5 killed after small plane crashes in Texas Hill Country, officials say

Five people were killed after a small plane crashed in Texas Hill Country late Thursday, according to officials.

According to Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra, at about 11:05 p.m., emergency crews responded to a reported downed aircraft in Wimberley, a city about 40 miles southwest of Austin.

Becerra said preliminary information indicates the plane, a Cessna 421C, was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed, killing all five people on board.

He said there’s no indication of a mid-air collision, and a second aircraft traveling in the area landed safely near San Antonio.

A pilot said he and the pilot of the Cessna were flying there together, according to Air Traffic Control audio.

“I haven’t heard anything from him,” the pilot says on the recording.

A controller responds: “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 area confirmed the troubled plane’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal. The controller called 911.

According to the National Weather Service, it was mostly cloudy in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash but there was a thunderstorm two hours later.

Fire and EMS crews remained on scene following the crash throughout the night and early Friday morning.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the cause of the crash.

“Out of respect for the families involved, the identities of those on board are not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin,” Becerra said in a social media post.

Wimberley, with a population of about 3,000, is a popular tourist and hiking destination in the Texas Hill Country next to the Blanco River.