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| On this day in history, October 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmates killed in horrific plane crash |
| 2023-10-21 |
| [FoxNews] Three musicians from the iconic American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, plus three other people, were killed in a terrifying plane crash on the Louisiana-Mississippi border on this day in history, Oct. 20, 1977. Lead singer and founder Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines, were all killed on impact. The crash of the small Convair CV-240 passenger plane also claimed the lives of assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. The plane ran out of fuel at about 10,000 feet and crashed violently into a wooded area. Odom helped lead a vigil to Van Zant and the other victims last night near the town of Gillsburg, Mississippi. A memorial was erected near the site of the crash in 2019. Odom was thrown from the plane and found by rescuers some time later under one of the wings, with terrible injuries. He suffered a "massive hole in the head from flying through the fuselage, a broken neck, broken ribs and 45 years of pain," he said. It was only after Odom got out of the hospital that he learned Van Zant and the others were dead. "The only reason so many survived is that there was no fuel left on the plane. So there was no fire," said Odom. Guitarist Gaines, he said, had just joined the band a year earlier, at the behest of his sister Cassie, the singer who was also killed in the crash. "He was going to be a star, a rose that never got to bloom," said Odom. Lynyrd Skynyrd remains one of the biggest acts in music history and is arguably the top American rock band of all time. The band has toured for decades with Johnny Van Zant, the founder's younger brother, on lead vocals. They largely play songs written and first performed by Ronnie Van Zant a half-century ago — a testament to his enduring legacy in rock history. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #5 The plane could only get two gallons of fuel at a time then, depending of whether the tail number ended in an even or odd number. |
| Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2023-10-21 22:36 |
| #4 Running out of fuel at 10,000 ft is usually a fatal problem and an unforgivable error |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-10-21 10:41 |
| #3 If I could play a note, I'd never get on a plane. |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2023-10-21 09:14 |
| #2 Jim Croce - September 20, 1973 Natchitoches, Louisiana Plane Crash. It seems fall flying in Louisiana wasn't good for Rock groups in the 70's |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2023-10-21 07:49 |
| #1 This bummed out my whole dorm floor. We were big fans of the group/ |
| Posted by: Penguin_of_the_Desert 2023-10-21 06:17 |