But we were both enjoying it. Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. It was suggested on the VH-1 Behind The Music profile on Skynyrd that this was the case, or that the pilots, panicking when the right engine failed, accidentally dumped the remaining fuel. Most of the 20 survivors were taken to Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb, where the lobby had been transformed into a makeshift emergency treatment center to quickly deal with the onslaught of plane crash victims. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. Martin said she then, "called 911, or 0, or whatever we called back then.". One of them being completely decapitated. On hearing of the accident, Billingsley was so shaken that some of her hair fell out. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. "Live on my brother. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. Mike Rounsaville also arrived in the jeep with Dr. Lewis. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Identification was completely hindered as there had been a poker game going on during the flight, and everyones wallets and purses had been strewn throughout the swamp. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. 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. Especially with the song That Smell. The death of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gains of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was a massive blow to many. And then we heard voices. Almost four decades later, I noticed a seemingly innocuous post on Facebook. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. She performed as a backup singer in popular hits such as One More Time and That Smell. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. It was the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Oct. 20, 1977, the night they . The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Over the ridge, a World War II vintage Willis Jeep crawled down a dusty logging trail. It is possible that the damaged magneto fooled the pilots into creating an exceptionally rich fuel mixture, causing the Convair to run out of fuel. Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. The news was shocking -- a plane crash near my hometown of McComb, Miss. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. 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. Wilkeson suffered severe internal injuries, including a punctured lung, and had most of his teeth knocked out. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and singer Cassie Gaines were all killed in the crash, and the . I put them all to work. Lynyrd Skynyrd pose for a portrait circa 1976. We knew every word. 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. Natural causes were to blame. 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. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. 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. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. Ben Gabel, of Denham Springs, is a former surveyor, and navigated to the scene from the official NTSB report, which includes the latitude and longitude. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. Collins began his rise to success as the lightning-fingered guitarist for the Jacksonville band formed in 1966 by a group of high school students. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. Who died in the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash? 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. Updated cover after plane crash, 1977The official NTSB accident report reads, "The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to fuel supply. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. He didn't know who the victims were. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2fad0cc830fa72 Owners emphasize that trespassers can be prosecuted. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. According to an interview in the book Freebirds, Billingsley had dreamed of the plane crash and begged Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. Drummer Artimus Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs, but was ambulatory, as were road crew members Kenneth Peden Jr. and Mark Frank. After a shorter-than-normal day of bow hunting, he received a phone call about a plane crash in the area. As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . Four of the passengers were killed including bandleader and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick. We always wondered why, you know. The surviving members would grapple with this throughout their days. However, they were apparently talked into using it just one more time which happened to be their last ride. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. Stinky! Lynyrd Skynyrd is a staple on rock, classic rock, and southern radio stations. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. The whole scene tore him apart. Coincidence? I had never seen anything like it before. Aerosmith's touring family was also relieved because the band, specifically Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, had been trying to pressure their management into renting that specific plane. Almost as mysteriously, the full bottle is never seen again. 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. 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. It was there that he struck up a fractured conversation. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. I photographed their wedding. 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. I can't remember," he said. Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. Last of the two surviving original member of the band, Gary Rossington, with Johnny Van Zant to his left and guitarist Rickey Medlocke to the right. Also Known As: Cassie LaRue Gaines Died At Age: 29 Family: mother: Cassie LaRue Gaines Died Young Rock Singers Died on: October 20, 1977 place of death: Gillsburg, Mississippi, United States U.S. State: Oklahoma Cause of Death: Plane Crash Recommended Lists: American Celebrities Film & Theater Personalities American Women Women Singers 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. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. One of them being completely decapitated. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. The band enjoyed national fame in the 1970s with such hits as Gimme Three Steps and Sweet Home Alabama.. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. He rushed to his truck and headed in. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. Making the original release cover more valuable to collectors than the second cover released just a few weeks after the album hit the shelves. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. The plane killed three band members (Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie, Steve Gaines) and Dean Kilpatrick (assistant road manager), Walter McCreary (pilot), and William Gray (co-pilot). Photo: Pinterest. 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. It was known that the right engine's magneto a small power generator that provides spark and timing for the engine had been malfunctioning (Powell, among others, spoke of seeing flames shooting out of the right engine on a trip just prior to the accident), and that pilots McCreary and Gray had intended to repair the damaged part when the travelling party arrived in Baton Rouge. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." 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. Over the weekend, the message boards on the official Web site were flooded with messages of lament for the "living legend," "free bird," and simple man.". It wasn't a Cessna; it was a Convair CV 240, a twin engine, 40-passenger plane that was down in heavy woods near Gillsburg. 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. No one that hit the ground alive died. ", Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. ", "I expected to see all dead people looking at these woods. Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. My college roommate was a young photojournalist. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? In 1995, while on assignment in Phunket Thailand for the Times-Picayune's series "Oceans of Trouble," I boarded a small fantail fishing boat on the edges of the Andaman Sea with writer John McQuaid to photograph the disappearing mangroves. It would be another hour before I heard the big news. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? The other two members were JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins. I knew I could take photographs if I could get there. 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 medical personnel triaged the scene, he helped carry the litters of the injured and the dead across the creek to a waiting 4-wheel-drive pickup truck. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Obviously it is hard to dictate the correct story when various opinions and recollections are thrown out, however, it seems to us as though the pilots were aware of the faulty issues of the plane, did not check to make sure that the plane had enough gas, and did not seem to make an attempt to alert the passengers of their timely death. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. Deceased people hanging from trees, the other survivors moaning for help of any kind, and completely surrounded by a black swamp whose canopy is blocking the only light that is trying so desperately to shine through. "They seemed to be chasing him, trying to flag him down. The band got its name as a way of mocking Leonard Skinner, a gym coach at Robert E. Lee High School known for punishing his long-haired students specifically band co-founders Gary Rossington and Bob Burns. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. It was going to be the replacement for Douglas C3s with a pressurized cabin that was then just being mandated as a rule for commercial airlines. 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. He remembered seeing bodies everywhere. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. Both of which helped the album climb to the No. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. So we came out here and got busy. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. He pulled the lifeless body of Cassie Gaines up by her belt. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. Pilot Walter. 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. Governor said, "I'm bad about leaving an empty beer bottle and a full one for Ronnie and the boys" each year. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. The original cover was restored after the 30th anniversary of the album. He, like me, was 21-years-old at the time. Natural causes were to blame. 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. He had hunted squirrels along that very ridge. His wife, Lola, and my wife grew up together. Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. 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. The plane had completely disintegrated. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. Truth be known, after 38 years, Martin is a little tired of talking about the whole thing. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. 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). In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and singer Cassie Gaines were all killed in the crash, and the band stopped performing and recording. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . I'm still not sure why. 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. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. However, other band members convinced her otherwise. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. memorial page for Cassie LaRue Hatfield Gaines (26 Nov 1926-15 Feb 1979), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37010431, citing Jacksonville Memory . Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. 2023 Getty Images. Bianca is an American actress. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site.
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