A small plane carrying a pickleball team to a tournament crashed in central Texas late Thursday, killing all five people on board.
The aircraft went down near Wimberley, about 40 miles southwest of Austin, around 11 p.m. local time, according to police.
"The pilot and four passengers on board were pronounced deceased on scene," said Sergeant Billy Ray of the local police department.
The victims were members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, traveling to a tournament, confirmed club president Dan Dyer.
"I've handed them medals. They were excellent players. They were out to win some games," Dyer said.
A second plane from the same club flying to the tournament at the same time landed safely in New Braunfels, Texas. The pilot of that plane lost contact with the doomed aircraft after it began moving erratically and disappeared from radar.
Air traffic control audio captured the pilot saying, "He started to move erratically and now his track is disappeared from the scope."
An emergency locator transmitter from the crashed plane sent a distress signal before the controller called 911.
Weather conditions in the area were mostly cloudy with a thunderstorm reported two hours after the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation.