He was more in the image I was pre-visualizing - one of an aging rocker. The tree where the cockpit came to rest has long-since died. He didn't know who the victims were. It sounded great to us. Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. . 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. 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. A design that would most likely lead to the infamous crash. 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. We always wondered why, you know. The surviving members would grapple with this throughout their days. She began her career at a young age but has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best in Hollywood. My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. Especially with the song That Smell. Mother of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. Cassie Gaines Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth One of them being completely decapitated. 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 rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. It is a cautionary song about drug abuse that fans believed was aimed at one of the members. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. It would be another hour before I heard the big news. Video of a barechested Pyle at the 1979 Volunteer Jam does not show evidence of a gunshot wound. The band was reaching fever pitch with its fans across the South and the nation. Van Zant died instantly of blunt force trauma to the head. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. 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. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. . Killing three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Apparently in - thevintagenews All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. read another typical message of mourning. 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? Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. "I was well prepared with advanced trauma life support training," he said, "and (I was) a flight surgeon in the military. Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, along with backup singer Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray died. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. This year there were no red roses, but a freshly carved "R.J." stood out with red paint enhancement. Lynyrd Skynyrd is no doubt an American staple in music and southern rock culture. The single "What's Your Name" reached #13 on the single airplay charts in January of 1978. The whole scene tore him apart. One of them being completely decapitated. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. 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. 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. Cassie Gaines was a talented and committed backup singer for the Lynard Skynyrd music band until she died in a plane crash. Photo: thetv.info. However, other band members convinced her otherwise. That now legendary and near-mythical plane crash killed Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Honkettes backup singer Cassie Gaines, assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick and the pilot and co-p Pyle used the couple's phone to call his wife. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. Natural causes were to blame. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. All the surrounding land is privately owned and prominently marked with "No Trespassing" signs. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2fad0cc830fa72 Several members of the band died in a plane crash that occurred on October 20, 1977, three days after the release of Street Survivors. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. The cover would quickly be changed to a more bland blacked-out background with the band in the same pose after the accident. One guy standing near the wreckage lit a cigarette and I tackled him," he said. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. He was only 39, but was no rookie. "I'd never seen anything like that," he said. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. Skynyrd Crash Survivor Allen Collins Dies, 37 - Los Angeles Times Both of which helped the album climb to the No. But one thing I'm proud of. 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. In the beginning, the singer was reluctant to board the aircraft and had already bought another commercial flight ticket. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. "Yes, your right," I said, slightly amused. That farm belonged to a young dairy farmer named Johnny Mote. The reason behind this? 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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. So we came out here and got busy. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. We had a friendly translator whose command of the English language was poor at best. "They stopped, straight back there," he said, and pointed to the tree line a quarter mile across open hay fields and woods. "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. My college roommate was a young photojournalist. On hearing of the accident, Billingsley was so shaken that some of her hair fell 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. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. By then, a Coast Guard helicopter was hovering overhead. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. In this video you will see the true story behind the tragic passing of Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines, Dean Kilpatrick, and Steve Gaines on October 20, 1977. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. 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. Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. 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. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. There were 24 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft. 5 spot, it was the bands first No. A plane crash left lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, lead guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines dead. He, like me, was 21-years-old at the time. "I had expertise on what to do and growing up in Amite County, Mississippi didn't hurt.