With steering capabilities greatly diminished and no propulsion, the pilots still decided to execute a turn. On October 20, 1977, a plane crash killed three members of the group, including its guiding light, Ronnie Van Zant. Magnolia, Mississippi. In the first part of this interview series with Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, the 73-year-old recounted in graphic detail what happened on the doomed Convair airplane just before it. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. One of the worst parts about the entire story is what Artimus Pyle revealed about their conversation on the flight. One of the reasons he forced the issue is because their biggest fan base was where they were going on that fateful night. A backfire that sounded like a gunshot was followed by a 10-foot stream of fire trailing the right engine with sparks flying. In an interview years later she said: That night I had the most vivid dream. He suffered a "massive hole in the head from flying through the fuselage, a broken neck, broken ribs and 45 years of pain," he said. There was just enough light outside to make endless clusters of treetops visible in a vast forest no civilization as far as the eye could see. The pilots were desperately looking for some open area or farmland to try to bring the plane down as safely as possible as they were still eight miles from the airport. Their very first band name was "My Backyard." The band at this time consisted of Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Larry Junstrum. Survivor Billy Powell later reported that everyone was simply relaxing and hanging out when the worrisome news came. A plane carrying the band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi killing 6 out of 26 passengers. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Word to the wise: If you have money to buy an airplane, dont pay bottom dollar. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Lynyrd Skynyrd (main) were stars of Southern rock before a 1977 plane crash (inset) killed three members; ten years later, the band regrouped and started touring again. or redistributed. Soaked in blood with long hair and screaming, Mote assumed that the men were up to no good and might even be escaped convicts. A Convair CV-300 passenger plane, registered N55VM, was destroyed in an accident 8 km NE of Gillsburg, MS, United States of America. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The plane may have held up, but the pilots failed their inspection, and that is why you are reading about Lynyrd Skynyrd instead of Aerosmith right now. Despite what amounted to pilot error, its actually amazing that there were 20 plane crash survivors. She organized the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project and managed to raise an impressive $80,000 for the cause. Just about everyone seemed a little scared, but eventually, they calmed down as they settled into the flight. After surviving the first event Allen Collins was involved in nasty car accident in 1986 that left him paralyzed. Help would take a while. King acknowledges that he never really fit in with the rest of the group, who knew each other from their roots in lower middle class, Jacksonville, Florida. Bassist Leon Wilkeson survived the horrific plane crash but just barely. Leon Wilkeson died in 2001 in his hotel room, presumably from natural causes, and Billy Powell passed away from a heart attack in 2009. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Roadies, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the pilot and co-pilot boarded the plane that took off just after 5 p.m. King was eventually replaced by Steve Gaines, one of the two band members killed on October 20, 1977. Wilkeson, who was heard screaming, was pulled from the wreckage and faced hours of operations to repair his teeth, legs, arms, and body. The band didnt come back together to perform or write songs for the next 10 years. Several passengers were killed, including the charismatic front man and founder, Ronnie Van Zant. Lynyrd Skynyrd rose to fame in the early 1970s with songs like Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama. The band was made up of several members, including guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Leon Wilkeson, drummer Artimus Pyle, keyboardist Billy Powell, and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Unfortunately, the album cover also featured a photograph of the band engulfed in flames, an unfortunate depiction that MCA Records immediately pulled. The band is from the Deep South (Van Zant hailed from Jacksonville, Florida) and short hops were the norm for them. The plane was twisted in pieces, the front part upside down. Ronnie was the only one of my children who had second sight, his father used to brag. A pattern of rowdy incidents occurred that made most private companies unwilling to work with them. Suddenly, he could hear other passengers moaning and crying for help. (Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage). A seven-ton black granite monument, dedicated to the memory of those who died and those who lived through the crash over 44 years ago of our own Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, is a lasting reminder not only of the band, but also the people who stepped up to help save the twenty crash survivors. They eventually settled on the name Lynyrd Skynyrd after a high school gym teacher but the name wasnt an honorary tribute. They didnt yell or scream or sob. This event wasnt immediately reported. When vandals broke into Van Zant's tomb in 2000, it was theorized that the motive was to determine if the dead singer was, as rumoured, entombed in a Neil Young shirt. 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, irrevocably altering the course of the Southern rock. Mote was a 22-year-old dairy farmer who lived nearby and heard the commotion caused by the plane crash. Odom helped lead a vigil to Van Zant and the other victims last night near the town of Gillsburg, Mississippi. The plane had broken apart into tiny little pieces, scattered about the forest floor. Determined to find help, they crossed a shallow creek and then crawled beneath a barbed-wire fence. En route, several band members were alarmed when they saw 10-foot streams of sparks and flames shooting out of the right engine of the prop plane. Keyboarder Billy Powell climbed to the top of the fuselage and sat trying to absorb the gravity of what happened. Reluctantly, the rest of the band and Skynyrd entourage boarded the plane. When the names of the dead were released, many people openly mourned. The plan was to buy a new plane in Louisiana for the longer trips, but the band didnt even want to make that flight. All rights reserved. Then suddenly, the engine stopped and the plane began to jolt violently in the air. Lynyrd Skynyrd chartered the plane. The entourage relaxed and some even started playing poker. But there were still plenty of survivors, and many of them were in really bad shape. Still, Frank was able to make out some horrific scenes. Most reluctant of all, backup singer Cassie Gaines cancelled her plane reservation and also got on, not wanting to desert her brother, guitarist Steve Gaines. Four years later, he died of pneumonia caused by the effects of the paralysis. After all, many people are talking about them, sharing their music, buying their albums and mourning their passing. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit when one of the pilots, his eyes distorted with fear, told them to get back to their seats and have everyone strap in. As the accident report indicated afterward, the wings of the plane were torn off as it skidded through the trees and along the ground. They never found any - the plane would be forced to land in the middle of a Mississippi swamp. He attempted to revive the Artimus Pyle Band, but he found himself in hot water with attempted capital battery among other serious charges in 1992. How to Keep Kids Safe Using HughesNet Internet, The Surprising Benefits of HughesNet Satellite Internet, The Top Reasons to Get an Amazon Prime Video Subscription, How to Watch Your Prime Video Subscription on the Go, AT&T Plans: The Pros and Cons of AT&T Internet, Top Reasons to Switch to AT&T From Another Carrier. Billy Powell also died years later of a heart attack at the age of 56. 1977 marked the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd's fifth album, Street Survivors. What caused Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane to crash? They may have regretted their decision, however. . REBA MCENTIRE REMEMBERS 1991 PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED 8 BAND MEMBERS: IT SHOWED ME HOW PRECIOUS LIFE IS. $14.88 shipping. Leon Wilkeson was trapped inside the cabin, and Powell heard him yell, Get me out of here!. The Convair 240 took off at 4:02 p.m. on October 20, 1977, headed for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Plane with Lynyrd Skynyrd onboard crashes in Mississippi on Oct. 20, 1977. With the songs from the first six Skynyrd albums driving the narration, the film focuses on the story of frontman Ronnie Van Zant - his upbringing, his roots, his work ethic and his c. Read all Director Stephen Kijak Writer Stephen Kijak Stars Lynyrd Skynyrd Ronnie Van Zant (archive footage) Gary Rossington The crash took the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant; guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines; Skynyrd manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as the plane's . Courtesy of Artimus Pyle It was 44 years ago last month that a Convair CV-240 passenger plane with members of the Lynyrd. Several times in the dark, he tripped over human beings who were still alive and used a hatchet to chop away debris and remove survivors from the wreckage. Because their charter plane ran out of fuel, most of the injured passengers survived a crash that normally would have burnt them to death. A fan-made metal sign also stands in the area and lights up in neon colors. It was later revealed that Aerosmith turned it down after seeing the pilots drinking Jack Daniels during an inspection. Lynyrd Skynyrd may have been from the South, but their fans hailed from all over the country. Legal Statement. They wondered how the plane could have run out of fuel so quickly without the pilots realizing what was happening. The decision to fly on the 1948 Convair 240 did not go without objections from some of the bandmates. Offering Aviation History & Adventure First-Hand. Their unique mix of rock and country rhythms and sounds made them a driving force in the rise of Southern rock as a band that stood out against the others. A neighbor of Mote named Dwain Easley later said, The first thing I saw was a bloody hand reaching out from the debris. McCreary ordered Pyle to get everyone in their seats and buckle up. It was a substantially reduced price, and the savings were hard to justify when Rudge skipped the flight by opting for a first-class ticket on a commercial airliner. Despite these signs, the plane was chosen for their tour. var _gaq = _gaq || []; Although the plane landed safely, following the concert, several members of the band and crew told lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant that they would not continue the tour unless the plane was replaced. The next stop after a nearly 700-mile plane ride was Baton Rouge, where theyd play in a show at LSU the following night. It seemed that life has not been kind to this talented group. Artimus Pyle walked away from the crash with mere cuts and bruises, and his is perhaps the most enduring tale after the crash. Judy Van Zant-Jenness, widow of Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, among speakers. Their southern rock sound influenced many artists that followed, and their song Free Bird is still requested at concerts. This was not some venue in New York or Chicago, it was in the Deep South, in front of their most loyal fan base. Van Zant had previously admitted writing these lyrics to acknowledge the various car accidents and violent incidents around him. A 30th anniversary re-release of the album restored the original cover. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In October 1977, the band was enjoying increasing fame and the recent release of their fifth album, Street Survivors, while on tour in the U.S. ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? It wasn't the first, or the last, time that a set of multi-talented musicians died aboard a plane. Getting a new plane meant cancelling tour dates, which was something Van Zant wouldn't even consider. But then, Frank noticed gasoline spraying out of the right engine. Thanks Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Board. Everything was eerily silent; no one said anything. On the album cover, the band members stand in a row in front of tall flames some even have their eyes closed with strange facial expressions. The song Tuesday's Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd is recommended not to be played on IHeartMedia radio stations because 9/11 happened on a Tuesday. Death hovered over the group like the movie Final Destination and made the song That Smell and its lyrics even more eerie, prophetic, and popular: the smell of death surrounds you!. On October 20, 1977 Robbie was killed, in a plane crash carrying the band between shows. Young also acknowledged loving the tune and even sent demo tapes of his own music that he suggested the band should record. 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.". The whistling wind was all they heard, making it no secret to the passengers what happened to the engines. Although it was popularly believed, especially in the Deep South, that Ronnie Van Zant harboured hostility towards Neil Young, the song was actually more complex than it appeared. Eventually, he would be joined by hundreds of people who helped pull survivors out of the plane and walked or stretchered them through creeks and swamp to ambulances as much as a mile away. "Sweet Home Alabama," one of the band's signature songs, an ode to "the Southland," boasts nearly 1 billion plays on Spotify, nearly 50 years after it was recorded in 1974. The Skynyrd tour coincided with the release of Street Survivors, the band's fifth studio album. . Then the left engine stopped too. People were still left wondering what went down on the plane that led to such a catastrophe. On October 20, 1977, a plane crash killed three members of the group, including its guiding light, Ronnie Van Zant.