shows the plane’s last minutes. Click here for more information.
The airplane is owned by Amarillo-based KB Flies LLC, according to FlightAware.com. It was first certified as airworthy in 1977.