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He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. Both brother and sister were killed in the airplane crash that also took the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. Their lyrics were raw and fresh - honest and simple. She performed as a backup singer in popular hits such as One More Time and That Smell. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. How did Cassie Gaines get in Lynyrd Skynyrd? The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. The events before the plane crash are perhaps the most bone-chilling ones you'd ever hear. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. 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. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. And it left Teresa Gaines a widow. Tragic Details Found In Leon Wilkeson's Autopsy Report - Grunge.com He also knew I had no business there, but his face told me he knew I was beginning a new career that night. Natural causes were to blame. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Yen.com.gh shared an interesting piece on Bianca Lawson age, parents, husband, kids, net worth, and movies. Johnny Mote and his ragtag team were first on the crash site. 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. Pyle, Frank, and Peden were met with hostility when they finally came up to Mote. 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. The reason behind this? 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. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. Sadly, it would end all to soon. But soon, the helicopters that were heard and seen previously were on the scene. That farm belonged to a young dairy farmer named Johnny Mote. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. Before joining the music band, she was an original cast member of a school play under Hairspray. He was more in the image I was pre-visualizing - one of an aging rocker. Cassie Gaines Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. Where Did We Find This Stuff? Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. As the bulletins continued, they became more descriptive: "Tractors were pulling ambulances across a creek" was one exaggerated quote I remember so well. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. And the hardest-working rock 'n' roll band in America was about to run out of gas. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. 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. 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 remembered seeing bodies everywhere. He didn't know who the victims were. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. 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. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. She began her career at a young age but has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best in Hollywood. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. I threw it in reverse and plowed into my mother-in-law's car. "They'd busted bales of hay in the bed to soften the ride," he said. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. Lynyrd Skynyrd did not plan on keeping the plane for long. Especially with the song That Smell. A Convair CV-240. However, they were apparently talked into using it just one more time which happened to be their last ride. In a separate interview, revealing the story of sound man Paul Welch who suffered traumatic injuries in this crash and was sent into a coma, shares that the plane that was utilized during this trip was already catching fire around the engine area and Lynyrd Skynyrd had requested to cease using it. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. 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. Photo: Pinterest. Skip to main content. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. He was a walking treasure trove of names, facts and figures. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. 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. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash, and took many months to recuperate. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. The location sounded familiar so he asked them to repeat. I grabbed my camera and jumped in the car. I would like to think that only one grave robber was involved, but so many items were missing that I have to believe otherwise. It was as if they were back in Noahs time and all but a select few were stricken with greed of mankind and the chance to capitalize on an easy opportunity. 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.". You have permission to edit this article. 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. 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. Photo: thetv.info. 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. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. The album cover depicted the band members in an alleyway covered in flames. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. 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.". And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. Artimus Pyle and Gary Rossington are the only two members alive today from the crash. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Victims were taken to the hospital in McComb, Mississippi by ambulances and other vehicles. One of them being completely decapitated. Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. Powell also claimed that Ronnie Van Zant's head had been smashed. The singer died in the arms of the surviving band's keyboardist Billy Powell. Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. "He didn't want to talk about it for years.". On several occasions, the latter shined through. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2fad0cc830fa72 In 1995, while on assignment in Phunket Thailand for the Times-Picayune's series "Oceans of Trouble," I boarded a small fantail fishing boat on the edges of the Andaman Sea with writer John McQuaid to photograph the disappearing mangroves. Killing three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Apparently in - thevintagenews Ronnies mother Marion refused to make the flight, after seeing a horrific plane crash of her own that killed 9 people. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. The guys hit the dirt and yelling out with what they had left Hey! The sky is the limit for the talented actress. 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. Photo: Pinterest. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. 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. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. Video of a barechested Pyle at the 1979 Volunteer Jam does not show evidence of a gunshot wound. Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. In 1986, his car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend. I'm from southern Thailand. Leon Wilkeson, their bass player, had arguably the most harrowing recovery; as he faced many internal injuries, dislodged teeth, and a broken left arm and leg, and his heart stopped twice on the operating table while doctors frantically struggled to keep him alive. No one that hit the ground alive died. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. Cassie Gaines Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 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. But I loved the bonding. Cassie Gaines - Wikipedia Cassie Gaines was a talented and committed backup singer for the Lynard Skynyrd music band until she died in a plane crash. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. The band was reaching fever pitch with its fans across the South and the nation. The singer was approached by artist JoJo Billingsley, sent by the band's head and lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. 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. For members Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, the weight of what happened seemed to push down on them the most. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. I would like to think that only one grave robber was involved, but so many items were missing that I have to believe otherwise. It was as if they were back in Noahs time and all but a select few were stricken with greed of mankind and the chance to capitalize on an easy opportunity. He smiled broadly and said, "Turn it up! Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. 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. 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. Photo credits Airplane-Pictures.net. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. 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. We love you!!!" We beat patterns into our dashboards drumming out the beat. As we talked, we heard a racket through the trees. I'm still not sure why. 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 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. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and singer Cassie Gaines were all killed in the crash, and the band stopped performing and recording. Three crew members died in a plane crash just three days after the release of their 5th album. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. We always wondered why, you know. The surviving members would grapple with this throughout their days. Some were screaming and moaning for help, but they were all limp. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. I knew I could take photographs if I could get there. His first impression was, "What is a bunch of hippies doing on an airplane? One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane crash." Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. These combinations of poorly built aircraft and less than acceptable crew quickly led to the dismissal of the band leasing out their services. Varying accounts have Mote either firing a warning shot into the air or actually shooting Pyle in the shoulder no report is completely reliable. I was a young graphic artist at the time. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Allen Collins suffered two cracked vertebrae in his neck, and both Collins and Leon Wilkeson nearly had arms amputated as a result of crash injuries. Was there a guest book?". Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Musician. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. One guy standing near the wreckage lit a cigarette and I tackled him," he said. With a newly-released album, "Street Survivors," they were flying from a concert in Greenville, S.C. to the next night's show at LSU in Baton Rouge in a substandard charter plane. 1977 Plane Crash | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Fandom There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. It was there that he struck up a fractured conversation. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. So, we're both southerners.". Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. Collins and other band members were severely injured. Ronnie had died instantly upon impact, his head slamming into a tree. We were shocked, as were most others hearing the news. The rest of the group had no idea at the time that they would never see the face of Ronnie again. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. 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. 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. Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. He needed to use their darkroom to get his photos out. On several occasions, the latter shined through. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. He knew those woods well. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. I've not looked at them since. Any debris left on the ground has long been buried. Cause of death: Car accident. He was best known for being a Rock Singer. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". 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.