And it left Teresa Gaines a widow. How do they know? The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. Pyle maintains in the Howard Stern interview that the fuel gauge in the older model plane malfunctioned and the pilots had failed to manually check the tanks before taking off. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Four of the passengers were killed including bandleader and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick. Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. She began her career at a young age but has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best in Hollywood. Everyone was afraid of riding on this plane. The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. Some of the guys were playing poker. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. "I was well prepared with advanced trauma life support training," he said, "and (I was) a flight surgeon in the military. Skip to main content. 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. 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. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. Both of which helped the album climb to the No. Collins and other band members were severely injured. 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. The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. Since Cassie was not aware of the band's existence at that time, Jojo offered her a copy of Lynyrd Skynyrd's first two albums to make her acquainted with the band's work. The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The tragic story of Lynyrd Skynyrd members death - Rock And Roll Garage But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. 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. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. No discernable landmarks remained, save the creek bed. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane crash." Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. 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. 35 Years After Tragedy, Lynyrd Skynyrd Still Carries On - Rolling Stone Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. The plane had completely disintegrated. 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. Several members of the band died in a plane crash that occurred on October 20, 1977, three days after the release of Street Survivors. The album had two notable songs: Whats your name and That Smell. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. I was a young graphic artist at the time. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. You have permission to edit this article. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. 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. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. 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 Collins, 37, suffered respiratory failure, said a Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman. There are just too few physical landmarks. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Contributing to the fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the engine which resulted in higher than normal fuel consumption.". Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Photo: Pinterest. Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album, and was the #5 top selling album on the U.S. album chart. At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. A spokesperson for the band's record label said Wilkeson died in his sleep Friday at a hotel near Jacksonville, Florida. A plane crash left lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, lead guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines dead. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Collins and other band members were severely injured. Her brother was Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Everyone knows him as "Governor." Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. With my camera at the ready, the translator and I stood watch on the prow of the brightly colored wooden boat as we plowed the exotic coastline. I put them all to work. Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. That farm belonged to a young dairy farmer named Johnny Mote. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. 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. Aerosmiths management passed on the opportunity to call this plane their own. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. He says he first came in the 80s after he graduated. 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. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. 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. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. 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. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. After a shorter-than-normal day of bow hunting, he received a phone call about a plane crash in the area. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. They all died but we didnt. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. 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. He was best known for being a Rock Singer. The reason is that just a few short days before some of the band members had reported seeing sparks a large as 10ft shooting out of the right engine. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." Yen.com.gh shared an interesting piece on Bianca Lawson age, parents, husband, kids, net worth, and movies. I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. 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. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. Tuesday October 20, 2015 marked the 38th anniversary and drew several veterans from the night of the crash. Click to reveal She was famous for being part of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. 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. Four of the passengers were killed including bandleader and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. Drummer Artimus Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs, but was ambulatory, as were road crew members Kenneth Peden Jr. and Mark Frank. 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. 10 Details About the Fatal Plane Crash that Was the Death of Lynyrd Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. I had never seen anything like it before. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. 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. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. 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. The medical examiner reported that Wilkeson suffered from liver and lung disease at the time of his death. He was only 39, but was no rookie. 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. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. 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. 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. 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. 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. "The first thing I saw was a bloody hand reaching out from the debris. We were all fans. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. After I led him to the downtown McComb offices, I returned home, developed my film in a clumsy bathroom darkroom and went to sleep. We knew every word. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash, and took many months to recuperate. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. Toxicology tests were also ordered to determine whether there were drugs in his system at the time. Cassie Gaines died on the 20 th of October, 1977 in a plane crash at Gillsburg, Mississippi when she was only 29 years old. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. Allen's wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. "I've been coming for years," he said, "and I've never met anyone who was here that night. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. 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 Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. ", Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. Cassie Gaines, a member of the backing vocal trio known as the Honkettes and sister of guitarist Steve Gaines, was so petrified that she nearly squeezed in the band's cramped equipment truck. 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. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. For many years, a dozen red roses have been carefully placed around the base, much like the mysterious unfinished bottle of Martell cognac at the grave of Edgar Allen Poe in Baltimore. [2] Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. The whole scene tore him apart. Even though she survived the actual crash, she eventually bled to death before the rescue team could reach her. "They seemed to be chasing him, trying to flag him down. I used my camera in my work. 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. Sadly, the band would not make it to Baton Rouge and the plane had been pushed one flight too many. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. 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. 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. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. Headline from a local newspaper reporting the crash. "It was the saddest thing," she recalls, 11 years later. If you look closely, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines (2 of 3 band members to die in the crash) are completely engulfed in flames, whereas the rest of the band is merely standing around in the streets of fire. 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 medical examiner said on Sunday that Wilkeson suffered from chronic liver and lung disease, and most likely died of natural causes. ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash? Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. 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. 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. "Seems like everyone is writing a book. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. However, other band members convinced her otherwise. 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. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. I threw it in reverse and plowed into my mother-in-law's car. Coincidence? As he looked around the scene, his mind went back. Photo: Pinterest. The other band members Collins, Gary Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Hawkins, tour manager Ron Eckerman, and several road crew suffered . He had known Easley Creek since his youth. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. We always wondered why, you know. The surviving members would grapple with this throughout their days. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. Cassie Gaines Death: and Cause of Death. Cassie Gaines - Wikipedia Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. Natural causes were to blame. 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. All the surrounding land is privately owned and prominently marked with "No Trespassing" signs. On October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. 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.