She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. 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. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations. Natural causes were to blame. At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. Lynyrd Skynyrd was known for their hard-rocking style, driven by powerful guitars. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. Updated cover after plane crash, 1977The official NTSB accident report reads, "The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion and total loss of power from both engines due to crew inattention to fuel supply. (Photo by Ted Jackson). Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. 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. We were all fans. Cassie Gaines died on the 20 th of October, 1977 in a plane crash at Gillsburg, Mississippi when she was only 29 years old. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. 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. Mike Rounsaville also arrived in the jeep with Dr. Lewis. It was Dr. Hank Lewis, a month shy of 78-years-old. It is reported that the pilots whose eyes were full of terror, told them to go back to their seats and prepare for impact. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. The Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. He smiled broadly and said, "Turn it up! We had a friendly translator whose command of the English language was poor at best. The official cause of death will be announced after toxicology test results come back in two to three weeks. With the tree tops approaching fast and just eight miles short of the air strip, the plane was headed for a Mississippi swamp and nothing could be done to save them now. 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. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. 2023 Getty Images. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. I used my camera in my work. He could see the circling helicopter from his back yard. But a message on the group's official Web site said the summer tour will resume on Aug. 7, in Spokane, Wash. Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. The band buckled in. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. It was the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Oct. 20, 1977, the night they . He suffered a heart attack . On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 carrying the band between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana crashed outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. One of them being completely decapitated. The reason behind this? He knew those woods well. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. "Live on my brother. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. "I was well prepared with advanced trauma life support training," he said, "and (I was) a flight surgeon in the military. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. As they, too, were succumbing to the sub-par standards of the plane and crew. 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. He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. 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. I photographed their wedding. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. Making the original release cover more valuable to collectors than the second cover released just a few weeks after the album hit the shelves. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. Photo: Pinterest. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. However, they were apparently talked into using it just one more time which happened to be their last ride. 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. 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. Collins, 37, suffered respiratory failure, said a Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman. 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. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Natural causes were to blame. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. These things don't happen here. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. I had not realized before, but he also was there that night. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. 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. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. Tuesday October 20, 2015 marked the 38th anniversary and drew several veterans from the night of the crash. The sky is the limit for the talented actress. 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. Yen.com.gh shared an interesting piece on Bianca Lawson age, parents, husband, kids, net worth, and movies. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. 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. The album had deeper meaning than most. 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. "It was the saddest thing," she recalls, 11 years later. Truth be known, after 38 years, Martin is a little tired of talking about the whole thing. Sadly, the band would not make it to Baton Rouge and the plane had been pushed one flight too many. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. 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. Photo: obviousmag.org. 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.". We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. Especially with the song That Smell. No discernable landmarks remained, save the creek bed. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. "You like Lynyrd Skynyrd?" The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. "New Orleans is a southern city. ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. I knew I could take photographs if I could get there. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Gabel says he's been to the site 15 or more times. Pianist Billy Powell survived, but his nose was nearly torn off and he suffered severe facial lacerations. "He didn't want to talk about it for years.". Cassie Gaines was one of the band members who boarded the ill-fated flight. "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. 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. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. One such silent witness has found a way to talk. 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. The band buckled in. Lynyrd Skynyrd pose for a portrait circa 1976. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. 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." Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. We always wondered why, you know. The surviving members would grapple with this throughout their days. The album would reach gold in ten days after release and it would eventually go double platinum. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. The band has sold an estimated 35 million records. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. On hearing of the accident, Billingsley was so shaken that some of her hair fell out. On several occasions, the latter shined through. The reason behind this? It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. I'm from southern Thailand. Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. He was only 39, but was no rookie. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. Turns out that Cassie didn't want to board that particular flight and had blatantly refused to travel on that plane. The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. He rushed to his truck and headed in. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. The band was reaching fever pitch with its fans across the South and the nation. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claimed other band members and crew. 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. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. Natural causes were to blame. ", Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. He was known as Papa Ronnie. Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. Although Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had insisted that they charter the plane, ultimately it was not signed to the band. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as 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 medical examiner reported that Wilkeson suffered from liver and lung disease at the time of his death. "That solidified that idea. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. The pilots were still in their seats, but were laying upside down in nearby trees. Everyone knows him as "Governor." As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. At the end of the day, Ronnie and the boys are gone and we lost a rock n roll angel on October 20, 1977. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. 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. Her brother was Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. 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. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. 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. Any debris left on the ground has long been buried. Coincidence? ", "And everybody says they were the first one there. In 1995, while on assignment in Phunket Thailand for the Times-Picayune's series "Oceans of Trouble," I boarded a small fantail fishing boat on the edges of the Andaman Sea with writer John McQuaid to photograph the disappearing mangroves. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. 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. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. In 1986, his car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend. 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. For another crash scene veteran, this was also his first return visit in 38 years. The site has drawn visitors over the years. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. I can't remember," he said. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. 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. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. 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. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Photo: Pinterest. 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. I had never seen anything like it before. At the time of her death, she was 29 years old. 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. Assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and co-pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray also died. The plane killed three band members (Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie, Steve Gaines) and Dean Kilpatrick (assistant road manager), Walter McCreary (pilot), and William Gray (co-pilot). I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. 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. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. His first band recorded its debut at Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, and later bands included RIO Smokehouse and Rusty Day. The aircraft was destroyed by impact; there was no fire. Birthday: January 9, 1948. While the site is duly remembered, it is on private property and is not open to the public. ", "He came home covered in blood," said his wife, Lola. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a FANDOM Music Community. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. The whole scene tore him apart. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. I knew I had no business going, and my wife told me so. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. Before joining the music band, she was an original cast member of a school play under Hairspray. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. I had a small studio, making a living mostly painting signs for local businesses. 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. Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. 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 memorial page for Cassie LaRue Hatfield Gaines (26 Nov 1926-15 Feb 1979), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37010431, citing Jacksonville Memory . Rescuers look over the wreckage of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. The whole scene tore him apart. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. 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. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . They all died but we didnt. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. The next morning I looked over them, made a few small prints and forgot about them. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. 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. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. 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. 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. Members of the band that survived the crash said that Cassie actually . The other two members were JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins. We beat patterns into our dashboards drumming out the beat. Governor said, "I'm bad about leaving an empty beer bottle and a full one for Ronnie and the boys" each year. Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. ", But with no experience he morphed from a dairy farmer to a rescuer. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. It Crashed, Killing 3 Members, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Drinking, Fighting, Hell-Raising: The Classic Skynyrd Lineup In Pittsburgh, Associate Press Mississippi Road Signs For Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site, Hollywood Reporter Appeals Court Reverses Ban on Lynyrd Skynyrd Movie, Ronnie Van Zant Of Lynyrd Skynyrd Predicted His Own Death, Groove History, 1977 Missippi Convair CV-240 Plane Crash, Wikipedia, History Collection The Deadliest Plane Crash in Canada Killed 248 Soldiers in 1985, History Collection A Plane Crashed into the Empire State Building (1945).

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