The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash: A Tragic End to a Southern Rock Legacy
On 20th October 1977, just three days after the release of their fifth album, Street Survivors, tragedy struck Lynyrd Skynyrd. Their Convair CV-240 aeroplane crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing six people, including three band members: lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and his sister, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. This tragedy shattered the group that was on the brink of greater acclaim, cutting short the lives of some of its most influential members. Despite an official investigation concluding that the crash was caused by pilot error, the exact reasons remain shrouded in mystery even today.
The Rise and Promise of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music resonated deeply with the American South. By 1977, the band had cemented itself as one of the most successful Southern rock bands of the era. Their fifth album, Street Survivors, was a testament to their growing influence. It achieved gold status just three days before the tragic crash, and their tour promoting the album had barely begun. The band had hired a twin propeller Convair CV-240 to ferry them between tour stops, a decision that would prove to be fatal.
Aerosmith Avoided the Convair CV-240 Due to Safety Concerns
Months before Lynyrd Skynyrd leased the Convair, Aerosmith had considered the same plane for their tour. Their management inspected the aircraft and found it lacking in proper maintenance. Worse, during the inspection, the Aerosmith team saw the pilot and co-pilot passing around a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, which further convinced them not to hire the plane. These safety concerns would come back to haunt the Skynyrd entourage.
Warning Signs of the Crash
Two days before the crash, on 18th October 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd was en route from Lakeland, Florida, to Greenville, South Carolina, when the right engine of the plane sparked and flamed. The aircraft landed safely in Greenville, but the terrifying incident spurred several band members to question their safety. Cassie Gaines even booked a commercial flight for the next leg of the journey to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. However, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant insisted that the band continue using the Convair, saying ominously, “If your time is up, your time is up.”
Van Zant's influence on the band was powerful. He was their leader both musically and in terms of decision-making. While known as “Papa Ronnie” when sober, his dark side emerged when intoxicated. His volatile behaviour, once resulting in him knocking out the front teeth of keyboardist Billy Powell, was infamous. Despite the rising concerns of the band, Van Zant’s decision to push forward won out, partly due to the high-stakes LSU performance awaiting them, with a Southern crowd expected to number in the thousands.
The Final Flight
On 20th October, the band members reluctantly boarded the Convair once more. There was tension in the air as they took off from Greenville. For the first two and a half hours, the flight went smoothly. Many passengers relaxed, played cards, or napped. Ronnie Van Zant himself lay down on the floor of the plane. Then, Marc Frank, a roadie on the flight, noticed something strange: gasoline was spraying from the right engine.
Within moments, the right engine failed. The pilots tried to compensate, but the left engine then also cut out. The plane began to fall rapidly from the sky. Panic spread through the cabin. As the plane descended, pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray communicated with Houston Air Traffic Control and requested emergency landing vectors. The closest airport, a small airstrip in McComb, Mississippi, was still too far. As daylight faded, the pilots made a last-ditch attempt to turn the plane around, but it was no use. They were heading straight for dense woodland.
The Deadly Descent and Crash
At around 6:42 pm, the Convair struck the treetops at nearly 90 mph. The impact was catastrophic. The tail section broke off, the cockpit was crushed, and the wings were torn apart. The fuselage turned sideways, and the passengers were violently thrown forward. Survivors recalled the deafening sound of metal screeching and breaking apart. Then, suddenly, silence.
Keyboardist Billy Powell later described the crash:
“We hit the trees at approximately 90 mph. It felt like being hit with baseball bats in a steel garbage can with the lid on.”
The crash site was surreal and devastating. Marc Frank, one of the survivors, described seeing the co-pilot decapitated and hanging from a tree. Road manager Dean Kilpatrick lay face down, a large piece of the plane’s fuselage piercing his back. Cassie Gaines had been thrown from the wreckage and died from rapid blood loss.
Ronnie Van Zant, the band’s iconic frontman, was also killed on impact. Steve Gaines, the gifted guitarist who had replaced Ed King, was found dead beside his sister. Van Zant’s death was especially tragic, as he had repeatedly expressed in life that he would never make it to age 30 – he was just 29 years old at the time of the crash.
The Heroic Efforts to Find Help
Despite their injuries, drummer Artimus Pyle, Marc Frank, and road crew member Steve Lawler managed to escape the wreckage through a hole in the plane's tail. Pyle, though severely injured, had noted the location of a nearby farmhouse during the descent. He set off towards the farm, reaching it after a gruelling 45-minute trek through swamps and dense woods.
The farmhouse belonged to Johnny Mote, who was suspicious when three blood-soaked men emerged from the forest. Assuming them to be criminals, Mote fired a warning shot, grazing Pyle in the shoulder. After realising they had been in a plane crash, Mote called for help. Local authorities, rescue teams, and even a Coast Guard helicopter arrived on the scene to rescue the survivors.
The Casualties and Their Injuries
The crash claimed the lives of six people: both pilots, road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Each of the fatalities suffered extensive and fatal injuries.
Ronnie Van Zant: The leader of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Zant, was killed instantly on impact. He suffered severe trauma to the head and body, which were deemed fatal. His body was found near the cockpit, with a peaceful look on his face despite the violent end.
Steve Gaines: The talented guitarist suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including blunt force trauma to the head and chest. He was found deceased alongside his sister, Cassie.
Cassie Gaines: The backing vocalist was ejected from the plane during the crash. She suffered multiple fractures and extensive blood loss, dying on the ground near the wreckage.
Dean Kilpatrick: The band’s road manager was found with a large piece of the fuselage embedded in his back. He did not survive the crash.
Walter McCreary and William Gray: Both pilots died instantly when the cockpit crumpled upon impact. One of the pilots was found hanging from the wreckage, decapitated.
Because their charter plane ran out of fuel, most of the injured passengers survived a crash that normally would have burnt them to death. The official cause of the crash was released in a statement:
"The National Transportation Safety Board determines 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. 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."
Aftermath: A Legacy Cut Short
The plane crash not only devastated the surviving members of the band but also sent shockwaves through the world of rock music. Lynyrd Skynyrd was poised for greater success, with Street Survivors climbing the charts. The album cover, which originally depicted the band members surrounded by flames, was quickly pulled from stores due to the eerie resemblance to the crash. A plain black background replaced the controversial cover.
Street Survivors went on to become the band’s second platinum album, fuelled by the tragic events. The track “That Smell,” eerily prescient with its dark lyrics about death and disaster, became a haunting reminder of the crash.
The Haunting Legacy of the Survivors
The survivors of the crash would struggle with their injuries and emotional scars for years. Allen Collins, the band’s guitarist, survived the crash but was later involved in a car accident that paralysed him. He died in 1990 from complications. Leon Wilkeson, the band’s bassist, passed away in 2001 due to health issues linked to his lifestyle. Keyboardist Billy Powell, who also survived the crash, died of a heart attack in 2009.
The crash of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane on 20th October 1977 marked one of the darkest days in rock history. It not only took the lives of several band members but left a lasting void in Southern rock. Though a version of Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour, the original lineup’s spirit and the promise of what could have been were lost in the twisted wreckage of the Mississippi swamp that day.
One last thing...
Skynyrd's breakthrough song, "Sweet Home Alabama," mocked Neil Young with seemingly simplistic lyrics that were a response to Young's "Southern Man" and "Alabama." Although it was popularly believed, especially in the Deep South, that Ronnie Van Zant harboured hostility towards Neil Young, the song was actually more complex than it appeared.
Young also acknowledged loving the tune and even sent demo tapes of his own music that he suggested the band should record. Ronnie Van Zant routinely wore Neil Young shirts during live performances and even sported one on the cover of Street Survivors. When vandals broke into Van Zant's tomb in 2000, it was theorised that the motive was to determine if the dead singer was, as rumoured, entombed in a Neil Young shirt.
As the coffin was only removed, but not successfully opened, Van Zant's favourite cane fishing pole and black, snakeskin-festooned hat are the only definite items known to have accompanied the legendary singer to the afterlife. After this mausoleum desecration, Van Zant's remains were removed to another location, protected by tons of concrete.
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