A pilot made a frantic call to air traffic control before a plane crash near Austin, Texas, claimed the lives of all five people onboard. The aircraft, a Cessna 421C, went down around 11 pm on Thursday in Wimberley, approximately 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Details of the Crash
The plane was seen flying "erratically" before the tragic crash, which occurred in a wooded area. Sergeant Billy Ray confirmed that the pilot and four passengers were killed after the aircraft struck trees and caught fire. The names of the victims have not yet been released. An unidentified woman was seen wiping her eyes and fanning her face behind yellow police tape near the crash site on Friday afternoon, consoled by a man.
The aircraft had departed from Amarillo, Texas, roughly two hours before the crash and was en route to New Braunfels National Airport, based on flight history. Aerial photographs published by the Austin American-Statesman depicted the aircraft as completely destroyed in a wooded area.
Witness Accounts
Resident Stacey Rohr recounted being in bed when she heard a crash and "felt everything vibrate." She added, "It was so close, I felt like it was the back of my place up in flames." Another local, Cecil Keith, described hearing what sounded like an engine backfiring – "pow, pow, pow" – as the plane passed over his home moments before impact. "Something was definitely wrong," he told local broadcaster KEYE-TV.
Air Traffic Control Audio
According to air traffic control audio, a pilot reported that he and the Cessna pilot were flying together. "I haven't heard anything from him," the pilot said. 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." A pilot in the vicinity confirmed the troubled aircraft's emergency locator device had emitted a distress signal, prompting the controller to call 911.
Weather Conditions
Weather conditions in the New Braunfels area were mostly cloudy shortly before the crash, with a thunderstorm developing two hours later, the National Weather Service reported. Wimberley, home to approximately 3,000 residents, and New Braunfels, with a population of around 116,000, are popular tourist destinations within the Texas Hill Country, attracting hikers to its woody, rolling hills and visitors for tubing on its rivers.
Sergeant Ray deferred most press inquiries to federal authorities, who will be leading the investigation into the crash.
