A small plane crash in the Texas Hill Country has claimed the lives of all five individuals on board, authorities confirmed on Friday. The accident occurred late Thursday night in Wimberley, a city situated approximately 40 miles southwest of Austin, the state capital.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra announced the incident via a Facebook post, stating that the Cessna 421C went down around 11:25 p.m. with a pilot and four passengers aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) verified the details of the crash.
Local residents described hearing a loud explosion followed by intense flames. Stacey Rohr, who lives nearby, told KEYE-TV: "I just heard a loud crash. I felt everything vibrate. Everything was up in flames. It was crazy." Another resident, Cecil Keith, reported hearing what sounded like an engine backfiring—"pow, pow, pow"—as the plane flew overhead moments before impact. "Something was definitely wrong," he said.
Flight records indicate the aircraft departed Amarillo in northwestern Texas approximately two hours before the crash, heading to New Braunfels National Airport near Austin. The wreckage was discovered in a wooded area not far from its intended destination. Aerial images showed the destroyed remains of the aircraft scattered among the trees.
Judge Becerra stated that the names of the victims would not be released until their families had been notified. He also mentioned that a second aircraft traveling in the vicinity landed safely at the airport in New Braunfels, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio.
Air traffic control audio captured a pilot who was flying in formation with the Cessna expressing concern. "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." At least one pilot confirmed that the troubled plane's emergency locator transmitter had emitted a distress signal, prompting the controller to call 911.
The National Weather Service reported mostly cloudy conditions in the New Braunfels area shortly before the crash, with a thunderstorm occurring two hours later. Wimberley, home to approximately 3,000 residents, and New Braunfels, with a population of about 116,000, are popular tourist destinations in the Texas Hill Country, known for their rolling hills, hiking trails, and river tubing.
