Overview
- The Cessna 421C, which crashed late Thursday near Wimberley, killed the pilot and four passengers.
- Texas DPS on Saturday identified the victims as pilot Justin Appling and passengers Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala and Stacy Hedrick.
- Flight data show the twin‑engine plane left the Amarillo area bound for New Braunfels for a pickleball tournament, and a second aircraft on the same route landed safely.
- Air traffic audio described erratic maneuvers and a lost radar track, and pilots in the area reported the plane’s distress beacon as tracking data showed a rapid descent.
- The NTSB, assisted by the FAA, reports a post‑impact fire, no sign of a mid‑air collision and a high‑speed impact, and it is reviewing weather as it prepares a preliminary report in the coming weeks.