Victim names released in fiery plane crash that killed 5 in Central Texas

WIMBERLY, Texas – The names of all five people killed in the Central Texas plane crash late Thursday night have been released.

Plane crash victim names

The latest:

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the names of the five victims in the Wimberly, Texas crash are as follows:

• Justin Appling (pilot)
• Hayden Dillard
• Seren Wilson
• Brooke Skypala
• Stacy Hedrick

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigators are on scene and serving as the lead investigative agencies, DPS said in their Saturday release.

What we don’t know:

The cause of the crash has yet to be determined.

Fatal Texas plane crash

The backstory:

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 Ledgerock 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 FlightAware, 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.

Flight tracking data shows the plane had a normal takeoff, climbing to 17,400 feet, but just before 11 p.m., something went wrong. The data showed the plane suddenly started dropped, plunging more than 5,000 feet per minute. Within minutes, radar contact was lost.