Staff Report
WIMBERLEY — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report detailing the fatal plane crash that occurred near Wimberley in April.
At approximately 11:03 p.m. Thursday, April 30, a Cessna 421C airplane, N291AN, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident in a wooded area near a private residence near Wimberley, stated the report. The pilot and four passengers were fatally injured on the personal flight.
The report detailed that the airplane had departed River Falls Airport in Amarillo at approximately 9:10 p.m. and received an instrument flight rules clearance to New Braunfels National Airport. While en route, the pilot reported to Houston Center that his pitot heat was inoperative and requested an altitude check, which the controller provided.
The pilot reported other issues with Austin Approach control during the flight, noting that the pitot tube had iced over and was having to use backup gauges, leading him to want to get to a lower altitude to warm back up.
Then, at 10:59 p.m., the controller provided a radio frequency change, which the pilot acknowledged and no further radio transmissions were made by the pilot. Shortly after the pilot’s last radio transmission, flight tracking data showed the airplane turned left, made a near 180-degree right turn and maneuvered to the south followed by a descending right turn. The last signal was reported at approximately 11:02 p.m., right before the crash.
According to the NTSB report, a homeowner heard the crash, saw the wreckage — which totaled about 1.25 miles — on fire and notified first responders. The airplane was destroyed by the crash and retained for further examination.
Preliminary weather information found that during the last 15 minutes of the accident flight, the airplane flew just above freezing with temperatures between minus 2 and minus 6 degrees Celsius. The report stated that models showed the potential for icing with moderate accumulation rates and the supercooled large droplets.
The pilot received his private pilot certificate for single engine land Feb. 3, 2025, instrument airplane rating June 9, 2025 and multi-engine land rating July 9, 2025, according to documents on file with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The NTSB report is preliminary and subject to change. The report can be found at bit.ly/42B5VRY.
