Texas plane crash: All five people onboard die as aircraft goes down 'amongst trees'

Five people have died after a small plane went down amongst the trees in the US. The small aircraft was carrying pickleball players in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people on board, authorities have confirmed.. The crash occurred at around 11pm on Thursday in Wimberley, a town approximately 40 miles (65 kilometres) southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. "The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene," Sgt. Billy Ray told reporters. The names of the victims were not immediately released by authorities, though the Amarillo Pickleball Club in Amarillo, Texas, confirmed they were members travelling to a tournament. The aircraft, a Cessna 421C, had departed from Amarillo and was bound for New Braunfels National Airport, according to flight records. Aerial photographs published online by the Austin American-Statesman showed the plane completely obliterated in a wooded area. Ray confirmed that federal authorities were heading up the investigation. Stacey Rohr, a local resident, said she was in bed when she heard the crash and "felt everything vibrate. "It was so close I felt like it was the back of my place up in flames," said Rohr, who immediately rang her landlord. Cecil Keith said he heard what sounded like an engine backfiring - "pow, pow, pow" - as the plane passed over his house moments before the crash. "Something was definitely wrong," he told KEYE-TV. Dan Dyer, president of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, said he had played numerous games with four of the five people who lost their lives. "I've handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games," Dyer 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." Dyer revealed that a second aircraft had been travelling to the same event from Amarillo simultaneously. Authorities confirmed it touched down safely at the airport in New Braunfels, roughly 30 miles (50 kilometres) northeast of San Antonio. "I haven't heard anything from him," the pilot of the second plane said, according to Air Traffic Control audio. A controller responded: "He started to move erratically and now his track is disappeared from the scope. So we want to make sure everything's all right with him." At least one pilot in the vicinity confirmed that the stricken plane's emergency locator device had triggered a distress signal. The controller subsequently called 911. Conditions were mostly overcast in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash, with a thunderstorm reported two hours later, according to the National Weather Service. Wimberley, home to around 3,000 residents, and New Braunfels, with a population of approximately 116,000, are popular tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country.