Pictured: Four men dead after a plane crashes while landing in foggy weather in Texas
>
Four members of a Tennessee church were killed when their plane crashed about a mile from a Texas airport while landing in fog.
Bill Garner, Tyler Patterson, Tyler Springer and Steve Tucker died Tuesday morning after their Piper Malibu plane crashed in fog in Lavaca County, Texas.
A fifth passenger, Pastor Kennon Vaughan, was injured and is now in stable condition at a Citizens Medical Hospital after reportedly exiting the plane.
It is believed that one of the five on board was also the pilot of the plane.
Four members of a Tennessee church were killed when their plane crashed two miles from a Texas airport on Tuesday. Bill Garner is pictured on the left and Tyler Patterson is pictured on the right.
His Piper Malibu plane crashed in fog in Lavaca County, Texas at 10:50 a.m. Left is Tyler Springer, right is Steve Tucker
Four people were killed and one injured after their small plane crashed in Lavaca County, Texas at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday.
A fifth passenger, Kennon Vaughan, was injured and is now in stable condition at a Citizens medical hospital.
State Department of Public Safety officials said the plane touched down around 10:50 am near the intersection of County Road 462 and Farm-to-Market Road 318, just a mile from the Yoakum Municipal Airport.
The five passengers attended Harvest Church in the Tennessee suburb of Germantown in Memphis, where Kennon is the senior pastor. His most recent service was this Sunday.
Bill Garner was the executive vice president of the church, while Steve Tucker was an elder of the church.
In a tribute to the men on Facebook, Harvest Church said: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Bill Garner, Steve Tucker, Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer.”
They were all beloved members of Harvest Church and their loss today leaves us without adequate words to articulate our grief.
“We ask for your prayers and kindly request that the families of all involved have adequate space to grieve at this time.”
Lavaca County in Texas is located about 112 miles east of San Antonio.
The crash comes as two planes avoided a near-fatal crash at 115 mph at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport that could have killed 418 people.
The five passengers attended Harvest Church in the Tennessee suburb of Germantown in Memphis, where Kennon is the senior pastor.
The accident occurred in foggy weather just two miles from the Yoakum Municipal Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the Texas crash.
The NTSB said the plane that crashed was a Piper PA-46-350P, known as the Piper Malibu, a single-engine plane capable of carrying five passengers and a pilot.
“Five occupants were inside the aircraft,” DPS said in a statement. “Four died and one is in stable condition being treated at Citizens Medical in Victoria, Texas.”
Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff paid tribute to the four men on Twitter.
He said: ‘Roberta and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Harvest Church’s Bill Garner, Steve Tucker, Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer.
These leaders touched our community and our prayers are with each of their families, as well as the entire Harvest Church, during this time.’
The group was traveling in a Piper PA-46-350P aircraft, known as the Piper Malibu, which can carry five passengers and a pilot. Pictured: A file photo of a Malibu flying
Tennessee Congressman David Kustoff paid tribute to the four men on Twitter.
Residents told Crossroads that it was still foggy outside when the plane crashed.
It is the second small plane crash in Texas in a week, after DPS reported that two people were injured when their plane crashed in Conroe.
On Jan. 14, around 2:45 p.m., authorities said a single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft struck power lines while attempting to land on Longmire Road near the League Line.
Authorities said the pilot and a male passenger suffered only minor injuries and no homes were damaged as a result of the crash.