Pickleball community mourns fellow players killed in Texas plane crash
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Five members of the Amarillo Pickleball Club, including pilot Justin Appling, died when their Cessna 421C crashed in Texas Hill Country while en route to a pickleball tournament in New Braunfels.
- The victims—Appling, Hayden Dillard, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, and Seren Wilson—were close-knit teammates and friends who competed together in high-level pickleball events nationwide.
- The community described them as genuine, fun-loving, and supportive individuals, with Skypala recently achieving a professional milestone as a counselor and Wilson being a state champion tennis player.
- Federal authorities are investigating the crash, which occurred amid cloudy weather and preceded a local thunderstorm; the tournament in New Braunfels canceled events in mourning.
- The Amarillo pickleball community is rallying around the families of the victims, emphasizing love, support, and prayer during this difficult time.
