The aircraft was destroyed by impact; there was no fire. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. 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. Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. You have permission to edit this article. Brenda Martin, 17 at the time, lived with her husband, Johnny Mote (now divorced) in their mobile home on the north side of the crash site. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. The Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. Security manager Gene Odom was seriously burned on his arm and face and lost the sight in one eye as a result of an emergency flare on board the plane that was activated during the crash. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. The three injured men hiked some distance from the crash site, through swampy woods, and finally flagged down farmer Johnny Mote, who had come to investigate. Especially with the song That Smell. Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. 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. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. We beat patterns into our dashboards drumming out the beat. Pyle did confirm (from Pyle's interview on the The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio, Feb. 12, 2007) that Van Zant's cause of death was trauma to the head caused by equipment, such as Betamax tapes and Trinitrons, flying forward in the plane's cabin. 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. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. I began the classic guitar lick. "I was well prepared with advanced trauma life support training," he said, "and (I was) a flight surgeon in the military. What happened to the Menendez brothers' money? On several occasions, the latter shined through. No discernable landmarks remained, save the creek bed. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. 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. As we talked, we heard a racket through the trees. We knew every word. 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. Artimus Pyle once said they were flying in a plane that he believed belonged to the Clampett family (they were the family from the Beverly Hillbillies, a family notorious for using pieced together equipment.). 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. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Gabel says he's been to the site 15 or more times. 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." There were 26 people on that fateful flight. I had a small studio, making a living mostly painting signs for local businesses. 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. The album had a very controversial cover when released. He says he first came in the 80s after he graduated. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. Everyone just stood there helpless. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. As he looked around the scene, his mind went back. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. He suffered a heart attack . It is reported that the pilots whose eyes were full of terror, told them to go back to their seats and prepare for impact. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. 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. Photo: Pinterest. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. 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. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. 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. He remembered seeing bodies everywhere. Pyle used the couple's phone to call his wife. 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. 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. Cassie joined the team and became one of the three members of The Honkette's, a female gospel vocal trio of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Photo: thetv.info. Everyone just stood there helpless. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. 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. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! The sky is the limit for the talented actress. The pilot and co-pilot also died; 20 others aboard lived. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. 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. As soon as it seemed that the worst of the flight was passing, the true nightmare was about to set in for Lynyrd Skynyrd and the crew aboard. 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. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. We love you!!!" The site is hard to access. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Photo: Pinterest. Another 20 were injured, which included keyboardist Billy Powell, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, drummer Artimus Pyle and bassist Leon Wilkeson. 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. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. "He didn't want to talk about it for years.". 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. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. 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. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." I had not realized before, but he also was there that night. At the time of her death, she was 29 years old. Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. 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. He smiled broadly and said, "Turn it up! Contributing to the fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the engine which resulted in higher than normal fuel consumption.". A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. I was a young graphic artist at the time. 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. 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 October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. As soon as it seemed that the worst of the flight was passing, the true nightmare was about to set in for Lynyrd Skynyrd and the crew aboard. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. Posted and no trespassing signs are prominently displayed. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. 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. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. 137.184.228.194 Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. We were all fans. "He (Mote) ran in the door saying, 'Ya'll get down on the floor, there's escaped convicts out there," Martin remembers. For another crash scene veteran, this was also his first return visit in 38 years. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and singer Cassie Gaines were all killed in the crash, and the . Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . So, with little hesitation I decided I should join the dance. 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. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Martin said she then, "called 911, or 0, or whatever we called back then.". Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. 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. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. 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. We were shocked, as were most others hearing the news. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. Its many hit songs include "Freebird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps" and "Simple Man.". Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. 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. Where Did We Find This Stuff? The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. No one that hit the ground alive died. In 1986, his car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend. The tour is scheduled to run through mid-September. Road crew member Steve Lawler, who suffered severe contusions and facial lacerations, was taken to the hospital in a pickup with a camper top. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. Street Survivors was released just three days before the crash and would quickly become a hit. 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. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. Cassie was buried in Orange Park, Florida, together with her brother, Steve Gains. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. I dont like that, The Weeknd is getting mocked for his response to Rolling Stones The Idol expos, Daisy Jones & the Six review: Riley Keough fronts a rock soap opera, Aaron Carters mom posts awful photos from death scene, pushes for homicide inquiry, Wayne Shorter, influential jazz saxophonist and composer, dies at 89. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. Sadly, the band would not make it to Baton Rouge and the plane had been pushed one flight too many. Some of the guys were playing poker. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. Cassie Gaines Wikipedia; Sponsored Links. Pyle claimed in a February 2007 appearance on Howard Stern's Sirius radio program that Mote had shot him; Mote has always denied shooting the drummer. Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. He had been hospitalized since September. David Bowie Reveals His Favorite Songwriters, Michael Jacksons Daughter Release New Song, Fans Wants To Cancel Roger Waters Concerts, Ozzy Osbourne Give Update On Possible Touring, Why Keith Richards Was Jealous Of The Beatles, Dave Grohl Reveals His Favorite Paul McCartney Track. He was the New Orleans-based photographer for the Associated Press Jack Thornell, known for his Pulitzer Prize winning photo of civil rights leader James Meredith. "They seemed to be chasing him, trying to flag him down. He had known Easley Creek since his youth. The events before the plane crash are perhaps the most bone-chilling ones you'd ever hear. The band buckled in. 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. I knew I had no business going, and my wife told me so. 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. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! How did Cassie Gaines get in Lynyrd Skynyrd? The plane had completely disintegrated. He pulled the lifeless body of Cassie Gaines up by her belt. Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. 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. 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. The album had deeper meaning than most. These things don't happen here. ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. Johnny headed for the crash site to see if he could help. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a staple on rock, classic rock, and southern radio stations. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It sounded great to us. It was the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Oct. 20, 1977, the night they . 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. 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. Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. He also knew I had no business there, but his face told me he knew I was beginning a new career that night. July 30, 2001 -- Leon Wilkeson, bass player and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, is dead at age 49. 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. "But using a phone out here is worthless," he said, and even with his expertise, he had trouble finding the exact spot of the crash site. If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. "Yes, your right," I said, slightly amused. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. 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. The reason behind this? Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album, and was the #5 top selling album on the U.S. album chart. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. He drove down from his home in Oakland, Miss. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. He was only 39, but was no rookie. The singer was approached by artist JoJo Billingsley, sent by the band's head and lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. 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. "It was the saddest thing," she recalls, 11 years later. Wilkeson suffered severe internal injuries, including a punctured lung, and had most of his teeth knocked out. 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. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. As we walked through the woods, Governor and I agree that nothing looked or felt the same. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? One such silent witness has found a way to talk. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. He knew those woods well. But I loved the bonding. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Allen Collins suffered two cracked vertebrae in his neck, and both Collins and Leon Wilkeson nearly had arms amputated as a result of crash injuries. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Natural causes were to blame. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. 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. "We didn't know how much gas was on the ground. Victims were taken to the hospital in McComb, Mississippi by ambulances and other vehicles. With a newly-released album, "Street Survivors," they were flying from a concert in Greenville, S.C. to the next night's show at LSU in Baton Rouge in a substandard charter plane. The whole scene tore him apart. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. 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. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. They all died but we didnt. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. 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. 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. There are just too few physical landmarks. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. He was known as Papa Ronnie. The band has asked that fans wishing to remember Wilkeson do so through the Musician's Assistance Program, which assists musicians and industry professionals seeking treatment for addiction. 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 I'm really not sure anymore," he said. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. she asked me as we talked. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. The other band members Collins, Gary Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Hawkins, tour manager Ron Eckerman, and several road crew suffered . Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. Part of the preparations required contacting landowners and securing permission to be there and a guide to lead me in. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. The reason behind this? memorial page for Cassie LaRue Hatfield Gaines (26 Nov 1926-15 Feb 1979), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37010431, citing Jacksonville Memory . "The first thing I saw was a bloody hand reaching out from the debris. His wife, Lola, and my wife grew up together. 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. 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. It was Dr. Hank Lewis, a month shy of 78-years-old. 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. Skip to main content. The pilots were still in their seats, but were laying upside down in nearby trees. She began her career at a young age but has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best in Hollywood. read another typical message of mourning. Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. The Convair 240 itself had been inspected by members of Aerosmith's flight crew for possible use in the early summer of 1977, but was rejected because it was felt that neither the plane nor the crew were up to standards.
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