Rossington, for instance, was not informed until days later by his mother in the hospital that Van Zant had been killed. The survivors, all of whom were seriously injured, were transported to different hospitals for treatment and were not immediately aware of the fatalities. Most of the survivors had been seated toward the back of the plane. Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died in the crash. Pyle suffered broken ribs but managed to leave the crash site and notify a nearby resident. Some elements of Powell's version of the events, however, have been disputed by both drummer Pyle and Van Zant's widow Judy Van Zant Jenness, who posted the autopsy reports on the band's web site in early 1998, while confirming other aspects of Powell's account. Decades later, he gave an account of the flight's final moments on a VH1 Behind the Music special, stating that Van Zant, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown violently from his seat and died immediately when his head hit a tree as the plane broke apart. Keyboard player Billy Powell's nose was nearly torn off in the crash as he suffered severe facial lacerations and deep lacerations to his right leg. The sound got louder and louder until Rossington was knocked unconscious he awoke some time later on the ground with the plane's door on top of him. Guitarist Gary Rossington recalled hearing what sounded like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane's fuselage as it began striking trees. With the gravity of the situation clear, the passengers sat in silence, some praying. At some point the passengers became aware that something was wrong, and drummer Artimus Pyle recalls entering the flight deck and being told by the terrified captain, Walter McCreary, to go back and strap himself in. Several other passengers passed the time by playing cards. Despite their efforts, at approximately 6:52 pm the plane skimmed about 100 yd (90 m) along the top of the tree line before smashing into a large tree and splitting into pieces near Gillsburg, Mississippi.Įarly in the flight, witnesses recall that lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant was lying on the floor with a pillow, having been up most of the previous night and being in need of sleep.
As a last resort, they attempted an emergency landing in an open field about 300 yd (270 m) from where the plane eventually went down. Upon realizing that the plane had insufficient fuel, the pilots attempted to navigate to McComb Airport, about 10 mi (16 km) northeast of the eventual crash site in Amite County, Mississippi, but soon realized that the plane would not make it. The plane ran out of fuel near the end of the flight.
The following day they boarded a Convair CV-240 airplane to take them to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they were to perform at Louisiana State University. On October 19, 1977, two days after releasing their album Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina. The tragedy abruptly halted Lynyrd Skynyrd's career until Van Zant's brother Johnny reformed the band ten years later. Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist and founding member Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died as a result of the crash, while twenty others survived. Chartered by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from L & J Company of Addison, Texas, it was flying from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, crashing near its destination. On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 passenger aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed in a wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi, United States. Class=notpageimage| The flight departed Greenville, South Carolina for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ultimately crashing near Gillsburg, Mississippi
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