A Kansas couple were just 250 yards from the Refugio County Airport at 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, when their aircraft ran out of airspeed and crashed.

Mark Nauser, the pilot; his wife Julie; Mike Frechin, a friend; and the family dog, Sacha; were in route to Corpus Christi for a fishing trip when the Beach Bonanza A36 aircraft experienced engine problems.

Mark Nauser radioed to the Corpus Christi airport and was told about the county airport below him.

“He dropped out of the clouds, saw it, hit another bunch of clouds and when he came out of that, he had missed the airport,” said Sheldon Wiginton, chief deputy. “He had complete engine failure and was gliding.”

Wiginton said he banked the airplane in an attempt to get to the runway but ran out of airspeed and crashed through the brush. The pilot snagged a mesquite tree and the aircraft was spun into the dirt, Wiginton said.

“They’re very lucky to be alive,” Wiginton said. “There was still fuel in the aircraft but they didn’t spill a drop and nothing caught fire.”

Ruth Vandervlugt, Ray Urabek, Patricia and Bill Mason were at the airport when the accident happened and rendered aid until emergency personnel arrived. Ruth took the victims to Corpus Christi in her personal car.

Everyone in the plane suffered only minor facial injuries and refused treatment when EMS paramedics arrived.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. DPS Sgt. Jeremy Rowland and troopers secured the site.