It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. 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. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. 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. The band has been on tour, and dates through the weekend have been cancelled. So we came out here and got busy. "Are you writing a book?" 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. He had hunted squirrels along that very ridge. The album had two notable songs: Whats your name and That Smell. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. We had a friendly translator whose command of the English language was poor at best. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. ", "I expected to see all dead people looking at these woods. On hearing of the accident, Billingsley was so shaken that some of her hair fell out. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. I photographed their wedding. Skip to main content. He was only 39, but was no rookie. "Sweet Home Alabama" became the southern anthem for millions. In 1986, his car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend. 2023 Getty Images. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. According to Powell, Cassie Gaines' final moments were particularly painful as she bled to death in his arms and that her throat had been cut from ear to ear, which gave more indications of execution than an accident. 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. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. I'm still not sure why. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. I quickly maneuvered free of a crumpled bumper and sped off. Powell's version of events has been discounted by both Artimus Pyle and Judy Van Zant Jenness, who posted the autopsy reports on the band's website in early 1998 in order to set the record straight. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to the fuel supply. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. 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. The medical examiner reported that Wilkeson suffered from liver and lung disease at the time of his death. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. As we talked, we heard a racket through the trees. Over the ridge, a World War II vintage Willis Jeep crawled down a dusty logging trail. Cassie Gaines Death: and Cause of Death. The other two members were JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. 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. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. The band buckled in. 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. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. 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. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. "I've been coming for years," he said, "and I've never met anyone who was here that night. The band decided that once they had landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they would acquire a Learjet to replace the severely outdated 30-year-old plane. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. 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." At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. she asked me as we talked. He was best known for being a Rock Singer. "That solidified that idea. 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. 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. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. They all died but we didnt. It would be another hour before I heard the big news. The death of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gains of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was a massive blow to many. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. 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. He lifted one after another and shuffled them to others outside. Everyone just stood there helpless. It would also be the first album that guitarist Steve Gaines would be the sole guitar player on. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. Was there a guest book?". Click to reveal The events before the plane crash are perhaps the most bone-chilling ones you'd ever hear. As he looked around the scene, his mind went back. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Ronnies mother Marion refused to make the flight, after seeing a horrific plane crash of her own that killed 9 people. to gather a few more. She was planning to join the tour in Little Rock on October 23, three days after the crash. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. Apparently, Artimus had been quoted saying that Ronnie got up, went to the back of the plane and gave him a hippy handshake but Gene was quite persistent on the fact that it was complete bull. All he could think was that they must be from a recent a jailbreak," she said. I had a small studio, making a living mostly painting signs for local businesses. 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. 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. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. 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. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. "Yes, your right," I said, slightly amused. 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. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. Terror soon engulfed the cabin of the plane and the pilots were frantically trying to radio local Houston Air Traffic Control, stating they had a fuel issue and were most likely going to have to make a emergency landing. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. 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. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. It was suggested on the VH-1 Behind The Music profile on Skynyrd that this was the case, or that the pilots, panicking when the right engine failed, accidentally dumped the remaining fuel. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album, and was the #5 top selling album on the U.S. album chart. Cassie joined the team and became one of the three members of The Honkette's, a female gospel vocal trio of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. ", "And everybody says they were the first one there. His post noted that he and many others had made pilgrimages for years to the site to pay their respects. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. 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. Victims were taken to the hospital in McComb, Mississippi by ambulances and other vehicles. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. The famous music band Lynyrd Skynyrd is considered to have one of the most gruesome band histories after losing several people in an aerial accident. Members of the band that survived the crash said that Cassie actually . Toxicology tests were also ordered to determine whether there were drugs in his system at the time. As medical personnel triaged the scene, he helped carry the litters of the injured and the dead across the creek to a waiting 4-wheel-drive pickup truck. A spokesperson for the band's record label said Wilkeson died in his sleep Friday at a hotel near Jacksonville, Florida. "I knew she was gone. It was going to be the replacement for Douglas C3s with a pressurized cabin that was then just being mandated as a rule for commercial airlines. 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. Sadly, it would end all to soon. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Musician. How did Cassie Gaines get in Lynyrd Skynyrd? 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. Johnny headed for the crash site to see if he could help. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. Wilkeson suffered severe internal injuries, including a punctured lung, and had most of his teeth knocked out. Original cover for Street Survivors, 1977Notably, the third member of The Honkettes, JoJo Billingsley, was not on the plane and in fact was home tending to a family member's illness. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. 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. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. Photo credits Airplane-Pictures.net. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. 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.