A quick apology later, Van Zant, Burns and Rossington were noodling around with their instruments, and decided to form a band. His father had been killed in an airplane crash, and he didnt like what he saw. 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. CONVAIR 240, N55&x27;C-I L & J COMPANY GILLSBURG, IIZSSISSIPPI As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. Burns happened to be a drummer and was a friend of guitarist Gary Rossington. 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. [5] The tragedy abruptly halted Lynyrd Skynyrd's career until Van Zant's brother Johnny reformed the band ten years later. Leased by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. 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. 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. It would take awhile for news of the crash to reach the media. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. 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 sight of helicopter searchlights circling overhead began to make him nervous. That night I had the most vivid dream, she told Swampland.com in 2003. Gary Rossington (pictured in 2008) recalled that "Allen was real upset. As recorded in the official accident report, even after the plane made impact with the ground, the Convair skidded another 140 feet a total of 495 feet from the time it hit the first tree on the way down. We were looking out the window at this October sky. [1] The flight crew were employed by a third party,[1] and the lease period was three weeks. Although the Transportation Safety Board report stated there was no fire due to there being no fuel, the fiery cover of the album seemed to foretell the fate of the band. I jumped off and there were people screaming. 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. Rather than appreciate the savings, the band largely viewed it as a downgrade from their last ride. Among the dead, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. [15] Aerosmith's touring family were quite shaken after receiving word of the crash, as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had pressured their management into renting that specific plane for use on their tour. For years, Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant claimed he would die before 30. 1. Lets go, man. 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. Tom Hill/Getty Images Ronnie Van Zant, a little over a year before the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash that killed him and several members of his band. He ultimately backed out after claiming that he caught McCreary and Gray smoking and passing around an open bottle of Jack Daniels in the cockpit.. Billy Powell confined to crutches, his face held together with stitches was the only bandmate able to attend his funeral. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. Joe Manganiello on Discovering Hes Part-Black and Descended From Slaves [7] Despite their efforts, at approximately 6:52 pm[1] the plane skimmed about 100yd (90m) along the top of the tree line before smashing into a large tree and splitting into pieces near Gillsburg, Mississippi. I just walked around trying to help whoever I could. Ten feet above the carnage, Leslie Hawkins and Bill Sykes, a television crewman accompanying the band, were alive but stuck in a tree, with a heavy piece of sheet metal dangling precariously overhead. Less than a minute later, however, the pilot announced, "We're out of fuel." 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. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Fact-Checking the Aretha Franklin Biopic, Jeff Buckleys Grace: 10 Things You Didnt Know, Flashback: Back to the Future Has Everyone Wanting to Play Johnny B Goode Like Michael J. Still, one final hop on the Convair felt like one too many for most in their entourage. In 2016, Deadline reported that Cleopatra Films was planning a feature film about Lynyrd Skynyrd. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. Rescue vehicles on the ground found their path blocked by tangled underbrush and the 20-foot creek, so two bulldozers were dispatched to plow a primitive path off nearby Highway 568. Disturbing Details About The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Two and-a-half hours later, however, McCreary radioed the Air Traffic Control Center in Houston that "we're low on fuel and we're just about out of it.". The lifeless bodies of pilots McCreary and Gray remained strapped in their cockpit seats, which were now suspended upside-down from a nearby tree. Trending The crew was either negligent or ignorant of the increased fuel consumption because they failed to monitor adequately the engine instruments for fuel flow and fuel quantity. Several members of Lynyrd Skynyrds entourage alleged that the pilots had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol the night before or possibly during the flight, but these claims were largely debunked by toxicology reports. We dont leave anyone behind. After fording a creek and burrowing under a barbed wire fence, the men came face to face with a herd of cattle. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. From Associated Press. The movie was presumably finished, since Rolling Stone reported it cost $1.2 million dollars to make. Everyone but me was wearing a seatbelt when we crashed, yet every seat but one was ripped from the floor, and almost everyone was hurled forward into the wall panels in a pile of broken bodies that smothered the people on the bottom, writes Odom. Although at least one band member, Cassie Gaines, expressed doubts about flying on the Convair, Van Zant talked everyone into using it. Guitarist Allen Collins was equally apprehensive. Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist and founding member Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died as a result of the crash, while twenty others survived. A brief candle both ends burning As a last resort, they attempted an emergency landing in an open field about 300yd (270m) from where the plane eventually went down. Meanwhile, according to Billy Powell, "Everybody was just doing their own thing" when the pilots alerted them to the situation. For music history buffs, the name Lynyrd Skynyrd instantly conjures up the day in 1977 when three band members, including founder Ronnie Van Zant, died in a plane crash in the woods of Mississippi. Twelve thousand feet in the air, the engine spewed out a ten-foot torch of fire that lasted for several minutes, offering each of us an unforgettable look at our very serious problem. On the morning of their fatal journey, Odom approached the flight crew at the behest of the band, in an effort to get some answers about the aircraft. 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. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. Im not gonna lie and say I sensed the plane was gonna go down, but I was very uneasy about them gettin on it, Ill tell you that., Jo Jo Billingsley was also uneasy. Fly on proud bird, youre free at last. The cockpit smashed into a tree, killing McCreary and Gray,and the fuselage became separated. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. In October 2019, Ronnie Van Zant's widow, Judy Van Zant-Jeness, joined others to dedicate a new monument, created with money from the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project. The one thing that I want the world to know is how bravely my band met their death, says one of the voices. Its possible Van Zant had filled Billingsley in on that days troubling flight from Lakeland, Florida. 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. Then I said that I needed to be alone. [18] Locals worked with rescue officials and drove victims to the hospital in the back of pick-up trucks. The present, future and the past A trio of helicopters from the Coast Guard, National Guard and Forrest County General Hospital ferried medical personal and illuminated the scene. There were a lot of people on the plane that knew something was wrong, but we all kind of followed each other, and thats where we made our mistake.. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. The sun was setting and you could see the contrails from the aircraft. Most of the 20 survivors survivors were taken to Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb, where the lobby had been transformed into a makeshift emergency treatment center. 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. Six others were injured, including Powell and Pyle: band members Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson, and Gary Rossington, as well as security manager Gene Odom. The cockpit and the tail were ripped away, and the remaining cabin bucked into a L-shaped tangle of wreckage as it skidded to a stop in the mangrove just after 6:53 p.m. local time, leaving a trail of debris and people. He was a good pilot, but he kind of freaked a little bit. Joining them was a former guitarist for the group, Ed King. Among them was Lacy Van Zant, who was accompanied by a family friend, .38 Special guitarist Don Barnes. When I walked to the other side of the plane, I tripped on another person. Thus the entire band Allen Collins, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins, Billy Powell, Artimus Pyle, Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkerson, and Van Zant boarded the plane along with eighteen other crew members, and prepared for takeoff. 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. In 2007, a 30th Anniversary issue of the record once again featured the original front cover. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. 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. Three members of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in the impact; however, Cassie Gaines did survive the initial crash but died of excessive bleeding a while afterwards. The site has drawn visitors over the years. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? The choppers belonged to the Coast Guard, National Guard and Forrest County General Hospital, who were doing their best to ferry people in, and illuminate the crash site. 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 Future of Classic Rock Tours: One or Two Surviving Membersor None? They all looked at Lacy through stitches and swelling and he told me not to say anything about Ronnie, Barnes told Team Rock. ' But the bands frontman remained almost eerily calm. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. Once in the air, anxiety gave way to giddy relief among the passengers. He said, 'I'm not gonna get on it because it's not right.'" ET and PT. The ambitious trek, their largest to date, would see the band achieve its dream of playing New Yorks Madison Square Garden. On numerous occasions he proclaimed that he would never reach his 30th birthday. [1] Pyle told Howard Stern years later in an interview that the fuel gauge in the older-model plane was known to malfunction and the pilots had neglected to check the tanks manually before taking off. Photo: obviousmag.org. 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. Fast forward to August 2018 when Gary Rossington appeared and narrated part ofa documentary, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrowdebuted on Showtime. Many in the bands circle believe Van Zant had a premonition of his fate. Road crew member Ken Peden next exited the plane and, along with Powell and Pyle, set out in search of help. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. A band was born. The plane had completely disintegrated. Powell pulled off his t-shirt, clamped it over his nose and began trying to help. The Control Center next granted McCreary's request to land at McComb Airport in Mississippi. 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. New Lynyrd Skynyrd Doc Shows Plane Crash Footage, Traces Band History. When I think of Lynyryd Skynyrd, I just think of outrageously fun times, says one of the speakers over pictures of the guys hanging out, shirtless and drinking and feeding whiskey to a monkey. Upon realizing that the plane had insufficient fuel, the pilots attempted to navigate to McComb Airport, about 10mi (16km) northeast of the eventual crash site in Amite County, Mississippi, but soon realized that the plane would not make it. It got real quiet. People were hollerin' and screamin', and I've never witnessed anything before in my life like that." So instead of being in his normal spot, which might have saved his life, he was up front when all the trouble developed.. . The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site - In Pictures & Maps. ", Most telling was the final statement that the fuel exhaustion was contributed to by "an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the right engine which resulted in higher-than-normal fuel consumption." Send us a tip using our anonymous form. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. The scary incident convinced the group that they needed to upgrade their vehicle to something befitting their status as one of the biggest acts in music. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. "[1] The inspection also determined that, "All of the fuel cross-feed and fuel dump valves were in the closed position. Gary Rossington suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. One of the most tragic stories in rock history has got to be the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash that took the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant . The album eventually became the band's second platinum album. Photo: Jeffrey Mayer (Circus, November 10, 1977) thomas pantuso. Then he spotted Pyle trying to crawl out of the wreckage, his ribs "sticking out" of his chest, as Powell told Rolling Stone (via Check Six). 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. It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front [in the plane]. That image was selected for the cover, with flames superimposed all around the group against a city backdrop. Inside the tragedy that claimed six lives including that of frontman Ronnie Van Zant and cut short the career of the Southern rock legends. [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. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. The whole scene tore him apart. Thinking the men were escaped convicts, Mote fired his rifle in the air before he realized they needed help. Ronnie knew that he was going to die.. One of them being completely decapitated. [11] Another member of the band's trio of back-up singers (collectively known as the "Honkettes"), JoJo Billingsley, was not on the plane as she was under a doctor's care in Senatobia, Mississippi, dealing with health problems brought about by substance abuse. We want to hear it. People were trapped inside. I saw the plane smack the ground. After the fact, to learn why, it doesnt really do anything to you. Rather than place the blame on the pilots, or the groups management, Pyle places equal responsibility on the band themselves. America embraced Lynyrd Skynyrd as a hard-drinking, southern rock party band. The dispute stemmed from a "blood oath" by survivors, reportedly taken after the crash, never to use the name Lynyrd Skynyrd again in an effort not to capitalize on the tragedy that had befallen them. For a time, the fate of their lead singer was kept a secret from the mostly gravely injured band members. Just being like, Oh, god, please dont take my life. We were flying in a plane that looked like it belonged to the Clampett family, drummer Artimus Pyle later said. 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. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. The death of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant , guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie Gains, along with the aftermath of the tragedy, essentially destroyed one of the most unique voices of American rock and roll. 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. I had to take the flames out. Mote was a 22-year-old dairy farmer who lived nearby and heard the commotion caused by the plane crash. Forty years later, his words resonate like a dare to the gods. But"instead of panicking," said Powell, "everybody was sitting there praying." Lynyrd skynyrd plane crash death photos Fans and monument organizers gather at newly dedicated highway signs for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument near the site of the band's Oct. 20, 1977, plane crash in Gillsburg, Miss., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. Among the 150 guests were Dickey Betts, Charlie Daniels, Al Kooper and Tom Dowd, as well as members of Grinderswitch, .38 Special and the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Wilkerson was found dead in his hotel room in 2001. 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. I remember getting really upset when one of the players ripped the table out of the cabin wall, remembered tour manager Roy Eckerman. 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. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York ruled that Pyle's filmidea, Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, could be released as well. In the darkness and confusion they took wallets, purses, jewelry, and cash, as well as airplane seats, seat belts, pillows, and anything else they could carry, wrote Odom. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. On September 23, 1987, the group began a road tour together, starting with a show in California. Fearing escaped convicts from a nearby prison camp, Mote hopped in his pickup truck to investigate the area, only to find the three bloodied and dirty men on a nearby path. My wife was home on a CB radio. The plane had completely disintegrated. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Finally, however, what was left of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited in 1987, according to Check Six. I went What happened? I was in shock and they said, Dont tell him anything, itll freak him out. And I went Mama? And she told me. Guitarist Steve Gaines. I spoke with Ronnie a day before [the crash], and he had definitely soured on Rudge, for a lot of things, but the plane was one of em, the bands longtime friend and business associate Alex Hodges told author Mark Ribowsky. Gary Rossington, meanwhile, remained the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2019. We all hit the dirt thinking, Now were gonna get killed by a redneck farmer! So we all yell, Hey! Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd's Deadly 1977 Plane Crash Inside the tragedy that claimed six lives - including that of frontman Ronnie Van Zant - and cut short the career of the Southern rock. The band is currently on atour in North America that ends in Bethel, New York. One local resident recalled, "I found someone on the ground alive. The response was, "I am sorry, it's just an indication of it." In addition, several expanded and re-mastered versions of the album are available today. The words "FREE BIRD" and several names and messages are carved into trees at the site. It got to me. His neighbor Dwain Easley also helped extricate the wounded from the twisted metal. Manufactured in 1947, it was the third of its kind ever built. Weve got a gig to do,' remembers Rossington. [1] The report records the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as taking legal action against L & J Company in relation to the operator responsibility,[1] and the analysis section concludes by asking, "How does the system in such a case protect a lessee who is uninformed either by design, by inadvertence, or by his own carelessness? 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. When asked whether Lynyrd Skynyrd could continue, he offered a forlorn and succinct response: I dont think so. The decision to disband sent mourning fans clambering to purchase what they believed was the groups swan song. But it would be 10 harrowing minutes before the plane touched down. Rescuers look over the wreckage of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. The right engine, which had been sputtering throughout the flight, died completely. 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 . Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrds Deadly 1977 Plane Crash, How True Is Respect? She was cut in half and had intestines and guts hanging out. It was a bit eerie, to say the least. He claims McCreary and Gray insisted the plane was fine, but theyd call ahead for a mechanic to look things over in Baton Rouge. Then when he was still 29, he was killed in a brutal plane crash in the Mississippi woods. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. The remaining band members sustained serious injuries. 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 was released in 2020. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. The Convair, which had served the band relatively well up until that point, began to exhibit serious mechanical malfunctions after takeoff on October 18th. The proud, free birds of the Southern rock would fly again, but theyd never fully shake the memory of that long dark night in the Mississippi wilderness, and the sudden death of their musical kin. 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. Ron Jeremy Found Not Competent to Stand Trial in Serial Rape Case It was like getting out of a limo and into some junker car, Lynyrd Skynyrds sound engineer Ken Peden tells Rolling Stone. 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. Ronnies mother Marion refused to make the flight, after seeing a horrific plane crash of her own that killed 9 people. That left Rossington and Pyle as the only surviving members of the original band. "It's been 42 years today since we lost Ronnie, Steve, Cassie and Dean," said a tearful Van Zant-Jeness. I had a creepy feeling things were going against us, so I thought Id write a morbid song, he said three months before the crash. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. A plane crash is the worst way to gothe fear, the impact, and the body which is torn to shreds. 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. And the guy realized at that point we were telling the truth., As the seriousness of the situation became apparent, Mote assembled an ad hoc convoy of pickups and four-wheelers, which he led across the difficult terrain to the crash site. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. And on the other side it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. Natural causes were to blame. Glass Onion Director Rian Johnson Is Giving Us a Knives Out-Style Mystery Every Week Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. George Santos Allegedly Took $3,000 From Dying Dog's GoFundMe. Steve's sister Cassie, one of the Honkettes - Skynyrd's backing vocalists. I would like to think that only one grave robber was involved, but so many items were missing that I have to believe otherwise.. [13] She reported dreaming of the plane crash and begging guitarist and founding member Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. Leased by Lynyrd Skynyrd.Photo: youtube.The Crash Site Was Hauntingly Surreal Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. [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. He said, Im not gonna get on it because its not right. Where Did We Find This Stuff? Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Jan. 24, 1990 12 AM PT. Wed move one and there would be another one laying there.. Nearby is a metal stand with neon lights, honoring those who died so long ago. 'Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow' premieres on Showtime August 18th. Allen Collins, who lost fellow members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 1977 plane crash and was paralyzed four years . Together, the new band began working on new songs. Dozens of news crews flocked to the site of the crash. 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. A clip from the juxtaposes the tragic plane accident with the bands hard-partying image. Dean Kilpatrick was laid to rest at Arlington Park Cemetery in Jacksonville. 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. Before McCreary could turn the plane around, the left engine also failed, causing steering mechanisms to shut down. 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. 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. Josh - August 1, 2018. On October 20, 1977, three days after releasing their album Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, and boarded a Convair CV-240 airplane to take them to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they were to perform at Louisiana State University. [9], Keyboard player Billy Powell's nose was nearly torn off in the crash as he suffered severe facial lacerations and deep lacerations to his right leg. Long orange flames were pouring from the engine as the plane continued to climb. [16], The doomed flight of October 20, 1977, was intended to be the last Lynyrd Skynyrd would make on the Convair. 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. Van Zant loathed flying, and the ramshackle plane contributed to his feeling of malaise. Pyle would later remember that his shoes had been knocked off and his socks "were hanging off my toes about six inches." Ronnie said, Hey, if the Lord wants you to die on this plane, when its your time, its your time. "[7], After the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) removed, inspected, and tested the right engine's ignition magneto and found it to be operating normally, concluding, "No mechanical or electrical discrepancies were found during the examination of the right magneto. Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. Courtesy of Artimus Pyle It was 44 years ago last month that a Convair CV-240 passenger plane with members of the Lynyrd. The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. 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