NTSB to Release Preliminary Report on Wimberley Plane Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it would release a preliminary report in about a month detailing the investigation of a plane crash near Wimberley that killed five people last week.

The agency opened an investigation into the crash of a Cessna 421 plane that occurred on April 30 at about 11:03 p.m. In a Tuesday statement to the American-Statesman, the board said, "a post-impact fire" destroyed the aircraft.

An NTSB investigator traveled to the accident site, according to the agency. The wreckage was documented at the scene and moved to a secure facility for further evaluation.

What happens next

NTSB investigations probe three primary areas of crashes: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.

Investigators analyze flight track data, recordings of any air traffic control communications, aircraft maintenance records, weather forecasts and lighting conditions, pilots' licenses, ratings, the recency of flight experience, the 72-hour background of the pilot, witness statements, electrical devices that may contain relevant information and any available surveillance video.

A preliminary report into the crash is expected within 30 days of the accident. It will provide factual information from the investigation’s initial phase.

The probable cause of the crash, along with contributing factors, will be detailed in the final report, expected in a year or two after the incident.

Victims identified by Texas DPS

The Texas Department of Public Safety on Saturday identified the victims of the crash as pilot Justin Appling and passengers Hayden Dillard, Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala and Stacy Hedrick.

Those killed were community members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club and had been traveling to a tournament in Central Texas, according to a Friday Facebook post from the organization.

"Today, the Club has received terrible news that we all must mourn in the loss of five members of our Amarillo pickleball family," the post read.