“Top” Ten Music Aviation Tragedies: Lynyrd Skynyrd (#7)

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And now, the one you’ve all probably been waiting for. When it comes to tragedies in the world of rock and roll, this ranks as one of the most infamous. I remember it, and many of you do, too. Here’s today’s plane tragedy. #7: Lynyrd Skynyrd: Cassie Gaines, Steve Gaines, and Ronnie Van Zant And Ronnie, my buddy, above all the rest I miss you the most and I love you the best And now that you’re gone I thank God I was blessed Just to know you (“Reflections” by the Charlie Daniels Band) We were living in Daytona Beach at the time. I was about to go to bed when news reports started coming in that Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane had crashed. Nothing else was known. Well, there went going to bed. No, it was three hours of flipping back and forth between rock stations and news stations to see if any updates were available. About 5 AM the news came: Ronnie Van Zant, primary songwriter and lead vocalist, was one of the fatalities of the wreck. What happened? The plane ran out of fuel. If you remember back to Buddy Clark, earlier in the month, his plane ran out of fuel. Someone asked how does that happen. The NTSB usually calls it “pilot error.” So, “technically” speaking, this was a “pilot error” incident. However, you may (or may not) have heard that this plane wasn’t very good. Aerosmith had looked at the very plane that crashed as a tour plane…and rejected it. They didn’t think it was safe. In fact, Skynyrd band members didn’t like it, and they were planning on getting a new plane once they reached Baton Rouge (their intended destination). A plane with bad mechanical issues could easily use more fuel than a well-maintained plane (just as with a car). Skynyrd was just reaching “superstar” status. Their album, Street Survivors, with that eerie cover band of the band being engulfed in fire, was selling well and moving the band along into the rock and roll elite. In addition to the three band members, the two pilots and band road manager Dean Kilpatrick were killed. The other 20 passengers survived. After the crash Gary Rossington formed a band with Allen Collins (the Rossington-Collins band), but they only lasted two albums. The survivors played an instrumental version of “Free Bird” at one of the Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam shows, and that planted the seeds of re-forming. Ronnie’s brother Johnny (who’d had a minor hit with “No More Dirty Deals” in the early 80s) took over lead vocal duties. Gary Rossington died last year. He was the final original member of Skynyrd. There’s still one band member — Artimus Pyle — who survived the crash still living (he was the band’s second drummer, joining with the third album). Their song “Free Bird” was a tribute to Duane Allman. It turned out to be their own epitaph. Lynyrd Skynyrd Cassie Gaines (born Cassie LaRue Gaines) (January 9, 1948 - October 20, 1977) (age 29) Steve Gaines (born Steven Earl Gaines) (September 14, 1949 - October 20, 1977) (age 28) Ronnie Van Zant (born Ronald Wayne Van Zant) (January 15, 1948 - October 20, 1977) (age 29) Place of crash: Gillsburg, Mississippi “That Smell,” ironically on the album released two days before the plane crash: