Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. I didn't know where this was going. Mote hopped into his pick-up to get back to his house, told his wife to get back in the house, then proceeded to grab his gun and stand guard. Sooner Guitarist's Music Lives On Even in Death - The Oklahoman Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. Lynyrd Skynyrd did not plan on keeping the plane for long. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. Guitarists Allen Collins and Steve Gaines, Honkette Leslie Hawkins, bassist Leon Wilkeson, Honkettes Cassie Gaines and JoJo Billingsley, and. "They seemed to be chasing him, trying to flag him down. The tour is scheduled to run through mid-September. A towering beech tree stands sentinel on the west side of the creek, carefully carved with scores of knurled epithets. The cover would quickly be changed to a more bland blacked-out background with the band in the same pose after the accident. He drove down from his home in Oakland, Miss. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Over the ridge, a World War II vintage Willis Jeep crawled down a dusty logging trail. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. Throughout the ordeal, he remembers seeing the debris and suitcases scattered around, but he didn't think anything of it. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit to get an idea of what was happening. As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. The album had a very controversial cover when released. He knew those woods well. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. 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. Click to reveal The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Governor said, "I'm bad about leaving an empty beer bottle and a full one for Ronnie and the boys" each year. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. 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. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. 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. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. I knew I had no business going, and my wife told me so. 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. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. In Genes interview, he mentions that he ran to the cock pit and to alert the pilots of the exploded engine and their response was Nothins wrong. The Convair 240 itself had been inspected by members of Aerosmith's flight crew for possible use in the early summer of 1977, but was rejected because it was felt that neither the plane nor the crew were up to standards. He didn't know who the victims were. Aerosmiths band management at the time was looking at a Convair CV-240. Cassie Gaines was one of the band members who boarded the ill-fated flight. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. Los Angeles, Billie Eilishs phone is now internet-free: Im like: Ew! 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. 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. One of them being completely decapitated. Wilkeson cheated death in 1977, surviving a crash of the band's chartered plane. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? "I've been coming for years," he said, "and I've never met anyone who was here that night. Minutes later he was guiding an ambulance through an overgrown trail. Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd's Deadly 1977 Plane Crash Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. (Photo by Ted Jackson). The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. Skynyrd Crash Survivor Allen Collins Dies, 37 - Los Angeles Times We were all fans. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. Cassie Gaines Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth 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 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. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. He was more in the image I was pre-visualizing - one of an aging rocker. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. 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. One guy standing near the wreckage lit a cigarette and I tackled him," he said. The official cause of death will be announced after toxicology test results come back in two to three weeks. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; . Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. MCA Records, out of courtesy, withdrew the sleeve and replaced it with a cover of the band striking a similar pose against a plain black background. I admired his ability to tell gripping stories with his camera, so I began considering a career change. The Truth Behind Ronnie Van Zant's LAST Ride - Society Of Rock The Last Flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd It Was the Day the Music Died Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. he said, barely able to get his English to suit his thoughts. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. ", He reached up and pealed the split fuselage back and, with a flashlight, peered into the dark, jumbled mess of bodies. Marc Frank recalled hearing both engines on the plane then within a matter of minutes, just air passing over the cabin. When the news broke that it was Lynyrd Skynyrd's tour plane, Nancy and I stared at each other. 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. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. He says he first came in the 80s after he graduated. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. 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. Even though she survived the actual crash, she eventually bled to death before the rescue team could reach her. 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. The official report of the crash read: "The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determines 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. With that cue, Governor took the honors and introduced everyone as Gabel's mouth gaped in disbelief. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. Collins entered the hospital with pneumonia symptoms and was in a coma the last few days, said longtime friend Ann Thompson. How do they know? "He (Mote) ran in the door saying, 'Ya'll get down on the floor, there's escaped convicts out there," Martin remembers. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. The album would reach gold in ten days after release and it would eventually go double platinum. He suffered a heart attack . ", "I expected to see all dead people looking at these woods. Birth Name: Cassie LaRue Gaines Occupation: Rock Singer Place Of Birth: Missouri Date Of Birth: January 9, 1948 Date Of Death: October 20, 1977 Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: White Nationality: American Cassie Gaines was born on the 9th of January, 1948. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. 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. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. Lynyrd Skynyrd was known for their hard-rocking style, driven by powerful guitars. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. 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. 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. "He didn't want to talk about it for years.". "I knew she was gone. On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. One such silent witness has found a way to talk. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. 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 "Are you writing a book?" The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. 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. 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. 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. You have permission to edit this article. I used my camera in my work. 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. Cassie Gaines Death Fact Check, Birthday & Date of Death - Dead or Kicking Mother of Lynyrd Skynyrd members Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines. 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. Several members of the band died in a plane crash that occurred on October 20, 1977, three days after the release of Street Survivors. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. 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. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. ", But with no experience he morphed from a dairy farmer to a rescuer. I photographed their wedding. Sadly, it would end all to soon. The tree where the cockpit came to rest has long-since died. The other band members Collins, Gary Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Hawkins, tour manager Ron Eckerman, and several road crew suffered . My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. Pilot Walter McCrearey and co-pilot John Grey were killed on impact. I marked my calendar and made arrangements.
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