Five pickleball players killed in horrific Texas plane crash on way to tournament ID’d
Five members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club were killed in a plane crash while traveling to a tournament in New Braunfels, Texas. The twin-engine Cessna 421C crashed in a wooded area near Wimberley after a sudden descent, according to flight data. The FAA and NTSB are investigating the cause of the crash, which has deeply affected the local and pickleball communities.
- ▪The victims were identified as Seren Wilson, 19, Brooke Skypala, 45, Stacy Hedrick, 51, Justin “Glen” Appling, 37, and Hayden Dillard, 39.
- ▪The plane crashed near Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, shortly after 11:25 p.m. on Thursday.
- ▪Flight data showed the aircraft made a sudden, sharp turn before descending rapidly from 13,600 feet to 7,000 feet.
- ▪The other plane traveling with it arrived safely at New Braunfels National Airport.
- ▪Seren Wilson was a recent high school graduate and tennis player, while Brooke Skypala was a mental health counselor and mother of three.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
US News Five pickleball players killed in horrific Texas plane crash on way to tournament ID’d By Sonya Gugliara Published May 2, 2026, 1:32 p.m. ET The identities of the five victims who were killed in a fiery plane crash in Texas on their way to a pickleball tournament have been released by the players’ mourning club. Amarillo Pickleball Club members Seren Wilson, 19, Brooke Skypala, 45, Stacy Hedrick, 51, Justin “Glen” Appling, 37, and Hayden Dillard, 39, died in the wreck Thursday night, the organization announced on Facebook Friday. “Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family,” the club wrote. 3 The small plane crashed on Thursday night on its way to the tournament.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at New York Post.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from New York Post
