She was hesitant because she had seen a small fire in one of the engines the previous day. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to the fuel supply. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. His wife, Lola, and my wife grew up together. The crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. If you look closely, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines (2 of 3 band members to die in the crash) are completely engulfed in flames, whereas the rest of the band is merely standing around in the streets of fire. Original cover for Street Survivors, 1977Notably, the third member of The Honkettes, JoJo Billingsley, was not on the plane and in fact was home tending to a family member's illness. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. The album cover depicted the band members in an alleyway covered in flames. I had a small studio, making a living mostly painting signs for local businesses. The single "What's Your Name" reached #13 on the single airplay charts in January of 1978. On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. Guitarists Allen Collins and Steve Gaines, Honkette Leslie Hawkins, bassist Leon Wilkeson, Honkettes Cassie Gaines and JoJo Billingsley, and. The band buckled in. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. It was Dr. Hank Lewis, a month shy of 78-years-old. Skip to main content. Photo: obviousmag.org. Pyle used the couple's phone to call his wife. Lewis was on emergency room call that night at McComb's Southwest Regional Medical Center. Video of a barechested Pyle at the 1979 Volunteer Jam does not show evidence of a gunshot wound. Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Ghana, UN development chief sounds alarm over debt distress, Texas: Wind and solar stake claim to land of oil, Couple loses GH 300,000 on their wedding after guests don't show up: "So heartbroken", "Rest Well": Thomas Partey pays tribute to Christian Atsu as she scores in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Bournemouth, Hard guy dey cry: Sulley Muntari sheds tears at Christian Atsu's 1-week observance, Richard Kingston consoles him in sad video, 150+ Sad messages: ideas to express your deepest feelings in 2022, What happened to Jade Castrinos after Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, List of American foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner that you will love, 80+ Juice WRLD's quotes and lyrics about love, life, success and heartbreak. "It was stuff I'd been trained to do," he said. One guy standing near the wreckage lit a cigarette and I tackled him," he said. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. How did Cassie Gaines get in Lynyrd Skynyrd? He had already finished a film about the plane crash when Gary and several others stepped in and placed a lawsuit against the film to not be shown to the public. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. I obviously didn't know what I was doing. Leon Wilkeson, their bass player, had arguably the most harrowing recovery; as he faced many internal injuries, dislodged teeth, and a broken left arm and leg, and his heart stopped twice on the operating table while doctors frantically struggled to keep him alive. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. Terror soon engulfed the cabin of the plane and the pilots were frantically trying to radio local Houston Air Traffic Control, stating they had a fuel issue and were most likely going to have to make a emergency landing. Even though she survived the actual crash, she eventually bled to death before the rescue team could reach her. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. Gene Odom had been thrown from the plane and broke his neck, his skin badly burned and one eye blinded by phosphorus from a de-icing flare that had been aboard. I'd deal with that later. By then, a Coast Guard helicopter was hovering overhead. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Contributing to the fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the right engine which resulted in higher-than-normal fuel consumption." Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Unfortunately, their plane ran short of fuel. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Photo: Pinterest. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. TBS - Movies for Guys Who Like Movies Bumper - The Jerk - 1996, TBS - Dinner & A Movie - Urban Cowboy Promo - 1995, TBS - Movies for Guys Who Like Movies - Running Scared Promo - 1995. Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. The 22-year-old had been outside bailing hay in the twilight when he heard the crash in the distance, which he assumed was a car skidding in gravel. But after seeing helicopter searchlights, he started to assume it was a jailbreak instead. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. On October 20, 1977, they would board a flight bound for Louisiana that would crash in Gillsberg, Missippi and claim the lives of band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, along with Pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. Since Cassie was not aware of the band's existence at that time, Jojo offered her a copy of Lynyrd Skynyrd's first two albums to make her acquainted with the band's work. Stinky! Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed in 1987, and has been touring and recording steadily ever since with Johnny Van Zant, brother of the late Ronnie, as lead singer. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. A chartered Convair 240, N55VM, carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed near a forest in McComb, Mississippi. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. Cassie Gaines was a talented and committed backup singer for the Lynard Skynyrd music band until she died in a plane crash. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. What happened to the Menendez brothers' money? Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. Part of the preparations required contacting landowners and securing permission to be there and a guide to lead me in. The official report of the crash read: "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to the fuel supply. A medical examiner said on Sunday that Wilkeson suffered from chronic liver and lung disease, and most likely died of natural causes. In a separate interview, revealing the story of sound man Paul Welch who suffered traumatic injuries in this crash and was sent into a coma, shares that the plane that was utilized during this trip was already catching fire around the engine area and Lynyrd Skynyrd had requested to cease using it. "We didn't know how much gas was on the ground. Sit down. The plane had taken off with a faulty gasoline gauge that fooled the pilots into thinking that the plane was equipped with the appropriate amount of gas to reach their destination. "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. He had been hospitalized since September. Rescuers look over the wreckage of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. A little after an hour of trudging through a creek and at one point burrowing underneath a barbed wire fence they found themselves staring at a small, dim light in the distance. He suffered a heart attack . Both pilots were lost in the crash as well, however, a decent amount of fans seek the closure of their conviction of attempted manslaughter, even in death. Assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and co-pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray also died. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. His luck, however, was on the short end of the stick as he would have his throat slit while on the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour bus in the early 90s. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. He needed to use their darkroom to get his photos out. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. As the Houston Press reports, the crash took Van Zant's life, as well as the lives of band member Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie; and Dean Kilpatrick, the assistant road manager. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. The pilots were still in their seats, but were laying upside down in nearby trees. Allen Collins, another guitar player for the group, had cracked two vertebrae, and the cut to his right arm was so severe, that it almost required amputation. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. read another typical message of mourning. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. Over the ridge, a World War II vintage Willis Jeep crawled down a dusty logging trail. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. He was only 39, but was no rookie. Ronnie Van Zant, drunk and laying in the middle of the aisle, simply pulled himself together, sat up, and quietly chose a seat up front. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Who died in the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash? Photo: Pinterest. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. On one occasion after a show, he approached Billy Powell who was the bands keyboard player, and punched him so hard in the mouth he knocked his two front teeth out. On another occasion, while reportedly on a drunken rage, he even slashed the hands of Gary Rossington, his best friend and guitarist, with a broken beer bottle. So, we're both southerners.". She said her husband grabbed his .243 hunting rifle, ran out and fired a warning shot. The crash killed singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. As a member of the Civil Air Patrol on that fateful night, he heard the report of a plane crash over the citizens band radio. "Seems like everyone is writing a book. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. With my camera at the ready, the translator and I stood watch on the prow of the brightly colored wooden boat as we plowed the exotic coastline. But I couldn't stand it any longer. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. he said, barely able to get his English to suit his thoughts. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. In 1982 he would form the Allen Collins band but shortly after would wreck his new Ford Thunderbird, killing his then girlfriend and paralyzing Collins. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. They all died but we didnt. She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. ", "There were plenty of old boys standing around here. The reason behind this? Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. I worked the scene for about 30 minutes before a veteran photographer approached me and asked if I knew where the local paper "The Enterprise Journal" was located. In this video you will see the true story behind the tragic passing of Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines, Dean Kilpatrick, and Steve Gaines on October 20, 1977. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Cassie Gaines Death: and Cause of Death. We just had released an album that went gold almost overnight. As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The site is hard to access. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. It Crashed, Killing 3 Members, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Drinking, Fighting, Hell-Raising: The Classic Skynyrd Lineup In Pittsburgh, Associate Press Mississippi Road Signs For Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site, Hollywood Reporter Appeals Court Reverses Ban on Lynyrd Skynyrd Movie, Ronnie Van Zant Of Lynyrd Skynyrd Predicted His Own Death, Groove History, 1977 Missippi Convair CV-240 Plane Crash, Wikipedia, History Collection The Deadliest Plane Crash in Canada Killed 248 Soldiers in 1985, History Collection A Plane Crashed into the Empire State Building (1945). Pilot Walter. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. He hopes to publish in time for the 40th anniversary of the crash. As we walked through the woods, Governor and I agree that nothing looked or felt the same. The cockpit, tail, and wings completely ripped apart and the remaining cab lay desolate, in the shape of an L. The plane was simply not built well enough to even remotely handle the impact from the pine trees at roughly 90 mph. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. In Genes interview, he mentions that he ran to the cock pit and to alert the pilots of the exploded engine and their response was Nothins wrong. He drove down from his home in Oakland, Miss. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. He later caused a controversy by giving a lurid account of Cassie Gaines' final moments on a VH1 Behind The Music special about the band, claiming that the backing singer's throat was cut from ear to ear and that she bled to death in his arms. Two bulldozers were dispatched to plow a primitive path off nearby Highway 568 in order to give a ground path available to the first responders. MCA Records, out of courtesy, withdrew the sleeve and replaced it with a cover of the band striking a similar pose against a plain black background. I dont know who you think we are but we were on a plane and the plane crashed out there on the other side of that cow pasture. Mote instantly connected the dots to the sound he heard earlier and the men that lay before him. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. ", "I expected to see all dead people looking at these woods. Her brother was Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. ", But with no experience he morphed from a dairy farmer to a rescuer. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. Sadly, the band would not make it to Baton Rouge and the plane had been pushed one flight too many. With the dust settled from a plane crash that would make a small Mississippi town famous, everything that surrounded the few conscious and able survivors were completely horrific and getting darker by the second. Was there a guest book?". Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! ", "He came home covered in blood," said his wife, Lola. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Leon Wilkeson, their bass player, had arguably the most harrowing recovery; as he faced many internal injuries, dislodged teeth, and a broken left arm and leg, and his heart stopped twice on the operating table while doctors frantically struggled to keep him alive. In 1982 he would form the Allen Collins band but shortly after would wreck his new Ford Thunderbird, killing his then girlfriend and paralyzing Collins. Here Are Our Sources: Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrds Deadly 1977 Plane Crash, Jordan Runtagh, The Rolling Stones, What Happened To The Surviving Members Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash?, Micheal Cristopher, Ultimate Classic Rock.com, Falling Free Bird: The Truth About The Infamous Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Is Stranger Than Fiction, Phil Gibbons, Ranker.com, The Joplin Globe Steve and Cassie Gaines to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Despite this faux pas, Powell has been on good terms with the remaining band members since the incident. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." Street Survivors was released just three days before the crash and would quickly become a hit. Leon Wilkeson and Billy Powell would both go on to pursue other musical ventures and both have a hand in several Lynyrd Skynyrd re-boots. Everyone was afraid of riding on this plane. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. The album had two notable songs: Whats your name and That Smell. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. Collins and other band members were severely injured. "Yes, your right," I said, slightly amused. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. I was not there to be a gawker or to get in the way. It was the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Oct. 20, 1977, the night they . He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. Cassie Gaines Wikipedia; Sponsored Links. That now legendary and near-mythical plane crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Honkettes backup singer Cassie Gaines, assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick and the pilot and co-p You all just better get some rest. Dan Barnes recalls saying This man had just been to the funeral home and seen his son dead and decided to keep that to himself for these guys to heal. The reason is that just a few short days before some of the band members had reported seeing sparks a large as 10ft shooting out of the right engine. 100+ love and trust messages for her to rekindle the passion, 100+ miss you sister quotes, messages, and texts to show your love, EU parliament chief urges Ukraine membership talks this year, UN chief condemns rich countries 'vicious' tactics against poor, Meet Empress Esi the 13-year-old GH girl building schools and giving joy to the needy through her foundation, Christian Atsu's family releases date, venue and other details about his final funeral rites, "Beauty and talent": Gorgeous young lady displays exceptional drumming skills in church, viral video melts hearts, What teams have never been to the super bowl. The flight was going good so far and other than Ronnie getting severely intoxicated while on the flight, all seemed to be setting up to be another routine flight. With the tree tops approaching fast and just eight miles short of the air strip, the plane was headed for a Mississippi swamp and nothing could be done to save them now. The band has sold an estimated 35 million records. It sounded great to us. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. He knew those woods well. "I'd never seen anything like that," he said. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. His first band recorded its debut at Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, and later bands included RIO Smokehouse and Rusty Day. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In the beginning, the singer was reluctant to board the aircraft and had already bought another commercial flight ticket. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. Mote hopped into his pick-up to get back to his house, told his wife to get back in the house, then proceeded to grab his gun and stand guard. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this unfortunate crashing that point the finger toward watcher by Artimus, as well as the pilots of the plane themselves. There were 24 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. Collins entered the hospital with pneumonia symptoms and was in a coma the last few days, said longtime friend Ann Thompson. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. I knew I had no business going, and my wife told me so. His post noted that he and many others had made pilgrimages for years to the site to pay their respects. The cover would quickly be changed to a more bland blacked-out background with the band in the same pose after the accident. All he could think was that they must be from a recent a jailbreak," she said. At this point, for Artimus Pyle, Marc Frank, and Ken Peden, the only sensible thing left to do was to leave certain death at the crash site, for uncertainty in the swamp.