Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna, Oklahoma State coaches, killed in plane crash

Two women's basketball coaches from Oklahoma State University along with a former state senator and his wife were killed in a plane crash near central Arkansas Thursday night.

Basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were on a recruiting trip when their plane crashed near a wildlife management area near Perryville, about 45 miles west of Little Rock, the university told the Associated Press.They had been traveling in a single-engine plane.

This is the second time this decade the university has had a plane tragedy related to their basketball teams. A plane crash in Colorado in 2001 killed 10 men connected to Oklahoma State University's men's basketball team.

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Former Oklahoma State Sen. Olin Branstetter and his wife Paula also died in the crash, university spokesman Gary Schutt told CNN, calling it a "terribly sad day."

"The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy," OSU President Burns Hargis said, as reported by Reuters. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims."

The crash killed everyone on board, including the pilot and another passenger, AP stated.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and predicted it could take about nine months before the cause in determined.

Budke was in his seventh season with the school.

"Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes," Hargis said, as reported by CNN. "He was an outstanding coach and a wonderful person. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shelley, and their children, Sara, Alex and Brett."