Four members of a Memphis suburb church were killed in a tragic small plane crash Tuesday near a Yoakum, Texas airport, authorities said.
The Harvest Church's lead pastor survived the crash and is listed in stable condition at a Victoria hospital. The victims were occupants of the single-engine Piper PA-46 that crashed in an open field as it approached the airport.
The decedents were identified as Bill Garner, the church's executive vice president; Steve Tucker, a church elder; Tyler Springer and Tyler Patterson.
“All were beloved members of the Harvest Church and their loss currently leaves us without the proper words to articulate our grief,” the Harvest Church's statement reads.
The survivor, pastor Kennon Vaughan, managed to get out of the wreck and suffered injuries to the abdomen. He is breathing on his own and communicating through writing, the church said.
