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Tennessee church releases health update on pastor injured in deadly Texas plane crash

Harvest Church’s lead pastor Kennon Vaughan is resting after surgery, church says

YOAKUM, Texas – A Tennessee church has released a health update on its lead pastor who survived a plane crash in Yoakum on Tuesday.

Kennon Vaughan is resting “and it seems that some of his pain is easing for which we are incredibly grateful,” the Harvest Church, located in the Memphis suburb of Germantown, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Vaughan was one of five passengers in a single-engine Piper PA-46, otherwise known as a Piper Malibu, that crashed in an open field. He was the only survivor, authorities said.

The plane crashed while approaching the airport, which was about five miles away.

Vaughan was taken to a hospital in Victoria, about 45 minutes south of Yoakum.

“The primary prayer request right now is that no infections will develop as the surgeons had to repair several internal injuries,” the post added.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, including Bill Garner, the church’s executive vice president; Steve Tucker, a church elder; and Tyler Patterson and Tyler Springer.

Tucker was also the owner and president of Circle Y Saddles in Yoakum.

Yoakum, a city of about 6,000 people, is located in Lavaca and DeWitt counties

DPS said the crash happened around 10:50 a.m. in Lavaca County. The plane crashed in a field near the area of County Road 462 and Farm-to-Market Road 318, not far from the Yoakum Community Hospital.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time, but the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

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About the Authors
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Rebecca Salinas is the Digital Executive Producer at KSAT 12 News. A San Antonio native, Rebecca is an award-winning journalist who joined KSAT in 2019.

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