On October 20, 1977, “Lynnyrd Skynyrd“'s flight to their next concert did not reach Baton Rouge. The chartered Convair 240 with registration N55VM crashed in a densely wooded area near Gillsburg, Mississippi, after the plane ran out of fuel.
There were 24 passengers and two crew members on board. Six people died: vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, the band's assistant tour manager, and the two pilots. Another 20 people survived but were injured.
Last fuel alert
The plane took off from Greenville, South Carolina, and headed for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During the flight, the crew reported to air traffic control that it was running low on fuel and requested a diversion to McComb Airport.
At approximately 6:52 p.m. local time, the plane crashed about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Gillsburg. The pilots attempted an emergency landing, but the plane crashed into trees. There was no fire on impact, but the aircraft was completely destroyed.
“The probable cause of this accident was the exhaustion of fuel and the complete loss of power from both engines due to the crew's inattention to the available fuel“, concluded the US National Transportation Safety Board.The report, adopted in June 1978, also indicated additional factors: insufficient flight planning and an undetermined malfunction in the right engine, which led to higher fuel consumption.
The album released three days earlier
The disaster occurred just three days after the release of “Lynnard Skynyrd“s fifth studio album – – “Street Survivors“. Its original cover shows the musicians engulfed in flames. After the tragedy, it was replaced with another, more restrained vision.
The deaths of Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines interrupted the rise of one of the most popular Southern rock bands in the United States. “Lynnard Skynyrd“ broke up, and the surviving musicians returned to the stage years later with a new line-up.
The songs “Free Bird“ and “Sweet Home Alabama“ continue to define the group's place in rock history, and the disaster near Gillsburg remains one of the worst tragedies in the history of American music.
Sources: ntsb.gov, history.com, apnews.com