In July, a plane crash in northeast Wyoming claimed the lives of seven people, including three members of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet, The Nelons. The pilot had declared an emergency and reported losing the autopilot shortly before the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board NTSB released a preliminary report stating that the plane had departed from an airport in Nebraska on July 26, heading for Billings, Montana. About 12 miles northeast of Recluse, Wyoming, the aircraft went down.
Near the end of the flight, the pilot contacted Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control, declaring an emergency due to the loss of autopilot. When asked where he wanted to land, the pilot initially didn’t respond but later said he was “trying to get control of the airplane.” After losing radar and radio contact, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert, and the plane was later found crashed in a remote area.
Witnesses near the crash site reported hearing a loud whining noise before the impact. One witness saw the plane performing a barrel roll and heard its engine roaring loud before the crash.
A final report investigating the crash’s causes is expected later.
The victims included The Nelons’ co-founder Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler, and her husband Nathan Kistler. Also on board were family friend Melodi Hodges and Larry and Melissa Haynie. The Nelons were scheduled to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska. Larry Haynie was identified as the pilot.
The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and had won 10 GMA Dove Awards, including several for song and album of the year.