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Road crew member Steve Lawler, who suffered severe contusions and facial lacerations, was taken to the hospital in a pickup with a camper top. 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. Cassie joined the team and became one of the three members of The Honkette's, a female gospel vocal trio of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. I couldn't stand it. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. 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. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Cassie was buried in Orange Park, Florida, together with her brother, Steve Gains. 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. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. 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. Sadly, it would end all to soon. 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. So, we're both southerners.". Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. Aerosmiths management passed on the opportunity to call this plane their own. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit to get an idea of what was happening. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. All he could think was that they must be from a recent a jailbreak," she said. 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. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Part of the preparations required contacting landowners and securing permission to be there and a guide to lead me in. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. 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. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. He could see the circling helicopter from his back yard. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. A small plane with 40 seats and two props the plane was anything but extraordinary. Pilot Walter. Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. The band enjoyed national fame in the 1970s with such hits as Gimme Three Steps and Sweet Home Alabama.. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. Allen Collins, who lost fellow members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 1977 plane crash and was paralyzed four years ago in a drunken driving accident, died Tuesday of pneumonia. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. We just had released an album that went gold almost overnight. The reason behind this? 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd was known for their hard-rocking style, driven by powerful guitars. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Ghana, UN development chief sounds alarm over debt distress, Texas: Wind and solar stake claim to land of oil, Couple loses GH 300,000 on their wedding after guests don't show up: "So heartbroken", "Rest Well": Thomas Partey pays tribute to Christian Atsu as she scores in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Bournemouth, Hard guy dey cry: Sulley Muntari sheds tears at Christian Atsu's 1-week observance, Richard Kingston consoles him in sad video, 150+ Sad messages: ideas to express your deepest feelings in 2022, What happened to Jade Castrinos after Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, List of American foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner that you will love, 80+ Juice WRLD's quotes and lyrics about love, life, success and heartbreak. Photo: obviousmag.org. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". 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. Willing to lend a hand and stick by his bandmates, he was hard to beat when standing by your side. ", "He came home covered in blood," said his wife, Lola. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. Some were screaming and moaning for help, but they were all limp. Cassie Gaines Lynard Skynyrd plane crash was one of the band's most challenging moments. While the site is duly remembered, it is on private property and is not open to the public. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. 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. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. I had not realized before, but he also was there that night. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. 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. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. We knew every word. 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd pose for a portrait circa 1976. Photo: Pinterest. Members of the band that survived the crash said that Cassie actually . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. "It was a lot wetter that night. Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. "Folks were all mashed together. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. Coincidence? The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. 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. Your IP: 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. He rushed to his truck and headed in. 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. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Marc Frank recalled hearing both engines on the plane then within a matter of minutes, just air passing over the cabin. She performed as a backup singer in popular hits such as One More Time and That Smell. On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. 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. 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. 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. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. "I was well prepared with advanced trauma life support training," he said, "and (I was) a flight surgeon in the military. Pilot Walter McCrearey and co-pilot John Grey were killed on impact. 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. Things were going so well. In an interview in the book Walk This Way, Aerosmith's assistant chief of flight operations Zunk Buker tells of seeing pilots McCreary and Gray trading a bottle of Jack Daniels back and forth while Buker and his father were inspecting the plane. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. 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. She died from excessive bleeding as her throat had been cut from ear to ear. However, other band members convinced her otherwise. The next morning I looked over them, made a few small prints and forgot about them. Before joining the music band, she was an original cast member of a school play under Hairspray. Collins and other band members were severely injured. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Especially with the song That Smell. Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. A spokesperson for the band's record label said Wilkeson died in his sleep Friday at a hotel near Jacksonville, Florida. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. The plane had a thinner fuselage and smaller wingspan than any of its kind at the time. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. One such silent witness has found a way to talk. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. 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. She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. ", Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. The band buckled in. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. 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. Collins entered the hospital with pneumonia symptoms and was in a coma the last few days, said longtime friend Ann Thompson. to gather a few more. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. The death of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gains of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was a massive blow to many. He was more in the image I was pre-visualizing - one of an aging rocker. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. Where Did We Find This Stuff? It is reported that the pilots whose eyes were full of terror, told them to go back to their seats and prepare for impact. Rossington recalls saying It was always weird for Allen and me because we were up front in the plane. The band has sold an estimated 35 million records. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. Victims were taken to the hospital in McComb, Mississippi by ambulances and other vehicles. As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. 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. The plane was produced from 1947-1954. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. It sounded great to us. But a message on the group's official Web site said the summer tour will resume on Aug. 7, in Spokane, Wash. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. Cassie Gaines Birthday and Date of Death. 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. 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. I used my camera in my work. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit to get an idea of what was happening. After the death of three of their members, the band decided to change the cover photo of the album, which initially featured a picture of the band engulfed in flames. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. The album had a very controversial cover when released. It wasn't a Cessna; it was a Convair CV 240, a twin engine, 40-passenger plane that was down in heavy woods near Gillsburg. 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 All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Cassie Gaines died on the 20 th of October, 1977 in a plane crash at Gillsburg, Mississippi when she was only 29 years old. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. The plane had completely disintegrated. Collect, curate and comment on your files. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. 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. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. 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. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. An old high school friend, Bobby McDaniel, posted a photo and a comment about a name-carved tree from the crash site. 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. Both of which helped the album climb to the No. He could hear the people moaning, pleading for help. Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. "Live on my brother. He was best known for being a Rock Singer. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. There were 24 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft. 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.". Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Another 20 were injured, which included keyboardist Billy Powell, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, drummer Artimus Pyle and bassist Leon Wilkeson. July 30, 2001 -- Leon Wilkeson, bass player and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, is dead at age 49. We were shocked, as were most others hearing the news. According to an interview in the book Freebirds, Billingsley had dreamed of the plane crash and begged Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. He drove down from his home in Oakland, Miss. 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. 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. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. She was hesitant because she had seen a small fire in one of the engines the previous day. As the small band of brothers grew, the conversation grew lively but stayed reverent. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. 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. Despite this faux pas, Powell has been on good terms with the remaining band members since the incident. ", But with no experience he morphed from a dairy farmer to a rescuer. Martin said she then, "called 911, or 0, or whatever we called back then.". Headline from a local newspaper reporting the crash. He knew those woods well. 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. Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. He had been hospitalized since September. "I knew she was gone. The other two members were JoJo Billingsley and Leslie Hawkins. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. "New Orleans is a southern city. Everyone on the flight, except for Ronnie Van Zant, was feeling uneasy and restless. 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. A design that would most likely lead to the infamous crash. Photo: obviousmag.org. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. 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. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. 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. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. Cassie Gaines was one of the band members who boarded the ill-fated flight. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand.