These things don't happen here. I would like to think that only one grave robber was involved, but so many items were missing that I have to believe otherwise. It was as if they were back in Noahs time and all but a select few were stricken with greed of mankind and the chance to capitalize on an easy opportunity. No one that hit the ground alive died. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. It would also be the first album that guitarist Steve Gaines would be the sole guitar player on. 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. Cassie Gaines died on the 20 th of October, 1977 in a plane crash at Gillsburg, Mississippi when she was only 29 years old. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. And the hardest-working rock 'n' roll band in America was about to run out of gas. "Are you writing a book?" She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. The original cover was restored after the 30th anniversary of the album. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. "Steve was at the peak of his career. to gather a few more. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. Photo: Pinterest. 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. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. Lewis was on emergency room call that night at McComb's Southwest Regional Medical Center. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. For another crash scene veteran, this was also his first return visit in 38 years. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. "They stopped, straight back there," he said, and pointed to the tree line a quarter mile across open hay fields and woods. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. Everyone just stood there helpless. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. "Live on my brother. 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'd never seen anything like that," he said. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a FANDOM Music Community. And it left Teresa Gaines a widow. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a staple on rock, classic rock, and southern radio stations. 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. 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. Your IP: There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . 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. Minutes later he was guiding an ambulance through an overgrown trail. He was known as Papa Ronnie. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. As they, too, were succumbing to the sub-par standards of the plane and crew. 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. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash, and took many months to recuperate. Rock Musician. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. 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. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. I had never seen anything like it before. The band decided that once they had landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they would acquire a Learjet to replace the severely outdated 30-year-old plane. I quickly maneuvered free of a crumpled bumper and sped off. Mother of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. Photo credits Airplane-Pictures.net. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Cassie Gaines, a member of the backing vocal trio known as the Honkettes and sister of guitarist Steve Gaines, was so petrified that she nearly squeezed in the band's cramped equipment truck. "The first thing I saw was a bloody hand reaching out from the debris. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! 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. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 5 album. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. 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. 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. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. 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. 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. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. "May the free bird fly on," read one message. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. She was planning to join the tour in Little Rock on October 23, three days after the crash. One of them being completely decapitated. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. 137.184.228.194 You have permission to edit this article. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. The years after the crash would be difficult in its own right for surviving members, most of which would experience tragedy and early death themselves. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. He suffered a heart attack . The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. After the death of three of their members, the band decided to change the cover photo of the album, which initially featured a picture of the band engulfed in flames. His post noted that he and many others had made pilgrimages for years to the site to pay their respects. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. Street Survivors was released just three days before the crash and would quickly become a hit. Birth Name: Cassie LaRue Gaines Occupation: Rock Singer Place Of Birth: Missouri Date Of Birth: January 9, 1948 Date Of Death: October 20, 1977 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: White Nationality: American Cassie Gaines was born on the 9th of January, 1948. Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. They all died but we didnt. Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, along with backup singer Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray died. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. 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. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. 5 spot, it was the bands first No. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. 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. Marc Frank recalled hearing both engines on the plane then within a matter of minutes, just air passing over the cabin. Some were screaming and moaning for help, but they were all limp. 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. It is reported that the pilots whose eyes were full of terror, told them to go back to their seats and prepare for impact. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Any debris left on the ground has long been buried. Photo: thetv.info. Both Steve and Cassie Gaines were killed in the crash. Members of the band that survived the crash said that Cassie actually . The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. The reason behind this? Bianca is an American actress. Cassie Gaines, Steve Gainess sister who were both bound for death in the crash, would routinely ride on the equipment bus rather than the plane. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit to get an idea of what was happening. I was just taken aback by it " but then his friend continued, "don't worry, Lynyrd made it out.". Before joining the music band, she was an original cast member of a school play under Hairspray. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. . 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. 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. It sounded great to us. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. 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. [2] The news was shocking -- a plane crash near my hometown of McComb, Miss. 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. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. 2023 Getty Images. I can't remember," he said. I was a young graphic artist at the time. 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. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site draws a pilgrimage. So, with little hesitation I decided I should join the dance. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Powell's version of events has been discounted by both Artimus Pyle and Judy Van Zant Jenness, who posted the autopsy reports on the band's website in early 1998 in order to set the record straight. 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). His wife, Lola, and my wife grew up together. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. From the commercial hits of Free Bird and Simple Man to less mainstream songs like The Needle And The Spoon and T Is For Texas, Lynyrd Skynyrd and their driving southern sound quickly cut their way to the top of the charts and into the hearts of many across the states and around the world. We love you!!!" Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane crash." After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. 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. "We didn't know how much gas was on the ground. "That solidified that idea. 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. He knew those woods well. Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. 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. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. Van Zant died instantly of blunt force trauma to the head. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. The famous music band Lynyrd Skynyrd is considered to have one of the most gruesome band histories after losing several people in an aerial accident. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Photo: obviousmag.org. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. In the beginning, the singer was reluctant to board the aircraft and had already bought another commercial flight ticket. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. Gabel says he's been to the site 15 or more times. The reason behind this? All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene.