cassie gaines cause of death

My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. Aerosmiths band management at the time was looking at a Convair CV-240. "Why, yes I do," I said, thinking about my roots, my old buddies and the high school dances. The accident essentially destroyed one of the unique voices of American rock and roll. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately looked for an open field or some kind of saving grace. I began the classic guitar lick. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. 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. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. 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. The 22-year-old had been outside bailing hay in the twilight when he heard the crash in the distance, which he assumed was a car skidding in gravel. But after seeing helicopter searchlights, he started to assume it was a jailbreak instead. It would also be the first album that guitarist Steve Gaines would be the sole guitar player on. A Convair CV-240. The band regularly has different people sit in and play shows with them like Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Sadly, it would end all to soon. 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. 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. The plane had completely disintegrated. 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 "But using a phone out here is worthless," he said, and even with his expertise, he had trouble finding the exact spot of the crash site. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. 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. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. Even though she survived the actual crash, she eventually bled to death before the rescue team could reach her. I dont like that, The Weeknd is getting mocked for his response to Rolling Stones The Idol expos, Daisy Jones & the Six review: Riley Keough fronts a rock soap opera, Aaron Carters mom posts awful photos from death scene, pushes for homicide inquiry, Wayne Shorter, influential jazz saxophonist and composer, dies at 89. As he looked around the scene, his mind went back. 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. Cassie Gaines mother was LaRue, while her father was Bud. Victims were taken to the hospital in McComb, Mississippi by ambulances and other vehicles. Lynyrd Skynyrd pose for a portrait circa 1976. McDaniel was eager to join me. 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. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Then on the other side, it was Allen in the middle of Dean and Cassie. 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. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. Drummer Artimus Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs, but was ambulatory, as were road crew members Kenneth Peden Jr. and Mark Frank. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Making the original release cover more valuable to collectors than the second cover released just a few weeks after the album hit the shelves. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. 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. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Almost as mysteriously, the full bottle is never seen again. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. And then we heard voices. 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. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on. 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. 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. Where Did We Find This Stuff? He rushed to his truck and headed in. Medical personnel arrived and began to ferry out the injured and the dead. How do they know? Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. 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. Both of which helped the album climb to the No. "Steve was at the peak of his career. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." [2] ", "I expected to see all dead people looking at these woods. Marc Frank recalled hearing both engines on the plane then within a matter of minutes, just air passing over the cabin. 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. Click to reveal But we were both enjoying it. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. "He (Mote) ran in the door saying, 'Ya'll get down on the floor, there's escaped convicts out there," Martin remembers. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. Ronnie Van Zant enjoying a stog before a show. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. We were shocked, as were most others hearing the news. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. A spokesperson for the band's record label said Wilkeson died in his sleep Friday at a hotel near Jacksonville, Florida. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. I obviously didn't know what I was doing. Natural causes were to blame. Los Angeles, Billie Eilishs phone is now internet-free: Im like: Ew! Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. Lynyrd Skynyrd was known for their hard-rocking style, driven by powerful guitars. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. One such silent witness has found a way to talk. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash, and took many months to recuperate. Other band members were injured, some very seriously. The aircraft crashed in a heavily wooded area during an attempted emergency landing. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. "I've been coming for years," he said, "and I've never met anyone who was here that night. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. 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. Everyone was afraid of riding on this plane. 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. Artimus Pyle was also notoriously outspoken against the plane and on several occasions would take buses to shows. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Ben Gabel, of Denham Springs, is a former surveyor, and navigated to the scene from the official NTSB report, which includes the latitude and longitude. Street Survivors became the band's second platinum album, and was the #5 top selling album on the U.S. album chart. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. 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. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. Where Did We Find This Stuff? The original cover was restored after the 30th anniversary of the album. The singer was approached by artist JoJo Billingsley, sent by the band's head and lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. As soon as it seemed that the worst of the flight was passing, the true nightmare was about to set in for Lynyrd Skynyrd and the crew aboard. Cassie Gaines Lynard Skynyrd plane crash was one of the band's most challenging moments. It was known that the right engine's magneto a small power generator that provides spark and timing for the engine had been malfunctioning (Powell, among others, spoke of seeing flames shooting out of the right engine on a trip just prior to the accident), and that pilots McCreary and Gray had intended to repair the damaged part when the travelling party arrived in Baton Rouge. Don't look like they can afford a ticket. One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane crash." 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.". 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. Was there a guest book?". A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. I had never seen anything like it before. On 20th October 1977, the Lynyrd Skynyrd boarded a chartered Convair CV-240 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after their performance in Greenville, South Carolina. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. After a shorter-than-normal day of bow hunting, he received a phone call about a plane crash in the area. 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. Contributing to the fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the right engine which resulted in higher-than-normal fuel consumption." 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. But sadly when he drank, which was quite often, his demeanor and character qualities changed drastically. Assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, the pilot, and co-pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray also died. Easley knows he wasn't the first on the site, but he was there early. 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. 5 album. Collins, 37, suffered respiratory failure, said a Memorial Medical Center spokeswoman. 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. He also knew I had no business there, but his face told me he knew I was beginning a new career that night. He drove down from his home in Oakland, Miss. I worked the scene for about 30 minutes before a veteran photographer approached me and asked if I knew where the local paper "The Enterprise Journal" was located. I'm still not sure why. "I had expertise on what to do and growing up in Amite County, Mississippi didn't hurt. They all died but we didnt. she asked me as we talked. When the news broke that it was Lynyrd Skynyrd's tour plane, Nancy and I stared at each other. 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. Here are 10 facts about Lynyrd Skynyrd and their fateful end. Throughout the ordeal, he remembers seeing the debris and suitcases scattered around, but he didn't think anything of it. If a band couldn't play Skynyrd, they didn't get hired for the school dance. Pyle used the couple's phone to call his wife. 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. 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. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Skip to main content. "They'd busted bales of hay in the bed to soften the ride," he said. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. Gene Odom, Lynyrd Skynyrds bodyguard, recalls: They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Photo: thetv.info. Over the ridge, a World War II vintage Willis Jeep crawled down a dusty logging trail. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. Leslie Hawkins sustained a concussion, broke her neck in three places and had severe facial lacerations. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. The tail section broke off, the cockpit broke off and buckled underneath, then both wings broke off. The whole scene tore him apart. She said her husband grabbed his .243 hunting rifle, ran out and fired a warning shot. 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 The tree where the cockpit came to rest has long-since died. The albums that followed featured a plain black background. But one thing I'm proud of. 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. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. I'm really not sure anymore," he said. 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. He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Their lyrics were raw and fresh - honest and simple. The plane had completely disintegrated. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a staple on rock, classic rock, and southern radio stations. Performance & security by Cloudflare. ", "I never cared about flying in an airplane," he said. There were 24 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft. One guy standing near the wreckage lit a cigarette and I tackled him," he said. Pianist Billy Powell survived, but his nose was nearly torn off and he suffered severe facial lacerations. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. I photographed their wedding. A design that would most likely lead to the infamous crash. The plane finally slammed into the earth, and Billy Powell recalls saying, We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. Tuesday October 20, 2015 marked the 38th anniversary and drew several veterans from the night of the crash. I used my camera in my work. Everyone knows him as "Governor." In the beginning, the singer was reluctant to board the aircraft and had already bought another commercial flight ticket. When Aerosmith's crew heard of Skynyrd's misfortune, they were shocked, but not necessarily surprised. A few minutes later I was talking my way past a Mississippi State trooper. Some blame it on the planes age and poor design, weighing in on its smaller fuselage and compact wingspan. 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. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. 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. And it left Teresa Gaines a widow. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. So, we're both southerners.". Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. He then assembled a convoy of trucks and four-wheelers to locate the crash site and rescue the survivors. After I led him to the downtown McComb offices, I returned home, developed my film in a clumsy bathroom darkroom and went to sleep. I knew my camera had stories to tell. Almost four decades later, I noticed a seemingly innocuous post on Facebook. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. "They stopped, straight back there," he said, and pointed to the tree line a quarter mile across open hay fields and woods. Minutes later he was guiding an ambulance through an overgrown trail. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. In addition to his fractured ribcage, Artimus Pyle was treated for numerous abrasions and contusions. "I'd never seen anything like that," he said. 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. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. Especially with the song That Smell. 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. I threw it in reverse and plowed into my mother-in-law's car. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. He could see the circling helicopter from his back yard. Your IP: He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Lead vocalist and founding member of the southern rock band, Ronnie Van Zant, also lost his life in the accident. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. Aerosmiths management passed on the opportunity to call this plane their own. It Crashed, Killing 3 Members, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Drinking, Fighting, Hell-Raising: The Classic Skynyrd Lineup In Pittsburgh, Associate Press Mississippi Road Signs For Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site, Hollywood Reporter Appeals Court Reverses Ban on Lynyrd Skynyrd Movie, Ronnie Van Zant Of Lynyrd Skynyrd Predicted His Own Death, Groove History, 1977 Missippi Convair CV-240 Plane Crash, Wikipedia, History Collection The Deadliest Plane Crash in Canada Killed 248 Soldiers in 1985, History Collection A Plane Crashed into the Empire State Building (1945). News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. 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. (Photo by Ted Jackson). Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. Pyle did confirm (from Pyle's interview on the The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio, Feb. 12, 2007) that Van Zant's cause of death was trauma to the head caused by equipment, such as Betamax tapes and Trinitrons, flying forward in the plane's cabin. Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) was an American musician. Mote was putting out square bales of hay for the cattle when he heard what sounded "like a car crash on a gravel road." Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. Her brother was Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. An old high school friend, Bobby McDaniel, posted a photo and a comment about a name-carved tree from the crash site. On several occasions, the latter shined through. Martin said she then, "called 911, or 0, or whatever we called back then.". Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. ", "And everybody says they were the first one there. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. Marc Frank, a 24-year-old roadie traveling with the band, noticed what seemed to be fuel spewing from the right engine. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. Photo: thetv.info.

Aberdare Leader Obituaries, Fort Wayne Funeral Home Obituaries, Wine And Crime Podcast Net Worth, Articles C