Plane crash kills all five on board near Wimberley

Five people have been killed in a plane crash overnight in the Wimberley area.  The NTSB is investigating what led to the crash.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra says first responders received the call just after 11 p.m. April 30 about an aircraft down in the Wimberley area.  The crash happened in a wooded area in the 200 block of Round Rock Road, near the area of Legderock Road and FM 2325, northwest of Wimberley.  The NTSB says the crash happened at around 11:03 p.m.  A post-impact fire destroyed the plane, says the NTSB.

According to Flight aware, the plane was on its way to New Braunfels from Amarillo.  The aircraft has been identified as a Cessna 421C that had five people on board.  All five are confirmed dead.  A preliminary investigation shows the plane was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash, but there is no indication of a mid-air crash.  A second plane traveling in the same area landed safely in New Braunfels.

The Associated Press says that according to Air Traffic Control audio, one pilot said he and the pilot of the crashed Cessna had been flying to New Braunfels together.  At least one pilot in the area confirmed the Cessna’s locator emergency device had emitted a distress signal, says the AP.  The controller called 911.

The FAA and the NTSB have been notified about the crash and will be leading the investigation, says Becerra.  The NTSB will be looking into three primary areas as part of the investigation: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment, and gathering records such as flight records, air traffic control recordings and more.

The names of those on board are not being released pending notification of next of kin.