Music blared and the aisles filled with increasingly rambunctious revelers dancing 12,000 feet above the earth. The plane was gliding at a five degree angle before finally heading into the trees near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Guitarist Steve Gaines. She was cut in half and had intestines and guts hanging out. [17], Rescuers had to cross a 20-foot-wide (6 m), waist-deep creek and dig through an overgrown forest, while digging out rescue vehicles that got stuck in the mud. Powered by a pair of counter-rotating Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, the craft was essentially an antique, with 29,000 flight miles under its wings. The band had planned on acquiring a Learjet after arriving in Baton Rouge, to replace the 30-year-old plane, which all in the band's circle agreed was well past its prime. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. The Crash Site Was Hauntingly Surreal Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. The plane had completely disintegrated. [5] The tragedy abruptly halted Lynyrd Skynyrd's career until Van Zant's brother Johnny reformed the band ten years later. "[1] The inspection also determined that, "All of the fuel cross-feed and fuel dump valves were in the closed position. [9], Cassie Gaines had been so fearful of flying in the Convair that she had preferred to travel in the band's cramped equipment truck instead, but Van Zant convinced her to board the plane on October 20. The ambitious trek, their largest to date, would see the band achieve its dream of playing New Yorks Madison Square Garden. It was GRUESOME. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Members of Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd (L-R Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins) pose by their trailer backstage at an outdoor concert in October, 1976 in California. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. That farm belonged to a young dairy farmer named Johnny Mote. The men made their way through the thick brush to the farm of Johnny Mote, who said the plane crash "sounded like a car skidding in the gravel" and heard a "deep rumble." [14], It was later discovered that the very same aircraft had earlier been inspected by members of Aerosmith's flight crew for possible use in their Draw the Line tour, but it was rejected because it was felt that neither the plane nor the crew were up to standard. We had decided the night before that we would definitely get rid of the plane in Baton Rouge, so we started partying to celebrate the last flight on it, Powell told Rolling Stone in 1977. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The new cover featured an image from the same photography shoot, sans the flames, while the old image was moved to the back. 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. [19] The site of the crash has become a memorial for fans, rescuers and survivors, with an oak tree that has been carved with Lynyrd Skynyrd iconography, while the site was also the location of a fortieth anniversary memorial by survivors and rescuers. But for those who knew the band's story and their growing rise to fame, that day was one of the most tragic in rock history. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. I heard this snake slither up to me in the darkness and I remember saying, out loud, Snake, I will bite your head off, Pyle told Easy Reader News in 2013. Van Zant, the Gaineses, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Some elements of Powell's version of the events, however, have been disputed by both drummer Pyle and Van Zant's widow Judy Van Zant Jenness, who posted the autopsy reports on the band's web site in early 1998, while confirming other aspects of Powell's account. Gary Rossington and the heirs of Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant objected to the idea, claiming "the survivors took a 'blood oath' to never use the name Lynyrd Skynyrd again." Toxicology reports from both pilots' autopsies found no traces of alcohol or other drugs. Nothing was going to stop me from getting help. At last the aircraft slid to a stop in a swampy, wooded area. He said, 'I'm not gonna get on it because it's not right.'" A trio of helicopters from the Coast Guard, National Guard and Forrest County General Hospital ferried medical personal and illuminated the scene. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. It was too macabre. Instead, the photo was replaced with a shot of the band set amid a simple black background. Theres footage of them playing live, remembrances of writing Sweet Home Alabama and an explanation of the rebel flag. The remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd would spend much of the following decade struggling to cope with their losses. There was also a prison nearby, and Mote assumed the noise had something to do with an escape. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. As a last resort, they attempted an emergency landing in an open field about 300yd (270m) from where the plane eventually went down. A brief candle both ends burning He recalled Van Zant shaking his hand as if to say goodbye. The sound got louder and louder until Rossington was knocked unconscious; he awoke some time later on the ground with the plane's door on top of him. According to Rolling Stone, the group (shown here at Hellfest in 2019)announced their "Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour" would begin in March 2020. Decades later, he gave an account of the flight's final moments on a VH1 Behind The Music special, stating that Van Zant, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown violently from his seat and died immediately when his head hit a tree as the plane broke apart. Two days after the crash, a battered Billy Powell appeared outside the hospital to update members of the press. After the excruciating ordeal of claiming his son, Lacy put on a brave face to visit recuperating members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd family. I knew that I had to keep putting one foot in front of another, the drummer later said. They all died but we didnt. Reverend David Evans, a friend of the band who had also engineered 1975s Nuthin Fancy, conducted the ceremony in front of a brass coffin strewn with red roses. Didn't they put enough gas in the tanks?" The response was, "I am sorry, it's just an indication of it." The film, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow, covers a lot of ground: the bands rise from Jacksonville, Florida, the plane crash that killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and several crew members, their return and unflinching use of the Confederate flag. Natural causes were to blame. Courtesy of Artimus Pyle It was 44 years ago last month that a Convair CV-240 passenger plane with members of the Lynyrd. Billy Powell received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. 235K views 5 years ago A plane crash killed the lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977, and 40 years later, the drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, Artimus Pyle, can still remember that day. In a report issued in June 1978, the National Travel Safety Bureau officially ruled that the probable cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to fuel supply. It adds that the right engine was burning more fuel than usual due to being operated in auto-rich mode, which would explain the flames (or torching) that had been visible on earlier flights. It would be one of the last songs he ever wrote. Two days later their fifth album, Street Survivors, debuted. He didnt want to get on that plane, Gary Rossington told the Orlando Sentinel in 1988. Posted at 5:23 PM, Jan 13, 2020. small plane crashes through fence on highway in emergency landing - airplane crash stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Powell pulled off his t-shirt, clamped it over his nose and began trying to help. The album eventually became the band's second platinum album. 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. An endless mile a bus wheel turning Jan. 24, 1990 12 AM PT. So instead of being in his normal spot, which might have saved his life, he was up front when all the trouble developed.. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. They were in a free-fall at 4,500 feet. Trending I just sat there for a while, going, What has happened? And I was crying. It got real quiet. 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. The remaining band members sustained serious injuries. All Rights reserved. Artimus Pyle,a pilot himself, told everyone how to prepare for the inevitable crash. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. Powells nose had been nearly torn from his face after he crashed headfirst through a table. Glass Onion Director Rian Johnson Is Giving Us a Knives Out-Style Mystery Every Week Nearby is a metal stand with neon lights, honoring those who died so long ago. We want to hear it. The lack of fuel on the plane meant that there was no fire, which saved an untold number of lives but also made the wreck difficult to locate in the darkness. I had to rush back and kill the album cover because it was not appropriate, although when the plane crashed, there were no flames, photographer George Osaki says in the bands oral history. With the gravity of the situation clear, the passengers sat in silence, some praying. Cassie Gaines was one of the band members who boarded the ill-fated flight. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? Guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines was in the center, standing with his eyes closed, mouth open. Among the dead, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Ordinarily Van Zant would have joined them, but back pain forced him to sprawl out on the floor with Honkettes member Leslie Hawkins acting as a temporary masseuse. Authorities quickly descended on the scene, transforming the desolate thicket into a hive of activity. He was on high alert when he went to investigate the mysterious noises in the darkness of the forest. In addition, several expanded and re-mastered versions of the album are available today. On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 passenger aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi, United States. Josh - August 1, 2018. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Lead Singer. Dean Kilpatrick was killed on impact, as was Steve Gaines, but his sister Cassie lived a short time longer before succumbing to blood loss. Welcome to Autopsyfiles.org - Home Page - Autopsy Reports of . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loo320c79aI&feature=youtu.be. [16], The doomed flight of October 20, 1977, was intended to be the last Lynyrd Skynyrd would make on the Convair. And they had good reason to be: Lynyrd Skynyrds rickety Convair 240, pushing 30 years old, was obviously past its prime. Ever the survivors, they ultimately found their way back to each other, reuniting in 1987 with Johnny Van Zant stepping into his older brothers role. I'm relaying messages on CB to her, ten miles away. The 20 survivors endured shattered bones, torn flesh, lengthy hospitalizations and grueling rehabilitations. Ronnie told me, Boy, get yourself out of here, its not your time yet, get on out of here,' he told Uhelszki in 1997. On October 20th, the Convair 240(similar to the one pictured) departed the airport at Greenville, South Carolina at 4:02 p.m. after being filled with 400 gallons of 100-octane, low-lead fuel. Then, in October, theSecond U.S. A feeling of impending doom carried over into his music, particularly the Street Survivors track That Smell. Written as a stern warning after Rossington wrapped his brand new Ford Torino around a tree during a substance-fueled joyride, the foreboding smell of death surrounds you refrain provides a glimpse into Van Zants unsettled psyche. The plane rose to the skies for the last time at 5:02 p.m. local time without incident. In the coming weeks, Lynyrd Skynyrd would become a household name as reports of the horrific tragedydrifted across the world. While their bodies recovered, theyd never again be reunited with the voice that made songs like Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama perennial anthems of Southern rock. For years, Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant claimed he would die before 30. We all hit the dirt thinking, Now were gonna get killed by a redneck farmer! So we all yell, Hey! A horrific plane crash took the lives of members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, their road crew and both the pilot and co-pilot on Oct. 20, 1977 . The Convair was not required to carry a flight data recorder, and much of the wreck was too damaged to be of use to investigators. I also came across photos of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's autopsy photos in 2014, which have since been scrubbed from internet. Long orange flames were pouring from the engine as the plane continued to climb. For a time, the fate of their lead singer was kept a secret from the mostly gravely injured band members. McCreary entered the cabin and made the chilling announcement to his passengers: Were out of gas put your heads between your legs and buckle up tight. Pyle, himself a trained pilot, happened to be in the cockpit when the problems began. It was a bit eerie, to say the least. Related Everybody was sitting down kind of praying, real silently, said Powell. Of the 24 passengers who boarded the ill-fated flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, three members of the band were killed. Now certain he was dealing with a jailbreak, the young farmer sped back to his mobile home. I had to take the flames out. That night I had the most vivid dream, she told Swampland.com in 2003. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. My wife was home on a CB radio. Every painful step I took was a drop of their blood. The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. He couldn't pull them up due to his injuries. Read our account of the 1977 plane crash that claimed the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, including new recollections from a survivor. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Manufactured in 1947, it was the third of its kind ever built. Ronnie and I were in Tokyo, Japan, and Ronnie told me that hed never live to see 30, and that he was going to go out with his boots on in other words, on the road, recalled Pyle on Behind the Music. ' But the bands frontman remained almost eerily calm. They waited, barely daring to breathe, until help could extricate them from their perilous position. Over the next decade, the band remained in limbo even as their records continued to sell. Wed move one and there would be another one laying there.. Photo: Pinterest. The musician sat on top of the airplane in shock for a few minutes, crying,before he heard people callingfor help. Their latest album, Street Survivors, had gone gold upon its release three days earlier, and the first five dates of the accompanying tour had been met with rapturous crowds throughout their native Southland. Joe Manganiello on Discovering Hes Part-Black and Descended From Slaves It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front [in the plane]. The result was the newSouthern by the Grace of God livealbum. After making the 600-mile trip from Greenville to Baton Rouge, where they were due to play the following night at Louisiana State University, Lynyrd Skynyrd planned to acquire a Learjet, the air chariot of choice for the Seventies rock elite. Despite having refueled in Greenville, the pilots found themselves dangerously low on gas. 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. 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. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. "But they will live on through the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd and all of the fans from around the world.". [8] Guitarist Gary Rossington recalls hearing what sounded like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane's fuselage as it began striking trees. A handshake and a sip of wine Billy Powell confined to crutches, his face held together with stitches was the only bandmate able to attend his funeral. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. The top of the plane tore open as it glided through the trees, throwing people out and leaving a path of instruments and other items from the passenger section. These are the before and after photos of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane . Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Gary Rossington, meanwhile, remained the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2019. It was unfortunate, but it happened. At the request of Gaines widow, Teresa, MCA withdrew the sleeve. 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