The victims of a devastating Texas plane crash have been identified — and the tragedy is hitting especially hard for a close-knit group of pickleball players who were traveling together.
Officials say five members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club were killed when their small plane went down Thursday night while heading to a tournament.
Those lost in the crash include 19-year-old Seren Wilson, 45-year-old Brooke Skypala, 51-year-old Stacy Hedrick, 37-year-old Justin Glen Appling, and 39-year-old Hayden Dillard.
“Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family,” the organization shared in an emotional post.
The group had been flying from Amarillo to New Braunfels for a tournament when their twin-engine Cessna 421C crashed in a wooded area near Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin.
Authorities say the plane went down just after 11 p.m., erupting into flames.
Flight data shows the aircraft made a sudden sharp turn midair before rapidly dropping from 13,600 feet to 7,000 feet — and then disappearing from radar.
A second plane traveling with them made it safely to New Braunfels.
The loss has left family, friends, and the wider pickleball community in shock.
Wilson, the youngest victim, was remembered by her former high school tennis team as someone full of life and encouragement.
“Seren loved big and her presence, encouragement, and spirit will be deeply missed,” they shared.
Skypala was a mental health counselor and a mother of three, while Appling worked as a sales manager. Dillard, a real estate professional, leaves behind a daughter.
Tributes have poured in online from fellow players who knew the group well.
“They were the greatest people I’ve ever met… every tournament I was at, they were there,” one person wrote.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are continuing to look into what caused the crash.