A Cessna 421C plunged into a wooded area near Wimberley, Texas, late Thursday night, killing all five people aboard the aircraft. The crash occurred around 11:25 p.m. in the Hill Country region, roughly 40 miles southwest of Austin, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and local officials.
The plane carried a pilot and four passengers when it went down among trees in the rural area. Residents nearby reported hearing the impact. "I just heard a loud crash. I felt everything vibrate," said Stacey Rohr, who lives near the crash site. "Everything was up in flames. It was crazy."
Another neighbor, Cecil Keith, said he heard what sounded like engine trouble just moments before the collision. "Pow, pow, pow," he recalled, describing the noise as the aircraft passed overhead. "Something was definitely wrong."
The flight had departed from Amarillo in northwest Texas roughly two hours before the crash. Its destination was New Braunfels National Airport, situated about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio. The plane went down not far from where it was meant to land.
Air traffic control recordings captured the final moments of the flight. A pilot traveling in formation with the Cessna reported losing contact with the aircraft. A controller confirmed the situation: "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 other pilot in the area heard the plane's emergency locator transmitter activate a distress signal.
The controller immediately called 911. A second aircraft in the vicinity landed safely at New Braunfels airport.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra announced the deaths on Friday but withheld the victims' names pending family notification. Weather conditions in the area included cloudy skies and a thunderstorm that moved through the region roughly two hours after the crash, according to the National Weather Service.
Wimberley, a tourist town of about 3,000 residents, sits in the heart of the Hill Country, a destination known for hiking, scenic terrain, and river activities like tubing.
Author James Rodriguez: "Another night, another mystery in the sky. When a plane disappears from radar over rural Texas and five families get the worst news imaginable, the FAA had better have solid answers about what went wrong."
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