A small aircraft crashed in the Texas Hill Country in the United States, killing all five people on board, including the pilot. The remaining four victims were pickleball players travelling to participate in a tournament, according to local authorities and the sports club involved.

The passengers were en route to a competition in New Braunfels, a city located near San Antonio and approximately 30 miles from the metropolitan area. Officials said the crash occurred at around 11 p.m. on Thursday in the Wimberley area of Texas.

An official stated that the pilot and four passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities had not yet released the identities of the victims at the time of reporting. However, the Amarillo Pickleball Club confirmed that the deceased passengers were members of the club and had been travelling to the scheduled tournament.

Flight data showed that the aircraft involved was a Cessna 421C, which had departed from Amarillo and was flying towards New Braunfels National Airport. Aerial photographs published online by the Austin American-Statesman showed wreckage in a wooded area, indicating the aircraft came down before reaching its intended destination.

Federal authorities are leading the investigation into the crash. No official cause had been announced.

As a result of the incident, organisers cancelled the tournament scheduled for Friday. A prayer was planned before the start of Saturday’s games to honour the memory of the deceased players.

Amarillo Pickleball Club president Dan Dyer said he had personally played with four of the five victims on multiple occasions. He added that he had previously awarded them medals and described them as highly capable competitors.

Dyer also noted that many pickleball enthusiasts regularly travel significant distances to compete in tournaments. He said a second aircraft carrying participants from Amarillo was also travelling to the same event at roughly the same time. That aircraft landed safely at New Braunfels Airport.

According to air traffic control communications, the pilot of the second aircraft reported difficulty establishing contact with the first plane. Controllers later observed that the aircraft began moving abnormally before disappearing from radar.

A pilot reportedly confirmed that an emergency signal had been transmitted from the crash aircraft. Following that alert, an air traffic controller contacted emergency services through 911.

Weather officials said skies were overcast before the crash. Storms and rainfall were reported in the area several hours later.

The investigation is expected to examine flight data, aircraft systems, communications records and weather conditions at the time of the incident.