Five pickleball players killed in Texas plane crash en route to tournament

A tight Amarillo pickleball community lost five people traveling to a tournament when a Cessna 421C went down in a wooded area near Wimberley, Texas, leaving the club mourning players who were much more than names on a roster. The crash happened near Round Rock Road in Hays County, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, and local reports said the aircraft caught fire after impact.

The victims were identified as Seren Wilson, 19, Brooke Skypala, 45, Stacy Hedrick, 51, Hayden Dillard, 39, and pilot Justin Glen Appling, 37. All five aboard died in the crash. Club members and local officials said the group was headed to New Braunfels for a pickleball tournament, the kind of weekend run that is routine in amateur sports until it turns catastrophic.

Federal investigators said in a preliminary report that the twin-engine plane, tail number N291AN, departed River Falls Airport in Amarillo around 9:10 p.m. and was cleared for New Braunfels National Airport. The aircraft crashed around 11:03 p.m. on April 30, 2026. A second plane traveling nearby landed safely in New Braunfels, underscoring how quickly one flight can end differently from another on the same route.

Within the Amarillo Pickleball Club, the loss reached beyond competition results and bracket placements. The club has been mourning Wilson, Skypala, Hedrick, Dillard and Appling as devoted competitors and close friends, while organizing meal trains and fundraising support for the families left behind. For a traveling amateur group, those off-court ties often matter as much as the matches themselves, and this tragedy cut through that network in a single night.

Hayden Dillard’s death hit especially hard in Amarillo, where he was known as a school tennis star and counselor. Dillard and Appling also owned a manufactured home business in Amarillo, and the business temporarily closed after the crash. The community response has already become practical as well as emotional, with club members helping coordinate meals and support for the families. Those who want to help have been asked to call Dan Dyer at 806-420-7235.