On November 17, 2011, during a recruiting trip, a plane carrying four members of the Oklahoma State University women's basketball family went down in Perry County, Arkansas.

There were no survivors.

Lost in the tragedy were Oklahoma State head women's basketball coach Kurt Budke, his assistant coach Miranda Serna, and friends of the program Olin and Paula Branstetter of Ponca City, Oklahoma.

OSU President Burns Hargis called it "our worst nightmare" at a news conference the following morning.

Coach Budke was just one game into his seventh season as OSU's head coach. Coach Serna had been on his staff for each of those years. The Branstetters were long time supporters of OSU Athletics.