Four members of Tennessee church killed in Texas plane crash, pastor hospitalized
Four people from the same Tennessee church died after a plane crash in Texas, which also left their pastor hospitalized.
The single-engine Piper PA-46 plane crashed Tuesday morning just south of the Yoakum Municipal Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. One of the five people on board managed to escape the wreckage and was taken to a hospital in Victoria, Sgt. Ruben San Miguel of the Texas Department of Public Safety told the Victoria Advocate.
The survivor was identified as Kennon Vaughan, lead pastor of Harvest Church, located in the Memphis suburb of Germantown. As of Wednesday, Vaughan was “breathing on his own” and “able to communicate through writing,” according to a Facebook post shared by the church. He will also require several surgeries, including one to repair injuries to his abdomen.
The post also named those killed in the crash as Bill Garner, executive pastor at Harvest Church; Steve Tucker, an elder at the church; and church staff members Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer.
“All were beloved members of Harvest Church and their loss currently leaves us without the proper words to articulate our grief,” the church said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred “under unknown circumstances,” the NTSB said.
Investigators arrived on the scene Wednesday to examine the plane, which was “completely destroyed” in the crash.
With News Wire Services
