Fredericksburg plane crash kills one, sparks federal probe

A local pilot died after his single-engine plane crashed in rural Gillespie County on Dec. 30, authorities confirmed this week. Federal officials are still investigating the cause of the accident.

The Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 72-year-old Richard Randolph Bills, who was a resident of the county, the sheriff confirmed to MySA. Bills was the only person in the plane when it went down around 4 p.m. near Keese Sagebiel Road, north of Fredericksburg and close to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, officials said.

When emergency crews responded, firefighters found the plane fully engulfed in flames in a brushy area. Bills was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 17-year-old plane, a Lancair Legacy, was registered to Bills. The DTSB accident database lists the plane as "amateur-built," meaning Bills likely constructed the majority of the aircraft himself.

The Federal Aviation Administration is working alongside the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the cause of the crash. It could take months for the final report to be released, officials said.