Plane crashes in Texas, killing four members of Tennessee church, officials say

Four people are dead and one is in stable condition after a small airplane crashed in a field near a Texas airport, officials told news outlets.

The Piper airplane crashed near the town of Yoakum on Jan. 17, and while the cause is unknown, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, the organization said in a tweet.

Yoakum is roughly 100 miles east of San Antonio.

It was preparing to land at the … airport when it crashed into this open field,” Sgt. Ruben San Miguel of the Texas Department of Public Safety told the Victoria Advocate.

Of the five people on board, only one survived, San Miguel told the outlet. That passenger was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.

The occupants all appeared to be members of the same church in Germantown, Tennessee, which shared the names of those who died, as well as the lead pastor who survived.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Bill Garner, Steve Tucker, Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer,” the Harvest Church wrote in a Facebook post. “All were beloved members of Harvest Church and their loss currently leaves us without the proper words to articulate our grief. As of our last report, Kennon Vaughan is in stable condition in a Texas hospital.”

It’s not clear why the group was in Texas but at least one of the passengers, Tucker, had a connection to the area — he was the founder and owner of Yoakum-based Circle Y Saddles.

“We are heartbroken to announce that Circle Y Saddles, Inc., visionary owner and president, Steve Tucker, has passed away,” the company said on social media. “For those who were fortunate enough to know Mr. Tucker, it was truly an honor. His wisdom, faith, and innovation touched many lives in the equestrian community.”

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