It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. What happened to the Menendez brothers' money? Guitarists Allen Collins and Steve Gaines, Honkette Leslie Hawkins, bassist Leon Wilkeson, Honkettes Cassie Gaines and JoJo Billingsley, and. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. A towering beech tree stands sentinel on the west side of the creek, carefully carved with scores of knurled epithets. I knew I had no business going, and my wife told me so. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. The whole scene tore him apart. She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. Photo: Pinterest. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. Cassie Gaines Wikipedia; Sponsored Links. At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. Click to reveal Yen.com.gh shared an interesting piece on Bianca Lawson age, parents, husband, kids, net worth, and movies. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? Rock Musician. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. It was there where he was found dead in his room on July 27. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. It would be another hour before I heard the big news. 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. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album, and was the #5 top selling album on the U.S. album chart. . Mote fired a warning shot in the air. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. I've not looked at them since. On several occasions, the latter shined through. A spokesperson for the band's record label said Wilkeson died in his sleep Friday at a hotel near Jacksonville, Florida. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. Photo: thetv.info. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Brenda Martin, 17 at the time, lived with her husband, Johnny Mote (now divorced) in their mobile home on the north side of the crash site. Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. 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.". Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. Photo: Pinterest. 5 spot, it was the bands first No. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. Video of a barechested Pyle at the 1979 Volunteer Jam does not show evidence of a gunshot wound. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. It sounded great to us. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Cassie Gaines died on the 20 th of October, 1977 in a plane crash at Gillsburg, Mississippi when she was only 29 years old. Artimus Pyle once said they were flying in a plane that he believed belonged to the Clampett family (they were the family from the Beverly Hillbillies, a family notorious for using pieced together equipment.). I didn't know where this was going. I used my camera in my work. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Gabel says he's been to the site 15 or more times. 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. 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 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. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. 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. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. 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. I was not there to be a gawker or to get in the way. 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. Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. 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. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. The Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. Part of the preparations required contacting landowners and securing permission to be there and a guide to lead me in. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. The site is hard to access. 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. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. At the time of her death she survived by her large extended friends and family. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. He knew those woods well. 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. "It was a lot wetter that night. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." I began the classic guitar lick. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! 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. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. 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 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. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. The album had a very controversial cover when released. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". 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. Cassie was buried in Orange Park, Florida, together with her brother, Steve Gains. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. 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. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. Their lyrics were raw and fresh - honest and simple. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. Your IP: Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. he said, barely able to get his English to suit his thoughts. McDaniel was eager to join me. She said her husband grabbed his .243 hunting rifle, ran out and fired a warning shot. 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. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. Everyone knows him as "Governor." Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. As a member of the Civil Air Patrol on that fateful night, he heard the report of a plane crash over the citizens band radio. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. Throughout the ordeal, he remembers seeing the debris and suitcases scattered around, but he didn't think anything of it. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. She performed as a backup singer in popular hits such as One More Time and That Smell. Van Zant died instantly of blunt force trauma to the head. The location sounded familiar so he asked them to repeat. I was a young graphic artist at the time. The tour is scheduled to run through mid-September. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. 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. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. On October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. Stinky! Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. The band has sold an estimated 35 million records. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. Headline from a local newspaper reporting the crash. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. She was hesitant because she had seen a small fire in one of the engines the previous day. If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. 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. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. 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. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. 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. Collins entered the hospital with pneumonia symptoms and was in a coma the last few days, said longtime friend Ann Thompson. 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. Collins and other band members were severely injured. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. Despite this faux pas, Powell has been on good terms with the remaining band members since the incident. 137.184.228.194 Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. Buker had noticed the flight crew passing around liquor bottles while aboard the plane. Photo: obviousmag.org. 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. Natural causes were to blame. Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. 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. The reason behind this? 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. He was best known for being a Rock Singer. The whole scene tore him apart. While the site is duly remembered, it is on private property and is not open to the public. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. Unfortunately, their plane ran short of fuel. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. The album had deeper meaning than most. Although Steven Tyler and Joe Perry had insisted that they charter the plane, ultimately it was not signed to the band. One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane 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. My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. Owners emphasize that trespassers can be prosecuted. Martin said she then, "called 911, or 0, or whatever we called back then.". Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. Photo: Pinterest. On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. I obviously didn't know what I was doing. Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. Gene Odom had been thrown from the plane and broke his neck, his skin badly burned and one eye blinded by phosphorus from a de-icing flare that had been aboard. 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. Another 20 were injured, which included keyboardist Billy Powell, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, drummer Artimus Pyle and bassist Leon Wilkeson. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. Mother of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines. The band buckled in. So, we're both southerners.". Rescue vehicles on the ground found no direct path in sight. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. Cassie Gaines was a talented and committed backup singer for the Lynard Skynyrd music band until she died in a plane crash. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Pianist Billy Powell survived, but his nose was nearly torn off and he suffered severe facial lacerations. Sadly, it would end all to soon. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. As they, too, were succumbing to the sub-par standards of the plane and crew. Natural causes were to blame. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. 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. At the end of the day, Ronnie and the boys are gone and we lost a rock n roll angel on October 20, 1977. 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. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. However, they were apparently talked into using it just one more time which happened to be their last ride. 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. With that cue, Governor took the honors and introduced everyone as Gabel's mouth gaped in disbelief. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. 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." 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. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. He smiled broadly and said, "Turn it up! But I loved the bonding. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. 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. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies.