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. Cassie Gaines Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net Worth Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. Sit down. The plane had taken off with a faulty gasoline gauge that fooled the pilots into thinking that the plane was equipped with the appropriate amount of gas to reach their destination. The site has drawn visitors over the years. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. 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. Ronnie Van Zant, drunk and laying in the middle of the aisle, simply pulled himself together, sat up, and quietly chose a seat up front. As medical personnel triaged the scene, he helped carry the litters of the injured and the dead across the creek to a waiting 4-wheel-drive pickup truck. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. 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. The band buckled in. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. On October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. Lynyrd Skynyd: The NTSB Report - Angelfire For many years, a dozen red roses have been carefully placed around the base, much like the mysterious unfinished bottle of Martell cognac at the grave of Edgar Allen Poe in Baltimore. Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. He was a walking treasure trove of names, facts and figures. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. Coincidence? As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. On several occasions, the latter shined through. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. 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. 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. His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. He hopes to publish in time for the 40th anniversary of the crash. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. The album had deeper meaning than most. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. The pilots were still in their seats, but were laying upside down in nearby trees. Van Zant himself "loathed flying," as Rolling Stone. He was more in the image I was pre-visualizing - one of an aging rocker. In this video you will see the true story behind the tragic passing of Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines, Dean Kilpatrick, and Steve Gaines on October 20, 1977. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Cause of death: Car accident. A medical examiner said on Sunday that Wilkeson suffered from chronic liver and lung disease, and most likely died of natural causes. We knew every word. 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. We were shocked, as were most others hearing the news. Tuesday October 20, 2015 marked the 38th anniversary and drew several veterans from the night of the crash. The tree where the cockpit came to rest has long-since died. "Folks were all mashed together. At the time of her death, she was 29 years old. 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. His first band recorded its debut at Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, and later bands included RIO Smokehouse and Rusty Day. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. 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. Even though she survived the actual crash, she eventually bled to death before the rescue team could reach her. At the end of the day, Ronnie and the boys are gone and we lost a rock n roll angel on October 20, 1977. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Where Did We Find This Stuff? On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. It sounded great to us. She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. The album had two notable songs: Whats your name and That Smell. 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 Photo: obviousmag.org. The Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. 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 original cover was restored after the 30th anniversary of the album. The whole scene tore him apart. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. So on the prow of this small boat, plowing the coastal water on the other side of the world, he and I abandoned inhibition with an unabashed air guitar jam. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Los Angeles, Billie Eilishs phone is now internet-free: Im like: Ew! 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. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. 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. 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. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. I'm still not sure why. Cassie Gaines cause of death The talented singer met her death at the young age of 29. We love you!!!" Natural causes were to blame. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. 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. Everyone just stood there helpless. McDaniel was eager to join me. 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. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. I photographed their wedding. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this . Freebird, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 10/20/77 and a notebook-sized rebel flag are deeply etched into the old bark. . Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. 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. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. He didn't know who the victims were. 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. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. With that cue, Governor took the honors and introduced everyone as Gabel's mouth gaped in disbelief. Her mother passed away on 15th February 1979 in a car accident. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Governor said, "I'm bad about leaving an empty beer bottle and a full one for Ronnie and the boys" each year. A design that would most likely lead to the infamous crash. 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. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. "Sweet Home Alabama" became the southern anthem for millions. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. 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. She said her husband grabbed his .243 hunting rifle, ran out and fired a warning shot. 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. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. My college roommate was a young photojournalist. Steve Gaines - Wikipedia One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Gabel says he's been to the site 15 or more times. 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. In 1975, his sister, Cassie, whose group had been hired to sing back. Some of the guys were playing poker. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. As the three marched on, feet soaking wet from the water, all odds seemed stacked against the trio. Street Survivors was released just three days before the crash and would quickly become a hit. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. The tour is scheduled to run through mid-September. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. A plane crash left lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, lead guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines dead. Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd's Deadly 1977 Plane Crash