The victims have been identified as Justin Appling, Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala and Stacy Hedrick.
WIMBERLEY, Texas — We now know the identities of the five people who died following a plane crash in Wimberley on Thursday night
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told KVUE on Friday morning that a Cessna 421C plane crashed at around 11:03 p.m. in a wooded area near Wimberley. The agency said the plane was destroyed in “a post-impact fire.”
On Saturday, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) positively identified the victims of the crash. The pilot has been identified as Justin Appling, while the four passengers have been identified as Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala and Stacy Hedrick. Texas DPS Sgt. Billy Ray said on Friday that all five were pronounced dead at the scene.
While DPS did not confirm where the plane was coming from or its intended destination, flight data shows it was heading from Amarillo to New Braunfels. According to the Amarillo Pickleball Club, the victims were headed to a pickleball tournament.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said preliminary information indicated that the plane was “traveling at a high rate of speed” at the time of impact, but DPS did not confirm that information in a media briefing on Friday morning. Becerra also said a second aircraft traveling in the vicinity landed safely in New Braunfels.
The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have both been notified about the crash and are the lead investigating agencies. DPS said the investigation remains active. The NTSB said it is working to gather information, including flight tracking data, communications records, weather forecasts, the pilot’s license and more.
The NTSB also said a preliminary report will likely be released within 30 days of the crash.
Neighbors share what they saw and heard
Stormy weather was reported in the area on Thursday night. Residents near the crash site said they heard unusual sounds shortly before the plane went down.
Stacey Rohr said she was just about to go to bed when she heard buzzing noises coming from outside and said her home “shook like an earthquake” when the plane crashed in the woods directly next to her home. She said the flames from the crash site were so close, she was worried they would engulf her house.
“Just very sad about the whole thing and feeling very grateful that it wasn’t any closer because it was literally right here where it landed. There’s homes and stuff,” Rohr said. “So yeah, just grateful.”
Another resident, Ivars Vilums, lives a mile down the road and said he heard the aircraft around 10:30 p.m.
“It was making strange, very low RPMs, and revving, and revving, and revving. But it flew on by,” he said.
Vilums said when he woke up, he discovered debris from the aircraft in his front yard.
He said an 8-foot-long piece of the plane’s tail landed on his property, and that FAA investigators have found additional debris in the surrounding woods.
“From your story, it made me think that it just crashed, but no – it was falling apart in the air,” he said.