2024 Gillette Pilatus PC-12 crash
.jpg) A Pilatus PC-12 similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 26, 2024 |
| Summary | Collided with terrain, under investigation |
| Site | North of Gillette, Campbell County, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Pilatus PC-12/47E |
| Operator | Haynie Enterprises Inc |
| Registration | N357HE[1] |
| 1st stopover | Nebraska City Municipal Airport, Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States |
| Last stopover | Billings Logan International Airport, Billings, Montana, United States |
| Destination | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Occupants | 7 |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 7 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On July 26, 2024, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine aircraft with seven people on board crashed near the Wyoming–Montana border, just north of Gillette, Wyoming, United States. All seven of the occupants were killed on impact. Three members of the gospel quartet The Nelons — vocalist Kelly Nelon Clark and her husband Jason and daughter Amber — and a Georgia Department of Corrections chairman were among the deceased. The crash started a wildfire that was quickly put out by firefighters.[2][3]
Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft involved was a Pilatus PC-12/47E, MSN 1203, registered as N357HE, that was manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft in 2010.[4] The aircraft was equipped with one Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P engine.[5]
Victims
[edit]Among the victims were The Nelons vocalists Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark, and Amber Clark Kistler, as well as Amber's husband Nathan Clark and the group's assistant, Melodi Hodges.[6] The Nelons were a gospel quartet started by founding member Rex Nelon as The Rex Nelon Singers in 1977.[7] The Nelons have been nominated for many awards in the southern gospel music industry, including Grammy Awards, GMA Dove Awards,[8] Singing News Awards,[9] Absolutely Gospel Awards,[10][11] Diamond Awards, and Christian Voice Awards.[12] The group was flying to Seattle for a performance on a cruise ship.[13]
The plane was piloted by Georgia Department of Corrections board chairman Larry Haynie, whose wife Melissa was also among the victims.[14]
Crash
[edit]At around 1 p.m. MT in Campbell County, Wyoming, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine aircraft crashed to the north of Gillette and roughly 250 miles (402 kilometers) north of Wyoming capital Cheyenne. The crash started a wildfire that firefighters were able to contain to an area smaller than one square mile and were assigned to remain at the site of the fire to stop any re-ignitions.[2][15]
Initial reports indicated that an "auto pilot issue during flight" contributed to the crash.[2] A representative stated that investigators would need to travel to the remote location of the destroyed aircraft to examine the scene of the crash and take the aircraft to an investigative facility.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ "FAA Registry (N357HE)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ a b c "Three members of Gospel Music Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons among 7 killed in Wyoming plane crash". AP News. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Orban, André (July 28, 2024). "Tragic crash of Pilatus PC-12/47E in Wyoming results in seven fatalities". Aviation24.be. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Accident Pilatus PC-12/47E N357HE, Friday 26 July 2024". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Aircraft Inquiry N357HE". registry.faa.gov. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Northern Wyoming plane crash causes 7 fatalities, sparks wildfire". Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH). July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ McNeil, W. K. (October 18, 2013). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Routledge. p. 317. ISBN 978-1-135-37700-7.
- ^ "Ryman to Ring out with Gospel". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 25, 1995. pp. 59. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "S / Singing News Fan Awards". Southern Gospel History. November 10, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Absolutely Gospel Music Award Nominees Announced". Absolutely Gospel Music. January 5, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "2014 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Winners". Music Times. April 20, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ Letter, First (May 21, 2016). "Your Source for Information & Inspiration". Christian Voice Magazine. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "The Nelons: Wyoming plane crash claims lives of family gospel group members". BBC. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Dave (July 30, 2024). "Georgia Department of Corrections chairman, Atlanta gospel group die in plane crash". Savannah Now. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Media, P. A. (July 27, 2024). "Members of US family gospel group the Nelons killed in plane crash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 27, 2024.