Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) — The pilot of a plane that crashed in northeastern Wyoming in July, killing seven people, declaring an emergency and loss of autopilot shortly before the incident that claimed the lives of three members of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons.
The preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane had taken off from an airport in Nebraska on July 26, with plans to stop in Billings, Montana, when the aircraft went down about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northeast of Enstöring , Wyoming.
During the final leg of the flight, the pilot declared an emergency to the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center and reported the loss of the autopilot, prompting the air traffic controller to ask him where he would like to land, the report said. The air traffic controller did not receive an initial response, but the pilot later said he “attempted to gain control of the aircraft,” the report said.
When radar and radio contact was lost, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert for the plane, which was later found crashed in a remote area, according to the report.
One witness near the crash site reported hearing a “loud screeching sound” before impact, while another saw the plane “overhead in a ‘barrel roll'” maneuver and heard the plane’s engine “roaring loudly” until they heard the plane impact the terrain, reports it. .
A final report on the incident, investigating potential causes, is expected later.
Nelon founder Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband, Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash, along with Nelon Kistler’s husband, Nathan Kistler, family friend Melodi Hodges, and Larry and Melissa Haynie.
The Nelons had planned to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska, Gaither Management Group said in a statement at the time that identified Larry Haynie as the pilot.
The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and won 10 GMA Dove Awards, including multiple honors for Song of the Year and Album of the Year.