cassie gaines cause of death cassie gaines cause of death

Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. With my camera at the ready, the translator and I stood watch on the prow of the brightly colored wooden boat as we plowed the exotic coastline. One such silent witness has found a way to talk. memorial page for Cassie LaRue Hatfield Gaines (26 Nov 1926-15 Feb 1979), Find a Grave Memorial ID 37010431, citing Jacksonville Memory . As the Houston Press reports, the crash took Van Zant's life, as well as the lives of band member Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie; and Dean Kilpatrick, the assistant road manager. Updated cover after plane crash, 1977The official NTSB accident report reads, "The National Transportation Safety Board determined 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. We had to cross a black water slew," he said. Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. "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. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. "From there, we followed the lights of the helicopter," he said. In Genes interview, he mentions that he ran to the cock pit and to alert the pilots of the exploded engine and their response was Nothins wrong. Circa 1975, Singers Cassie Gaines , Leslie Hawkins and Jo Jo Billingsley of the American rock group, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1970s. Cause of death: Car accident. 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. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Ronnies mother Marion refused to make the flight, after seeing a horrific plane crash of her own that killed 9 people. Thats when most of the sober members of the band saw that the right propeller was no longer working. 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. It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. According to a Billboard report, he died of natural causes in his sleep. 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 pilots were still in their seats, but were laying upside down in nearby trees. The band enjoyed national fame in the 1970s with such hits as Gimme Three Steps and Sweet Home Alabama.. Everyone was afraid of riding on this plane. 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. Since Cassie was not aware of the band's existence at that time, Jojo offered her a copy of Lynyrd Skynyrd's first two albums to make her acquainted with the band's work. Part of the preparations required contacting landowners and securing permission to be there and a guide to lead me in. The cover would quickly be changed to a more bland blacked-out background with the band in the same pose after the accident. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. Ultimate Classic Rock What Happened to the Survivors of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane 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. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. Artimus Pyle emerged with several broken ribs, and bleeding everywhere you could. He was known as Papa Ronnie. Photo: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader. Van Zant himself "loathed flying," as Rolling Stone. Billy had taken too long on his intro to the song Free Bird and that didnt set well with Ronnie. At the beginning of the flight, all was well, amid high tensions. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. Minutes later he was guiding an ambulance through an overgrown trail. His luck, however, was on the short end of the stick as he would have his throat slit while on the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour bus in the early 90s. 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. He had been impaled by a part of the fuselage and it pushed through his body and projected out of his back. 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. Cassie Gaines, Steve Gainess sister who were both bound for death in the crash, would routinely ride on the equipment bus rather than the plane. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. I marked my calendar and made arrangements. TBS - Movies for Guys Who Like Movies Bumper - The Jerk - 1996, TBS - Dinner & A Movie - Urban Cowboy Promo - 1995, TBS - Movies for Guys Who Like Movies - Running Scared Promo - 1995. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. "May the free bird fly on," read one message. Your IP: On several occasions, the latter shined through. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. How do they know? Cassie Gaines Death: and Cause of Death. It is reported that the pilots whose eyes were full of terror, told them to go back to their seats and prepare for impact. He suffered a heart attack . I'd deal with that later. On October 20, 1977, Cassie Gaines died of non-communicable disease. Lynyrd Skynyrd pose for a portrait circa 1976. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. So, with little hesitation I decided I should join the dance. The aircraft was destroyed by impact; there was no fire. However, it is believed that the pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to another when they accidentally jettisoned the fuel instead. He claims that Artimus Pyle, drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd, survived scathe-less and crawled into the bushes watching Ronnie and the others die in this horrid fiery crash. Yen.com.gh shared an interesting piece on Bianca Lawson age, parents, husband, kids, net worth, and movies. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. According to an interview in the book Freebirds, Billingsley had dreamed of the plane crash and begged Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. Cassie Gaines, Steve Gainess sister who were both bound for death in the crash, would routinely ride on the equipment bus rather than the plane. They all died but we didnt. The band buckled in. Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were fully aware of a fuel shortage before the flight took off. Photo: Pinterest. 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). "You like Lynyrd Skynyrd?" But a message on the group's official Web site said the summer tour will resume on Aug. 7, in Spokane, Wash. The other band members Collins, Gary Rossington, Wilkeson, Powell, Artimus Pyle, and Hawkins, tour manager Ron Eckerman, and several road crew suffered . Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. The pilot and co-pilot also died; 20 others aboard lived. The band was reaching fever pitch with its fans across the South and the nation. Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site draws a pilgrimage. ", "He came home covered in blood," said his wife, Lola. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. They were directing him to the property next to his family's farm. Posted and no trespassing signs are prominently displayed. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. Marc Frank recalled hearing both engines on the plane then within a matter of minutes, just air passing over the cabin. Suffocating the people on the bottom from the sheer weight. Collins began his rise to success as the lightning-fingered guitarist for the Jacksonville band formed in 1966 by a group of high school students. There is some speculation as to why the second engine had ultimately failed. She was sick and would meet up with the band in Arkansas to continue the tour. ", Other questions:subscriberservices@theadvocate.com. The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. He had known Easley Creek since his youth. It was Steve, and me, and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a staple on rock, classic rock, and southern radio stations. "If (that tree) could talk, it'd tell you all about it," he said. I was not there to be a gawker or to get in the way. He later caused a controversy by giving a lurid account of Cassie Gaines' final moments on a VH1 Behind The Music special about the band, claiming that the backing singer's throat was cut from ear to ear and that she bled to death in his arms. Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both his legs in the crash, and took many months to recuperate. Identification was completely hindered as there had been a poker game going on during the flight, and everyones wallets and purses had been strewn throughout the swamp. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed in 1987, and has been touring and recording steadily ever since with Johnny Van Zant, brother of the late Ronnie, as lead singer. Collins and other band members were severely injured. All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Both Steve and Cassie Gaines were killed in the crash. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. Mote recalls the first thing he saw was a bloody hand sticking out from the wreckage. 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. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Everyone was afraid of riding on this plane. The death of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gains of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was a massive blow to many. I quickly maneuvered free of a crumpled bumper and sped off. Collins entered the hospital with pneumonia symptoms and was in a coma the last few days, said longtime friend Ann Thompson. The sky is the limit for the talented actress. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Van Zant died instantly of blunt force trauma to the head. One band member, JoJo Billingsly, was not on the flight. The singer was approached by artist JoJo Billingsley, sent by the band's head and lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. We just had released an album that went gold almost overnight. 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. She was famous for being part of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. We'd move one and there would be another one laying there." According to Powell, Cassie Gaines' final moments were particularly painful as she bled to death in his arms and that her throat had been cut from ear to ear, which gave more indications of execution than an accident. He suffered a heart attack while on break from tour. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. Ronnies mother Marion refused to make the flight, after seeing a horrific plane crash of her own that killed 9 people. A little after the two-hour mark, however, events started to unfold that would soon make history. Shining from what seemed to be a small house on a dairy farm. Dwain Easley still lives on the east side of the crash site. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. They all died but we didnt. She was brought up in Miami, Florida, alongside her brothers, Bob and Steve. Four of the passengers were killed including bandleader and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick. Marc Frank was beaten terribly and was also covered in lacerations and blood. When he was sober, he was a fair and kind person. When the group asked Ronnies father how he was, he simply replied Hes fine. It was suggested on the VH-1 Behind The Music profile on Skynyrd that this was the case, or that the pilots, panicking when the right engine failed, accidentally dumped the remaining fuel. Without wanting to cause alarm he thought to himself that maybe the pilots were trying to transfer fuel from one engine to another. That's when Mote connected the dots with the noise he had heard earlier. It sounded great to us. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. She performed as a backup singer in popular hits such as One More Time and That Smell. Violent, wild, and belligerent, Ronnie was a force to be reckoned with. One of them being completely decapitated. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. There were 26 people on that fateful flight. Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit to get an idea of what was happening. She was requested to join the band as a backing vocalist. Tangled by underbrush and the 20-foot creek, the rescue team had to act and think fast. 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. No one that hit the ground alive died. McDaniel was eager to join me. Ronnie Van Zant was just more than the bands main songwriter, frontman, and singer. 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. 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. 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. A little after an hour of trudging through a creek and at one point burrowing underneath a barbed wire fence they found themselves staring at a small, dim light in the distance. It was going to be the replacement for Douglas C3s with a pressurized cabin that was then just being mandated as a rule for commercial airlines. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. At the end of the day, Ronnie and the boys are gone and we lost a rock n roll angel on October 20, 1977. My younger brother and I banged out "Freebird" on a cheap set of drums in our bedroom. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Band confidant, Gene Odum, is privately interviewed to share his story on what happened on this awful day in history. Cassie Gaines Lynard Skynyrd plane crash was one of the band's most challenging moments. I knew I could take photographs if I could get there. Soon after the plane would begin to jerk and shake violently. A costly mistake at 9,000ft or so. Cassie Gaines was born on January 9, 1948 and died on October 20, 1977. Crying, praying, and counting the dead to see who they would never hug, play music with, and enjoy company with again. He had been hospitalized since September. 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. After claiming his deceased son, Lacy Van Zant went to visit the other members of the band at the hospital. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. The band would be marked for strife as just before their inaugural tour, Allens wife would bleed to death due to a miscarriage. In the ensuing chaos, souvenir hunters took billfolds, jewelry, suitcases, band merchandise and even chunks of metal from the crash site. Over the weekend, the message boards on the official Web site were flooded with messages of lament for the "living legend," "free bird," and simple man.". Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Two of them were crew members, pilot Walter McReary and co-pilot William Gray, the rest were band members and roadies. 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." Especially with the song That Smell. "He (Mote) ran in the door saying, 'Ya'll get down on the floor, there's escaped convicts out there," Martin remembers. Billy Powell would be in the new starting line-up of Lynyrd Skynyrd until his death in 2009. Cassie was 29 years old at the time of death. 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. Lynyrd Skynyrd stops for a shot in 1973. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. Laying on the ground, still alive for only a moment, to slowly bleed to death. Most of the 20 survivors were taken to Southwest Regional Medical Center in McComb, where the lobby had been transformed into a makeshift emergency treatment center to quickly deal with the onslaught of plane crash victims. Collins recovered and began performing again, eventually forming the Allen Collins Band. She began her career at a young age but has grown steadily over the years to become one of the best in Hollywood. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. He had hunted squirrels along that very ridge. 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). . The location sounded familiar so he asked them to repeat. Artimus Pyle, drummer for the band, stops for a quick picture while en route to the next show. It was the last flight of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Oct. 20, 1977, the night they . Through the woods, yet another seeker appeared. read another typical message of mourning. Los Angeles, Billie Eilishs phone is now internet-free: Im like: Ew! There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Pyle claimed in a February 2007 appearance on Howard Stern's Sirius radio program that Mote had shot him; Mote has always denied shooting the drummer. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Steve Gaines was killed instantly upon impact and his sister Cassie Gaines perished as well. She was planning to join the tour in Little Rock on October 23, three days after the crash. The whole scene tore him apart. Born Steven Earl Gaines, the son of Cassie Hatfield and Earl Gaines. he said, barely able to get his English to suit his thoughts. The album would go through several cover changes and would mark a new era for the guys. The pilots tried an emergency landing, but the plane crashed in the woods near Gillsburg in Mississippi. Rossington and keyboardist Billy Powell are now the only founding members in the band. He obtained his first guitar at about age 14. Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Kilpatrick and the pilots were laid in a temporary morgue at a local high school gymnasium. There have been several different theories as to the culprits of this unfortunate crashing that point the finger toward watcher by Artimus, as well as the pilots of the plane themselves. Sang background vocals (one of the Honkettes) for Lynyrd Skynyrd. You are already subscribed to our newsletter! In the beginning, the singer was reluctant to board the aircraft and had already bought another commercial flight ticket. Bianca is a force to be reckoned with in the American film industry. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. They were scheduled to perform at the Louisiana State University. I used my camera in my work. (Photo by Ted Jackson). Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. A medical examiner said on Sunday that Wilkeson suffered from chronic liver and lung disease, and most likely died of natural causes. After a shorter-than-normal day of bow hunting, he received a phone call about a plane crash in the area. Powells nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. Photo: hu.wikipedia.com. The band has been on tour, and dates through the weekend have been cancelled. He says he first came in the 80s after he graduated. The news was shocking -- a plane crash near my hometown of McComb, Miss. Leon Wilkeson, their bass player, had arguably the most harrowing recovery; as he faced many internal injuries, dislodged teeth, and a broken left arm and leg, and his heart stopped twice on the operating table while doctors frantically struggled to keep him alive. "That solidified that idea. Gene Odom had been thrown from the plane and broke his neck, his skin badly burned and one eye blinded by phosphorus from a de-icing flare that had been aboard. But we were both enjoying it. It would be another hour before I heard the big news. In 1977, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Stevie Gaines and Gaines sister, Cassie Gaines, were killed in a plane crash. But as my wife and I watched the news bulletins flash on TV, it was a big deal. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. The album would reach gold in ten days after release and it would eventually go double platinum. Lewis was on emergency room call that night at McComb's Southwest Regional Medical Center. Original cover for Street Survivors, 1977Notably, the third member of The Honkettes, JoJo Billingsley, was not on the plane and in fact was home tending to a family member's illness. And to Brenda's point, he's writing a book. We had a friendly translator whose command of the English language was poor at best. 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. Powell's nose had been nearly ripped from his face after crashing head first through a table. All of the seats were ripped from the frame of the plane, landing in the front section of the crash. A tragic scene no person would ever wish to see or soon forget. In 1986, his car ran off a road and crashed into a culvert, paralyzing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend. Where Did We Find This Stuff? At least one member, background singer Cassie Gaines, had refused to board the flight, but was convinced against her better judgment. I had a small studio, making a living mostly painting signs for local businesses. Pilot Walter. He could see the circling helicopter from his back yard. Four of the passengers were killed including bandleader and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines and assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick. As we walked, Easely pointed to a towering pine. But there wasn't any gas on the ground because they ran out of gas.". There were 24 passengers and two crew members aboard the aircraft. Before long, he noticed three men emerge from the dense woods along the pasture. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Wilkeson would play in both Rossington Collins Band and the Allen Collins band. Small and cramped, it still felt better than lift-off of the Convair CV-240. A Convair CV-240, similar to the one in the crash. 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. Sadly, it would end all to soon. 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. A little after an hour of trudging through a creek and at one point burrowing underneath a barbed wire fence they found themselves staring at a small, dim light in the distance. I told him that it was the strongest thing I had seen a man do.. Don't look like they can afford a ticket. Cassie Larue Gaines was an American singer. The next morning I looked over them, made a few small prints and forgot about them. Toxicology tests were also ordered to determine whether there were drugs in his system at the time. The band had just released their biggest album to date and was riding off of a good high. Mote fired a warning shot in the air. 2023 Getty Images. A plane crash left lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, lead guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines dead. Any debris left on the ground has long been buried. 5 album. Several members of the band died in a plane crash that occurred on October 20, 1977, three days after the release of Street Survivors. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. Johnny headed for the crash site to see if he could help. So we came out here and got busy. From left to right: Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant, And Gary Rossington. The Vintage News Aerosmith Said No, Lynyrd Skynyrd Said Yes To The Plane. 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. The band leased a new Convair CV-240 to help them get between shows easier. Billy Powell, the bands keyboardist, received extensive facial lacerations and a broken right knee. Even long after she is gone, her legacy as one of the most talented singers remains. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. Photo: obviousmag.org. The years after the crash would be difficult in its own right for surviving members, most of which would experience tragedy and early death themselves. We beat patterns into our dashboards drumming out the beat. "The first thing I saw was a bloody hand reaching out from the debris. The fuselage turned sideways, and everybody was hurled forward.. No discernable landmarks remained, save the creek bed. Cassie Gaines was a talented and committed backup singer for the Lynard Skynyrd music band until she died in a plane crash. One of the three men was the band's drummer Artimus Pyle, who yelled, "Plane crash." "He didn't want to talk about it for years.". 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.