This past Tuesday, the crashing of a small plane resulted in the deaths of four people from the same church, while one pastor managed to survive the deadly event.
“There were five people aboard the aircraft. Four of the people are deceased,” explained Sargeant Ruben San Miguel of the Texas Department of Public Safety to one local news outlet, the Victoria Advocate. “One person was able to get out of the aircraft and is in stable condition.”
One person in the group that did not survive the crash was the executive pastor of the Germantown, Tennessee located Harvest Church. The crash happened just about a mile outside of the Yoakum Municipal Airport as the plane crashed down in Lavaca County, Texas.
As reported by Fox 13, tracking from the group FlightAware showed that the plane flew out of Memphis just prior to eight in the morning this past Tuesday, and crashed down roughly three hours later. Both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have stepped in to assist with the investigation of the incident.
The church hosted an event inside of its worship center in the wake of the tragedy for the public to come together and both mourn and pray as a whole church body, explained posts to social media.
Additionally, the church put out on social media a picture of a candle overlayed with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.
The post of the verse states, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
The plane involved in the crash was a single-engine Piper PA-46-350P, which can reportedly normally host a complement of one pilot with five passengers. Those from the area of the crash have stated that there had been persistent foggy conditions at around eleven that morning, as explained by Crossroads Today.
As a pastor and reported elder at the church, Kennon Vaughan survived the crash.
The four who ended up dying in the crash included Steve Tucker and Bill Garner, who were both listed as elders for the church. The remaining two were Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer and were listed as members of the congregation. Tucker was known to be the owner of Circle Y Saddles and was also the president of the company.
Reportedly, the company released in a statement via Facebook that Tucker was a “visionary owner and president.”
“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. His legacy will live on through the family of brands he created by continuing to handcraft saddles and accessories for all types of riders and horse owners,” it concluded.