As he looked around the scene, his mind went back. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. Varying accounts have Mote either firing a warning shot into the air or actually shooting Pyle in the shoulder no report is completely reliable. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. Assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and co-pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray also died. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. Especially with the song That Smell. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. On October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. Any debris left on the ground has long been buried. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. It was there where he was found dead in his room on July 27. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. One of them being completely decapitated. Before joining the music band, she was an original cast member of a school play under Hairspray. Mother of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. Was there a guest book?". 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. 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. 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. 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. Natural causes were to blame. The album had two notable songs: Whats your name and That Smell. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. "I saw the blond hair," he said. That farm belonged to a young dairy farmer named Johnny Mote. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. Everyone just stood there helpless. He pulled the lifeless body of Cassie Gaines up by her belt. This year there were no red roses, but a freshly carved "R.J." stood out with red paint enhancement. Cassie Gaines Death: and Cause of Death. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. 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. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. The reason behind this? Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. 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. Both Steve and Cassie Gaines were killed in the crash. For another crash scene veteran, this was also his first return visit in 38 years. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. He needed to use their darkroom to get his photos out. "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. The plane had completely disintegrated. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. So, we're both southerners.". For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. It sounded great to us. Pyle used the couple's phone to call his wife. The other band members Collins, Gary Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Hawkins, tour manager Ron Eckerman, and several road crew suffered . Photo: thetv.info. The site has drawn visitors over the years. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . He lifted one after another and shuffled them to others outside. My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. 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. "It was a lot wetter that night. The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. Skip to main content. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. "They seemed to be chasing him, trying to flag him down. She said her husband grabbed his .243 hunting rifle, ran out and fired a warning shot. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. 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. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. No discernable landmarks remained, save the creek bed. Obviously it is hard to dictate the correct story when various opinions and recollections are thrown out, however, it seems to us as though the pilots were aware of the faulty issues of the plane, did not check to make sure that the plane had enough gas, and did not seem to make an attempt to alert the passengers of their timely death. Photo credits Airplane-Pictures.net. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. The news was shocking -- a plane crash near my hometown of McComb, Miss. It was Dr. Hank Lewis, a month shy of 78-years-old. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. 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. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. "It was stuff I'd been trained to do," he said. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. I threw it in reverse and plowed into my mother-in-law's car. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. Cassie Gaines Lynard Skynyrd plane crash was one of the band's most challenging moments. Stinky! 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. 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. "That solidified that idea. 1 on iTunes Charts, 36 songs, no apologies: Morgan Wallen delivers more (much more) of what made him countrys king, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Best coffee city in the world? She is famous for starring in Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Goode Behavior, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. 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. According to an interview in the book Freebirds, Billingsley had dreamed of the plane crash and begged Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. 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. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. 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. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. Bianca is an American actress. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. She was famous for being part of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. His post noted that he and many others had made pilgrimages for years to the site to pay their respects. Photo: Pinterest. I had not realized before, but he also was there that night. Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. Photo: obviousmag.org. Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site draws a pilgrimage. "I knew she was gone. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! 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 band has been on tour, and dates through the weekend have been cancelled. 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. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. 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. While the site is duly remembered, it is on private property and is not open to the public. In a separate interview, revealing the story of sound man Paul Welch who suffered traumatic injuries in this crash and was sent into a coma, shares that the plane that was utilized during this trip was already catching fire around the engine area and Lynyrd Skynyrd had requested to cease using it. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. 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 years after the crash would be difficult in its own right for surviving members, most of which would experience tragedy and early death themselves. As we talked, we heard a racket through the trees. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. As the Houston Press reports, the crash took Van Zant's life, as well as the lives of band member Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie; and Dean Kilpatrick, the assistant road manager. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. 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. 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. Collins and other band members were severely injured. 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. Over the weekend, the message boards on the official Web site were flooded with messages of lament for the "living legend," "free bird," and simple man.". A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. 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. Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. Owners emphasize that trespassers can be prosecuted. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. 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. [2] The album would reach gold in ten days after release and it would eventually go double platinum. The death of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gains of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was a massive blow to many. Natural causes were to blame. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. He claims that Artimus Pyle, drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, survived scathe-less and crawled into the bushes watching Ronnie and the others die in this horrid fiery crash. Allen Collins, who lost fellow members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 1977 plane crash and was paralyzed four years ago in a drunken driving accident, died Tuesday of pneumonia. I put them all to work. Things were going so well. The crash killed singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Sit down. The plane had taken off with a faulty gasoline gauge that fooled the pilots into thinking that the plane was equipped with the appropriate amount of gas to reach their destination. And it left Teresa Gaines a widow. On hearing of the accident, Billingsley was so shaken that some of her hair fell out. Governor said, "I'm bad about leaving an empty beer bottle and a full one for Ronnie and the boys" each year. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. Rescuers look over the wreckage of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington.