The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site – In Pictures & Maps
Of the 26 passengers and crew on board the doomed flight, there were 20 survivors. You can read more about it here.
Let’s look at some images now.
There were 26 people crammed on this old model of Corvair, a reliable plane, and many are still in service today. The band just ran out of fuel. Their version of the plane was white with blue stripes.
The Convair CV-300 itself had been inspected by members of Aerosmith’s flight crew for possible use in the early summer of 1977, but was rejected because it was felt that neither the plane nor the crew were up to standards.
Aerosmith’s assistant chief of flight operations Zunk Buker tells of seeing pilots McCreary and Gray trading a bottle of Jack Daniel’s back and forth while he and his father were inspecting the plane.
The plane crashed here:
The red marker is the spot. It’s 5 miles west of I-55 which I have driven by many times to visit family in Jackson.
Let’s zoom in, shall we:
Considering the eyewitness accounts and what’s in the area, I think I found the farmhouse where members of the band sought help… Top is North. Bottom is South… It’s been almost 40 years, but I think that’s the only house in the area during that time. There is a different brown house outside the upper left of the green circle, but seems like too many woods are in the way… witness stated: “quarter mile through pasture and woods”…
All told, it’s a really beautiful area with green fields, trees, woods and rolling hills. Mississippi is like that. Google it and check it out for yourself. If you have any info to lend or correct, post here or e-mail me. Thanks for looking.
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Stephanie Tipton, 
Michael, and 6 others are discussing. 
Bonnie Brae 8:17 am on February 15, 2013 Permalink |
The plane ran out of fuel!
You have got to be kidding me.
That is horrible.
John 9:02 am on February 15, 2013 Permalink |
The link I cite at the bottom has a bunch of great info and photos. The ambulances could not reach the scene so the injured people were brought out in pick-up trucks.
Mark C 4:12 pm on November 2, 2013 Permalink
Got some more information about this crash but not been on here long enough to know posting rules John go by. I am long time Skynyrd Fan. I was working on High School Float at this time and we heard it on the local radio & This only accident I can remember in my life that the news including so many details came out in the media so fast, It was like within 2 to 3 hours at the most of the crash.
Interview with Rolling Stone on 11/1977 Billy Powell key board player & he not only person on plane stated this very same fact I guess you call it The band was going dump that plane “for sure” in New Orleans there only 2nd flight on this aircraft where they was heading during this faithful flight, The Band voted on dumping that Plane night before because everybody was scared of flying on it..So in normal Rock & Roll circles, They started the night before partying for The last flight on this could be called A nightmare of a plane they leased..
Very strange fact to this, In FAA files if you dig deep enough and really read it in the FAA web site, The legal paperwork signed by Lynyrd Skynyrd band & staff and L&J Aviation owners of leased plane had and was a very legally hard to understand contract!! And The Band was going dump the plane earlier in S.C. after there 1st flight on it. They only been on a 2 city 1 flight tour so far starting on a long tour ending in Hawaii around New Years to promote there new album, In SC it reported main members of band had staff to start checking on a leased Jet to meet them in Orleans because Led Zeppelin was using 1 at that time.
But appear L&J was trying to make the band pay for the complete contract use of the plane if they used it or not and L&J was trying to say they had the final call on any and all safety issues.. Over this accident FAA made all Leased Aviation Contracts in US more simple to understand & if the leaser thought the plane was unsafe for flight they had a right to refuse to fly in the Aircraft in question. Basically Skynyrd would more than likely dumped the Plane in Greenville SC after 1 flight and would not even been on that faithful fight if Lawyers didn’t try earn there worth so much on that aviation contract .. The FL to SC flight they had flames coming completely over the right wing surface of the plane on that flight in a reported 5 to 15 plus minutes period, That scared everybody when that happed. I know it would scared myself too.
One member of Road Crew even bought a ticket on Commercial Flight to Orleans, But he was talked into taking that final flight anyway but he survived, I think his last name was Osborne. Not sure name wise but one of them did do this, Cassie as stated above post wanted to ride in the equipment truck it scared her that bad.
Check-Six web site and FAA web site both Aviation only web sites has lot more detailed information. Most my information came from these 2 sites..
I just hope I don’t start WW3 here, They so many different stories out on this crash but I try my best to stick only to the proven official facts of this terrible accident. Thousand wonders they was not more deaths than they was in this crash. Bunch crew members was playing poker at that time and had bill folders out and this cause a huge nightmare for Miss. Officials trying get everybody’s names correct. Lot of people was hurt bad and could not talk.
Somewhere on internet there, Both Husband and Wife It’s a had to be true story of a Sound & Light guy who survived and his wife was going meet him in Orleans telling there true story, And 1 of Truck- Equipment men started looking for her ( They meet before on other tours ) and found her in motel bar in Orleans where she was waiting any minute now on her husband to meet her there that evening and they unhooked the semi-trailer, the only mean’s of transportation they had and took that semi-truck from Orleans to accident scene in record time, Other Semi’s would help them get passed by them and even police they passed would not pull them over, They was going way over the posted speed limit. This very good example of just how fast the news of this plane crash hit the media and radios of that time period. I think name of company that guy worked for was ShowCo. A pretty famous company for music industry in its own right..
John if I did anything wrong feel free to take it down. I understand.
My goal was only inform readers little bit more if they was interested really into this Plane Crash. This crash really did turn out to be a major huge step in FAA rule change’s in Aviation & Leasing of aircraft industry that directly effects us even today..
I have no idea the aftermath of legal problems come from this accident but I bet it was a other nightmare on its own right.
Sorry every time I check read this I add more to it.. I quitting while I am ahead. Really amazing story in its own right. Sadly from people who love ones who died, And poor people who did survived some had survivors guilt, I don’t know Allen Collins true problem was, but he never was the same as most of the other survivors
John 8:23 am on November 4, 2013 Permalink
That’s great info, Mark. Post here all you want!
Tom 12:14 pm on July 31, 2014 Permalink
Actually @john, 3 ambulances got stuck so they used trucks. To get back to it they had to take 2 bulldozers to know a path down
Mark C. 11:55 pm on November 4, 2013 Permalink |
Thanks’ for vote of confidence John,
But I want to say I was wrong on at least 1 thing the Flight was from Greenville SC to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Not New Orleans .. I am just glad people from LSU area not bit my head off yet. Thank You.
Plus that Convair 240 plane that was updated to a 300 model was built in 1948, 3rd one ever built, Plus after countless owners that plane had accumulated over 29,000 flight hours in October of 1977.
That just how much this crash shocked people in aviation world, A plane these days with that many hours would been lucky to been hauling freight only or private use only, If not in scrap yard just over metal fatigue issues, Now they even count the amounts of landings and take-offs a plane do as a major safety issue factor, But back in them days in aviation you could get by doing that. That just how much safety has advanced.
Very strange thing again about this very same plane!!, The very same plane had been inspected by members of Aerosmith’s Rock Band flight crew for possible use in the early summer of 1977, And it was stated in media that both Steven Tyler & Joe Perry wanted to use this one plane, But it was rejected by Zunk & his Dad because they felt that neither the plane or the crew were up to there or the bands standards.
In an interview in a book “Walk This Way”, Aerosmith’s assistant chief of flight operations Zunk Buker tells of seeing the pilots, Captain Walter W. McCreary and First Officer William J. Gray, Jr., was trading a bottle of “Jack Daniels” back and forth while Buker and his father were inspecting the plane.
I try not blame the pilots, They didn’t own the plane, But really they was responsible for major part of the daily safety issues came up later, I feel they was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time period & almost made a example of, They was just trying to make a living doing what they loved to do,* But note that don’t make what they did the right thing do of done..
But sadly if you was a pilot and not flying that day, Trading shots of Jack around airport was known to happen often in small time aviation circles . That don’t make it right but for there families sake I am sure them 2 pilots was not the only pilots who was doing this.. Both pilots died in crash. Some pilots friends I got told me FAA was specially hard behind closed doors on some issues of these pilots actions but too the very same pilots who was my source said ” We did a lot of these very same issues and it was very common practice we all did it back in them days. But this crash did wake all of us up on some major safety issues we ourselves was doing daily”.
One pilot I love to talk too. He was a major well known drug running pilot in that time period & He even had movie stars come to him just to hang out with him a few weeks for a inside few of his business for a movie role’s, I meet some of them myself with him, He even wrote a book, but he throw & burn it in the trash on very good advise from his Lawyer I feel.. “If he didn’t want to spend rest of his days in jail”.. But a very interesting guy to talk to.
Really in Aviation Circles this 1 & few other “High Media” crashes change FAA hugely from the 1977 time period to today standards..
Any You-Tube watchers ( not trying advertise You-Tube ) out there. A Paul Welch they interview on there, I think he was employed by ShowCo himself, He was on this plane that crashed they interview him and he really get’s into the real feels and facts of that sad day. You can see the hard life he had to live to this day over this crash. I think he was in a coma for over a month over this crash, He is a other one never was the same.. As are a couple more interviews on other people that was in this plane crash and are on this & other on-line media sites. FAA themselves stated its amazing anybody survived that plane crash.
Best hurry up sadly these people slowly dying off. Such as Jo Jo Billingsley back-up singer who was home with the Flu.
Billingsley was the only band member not on the flight. She stated that she had a dream two nights before the plane crashed, foreseeing the event. She attempted to warn the other band members not to get on that plane countless times, I saw where she said she was on the phone begging Tri-Lead Guitarist Allen Collins to please not to get back on that plane. This transformed her into a born again Christian who sadly died in a fight with cancer back in 2010.
I promise John I shut-up now and we get back on Wonderland case..
I just happen know lot about this plane crash and trying to enlighten other readers interested on this sad but true story. Now I can’t swear everything I stated is 100% true facts because there is just so many personal stories out in media now days just on this one crash only. Even surviving band members get there stories mixed up such as Billy Powell who passed away in 2009 & Artimus Pyle both got mixed up in there media interviews before, But too you look at the very hard impact there whole body must had to live through..
I be little mixed up too. They skidded across tree tops for over 100 yards and been est. going close to little over 200 mph seconds before the sudden final impact crash site stop.
That’s a very hard hit for anybody to live though and still remember every detail correctly..
Paramedic 1:39 pm on December 13, 2014 Permalink |
Worked with a man named Ted who worked this crash when it happened. Turned onto a red clay road. About 3/4 mile in he pointed to his left at a cattle gate a said, “right down there is were that Lynyrd Skynyd fella was killed in a plane crash. We had to walk into there and carry the bodies back out.” 1994.
Michael 4:57 pm on October 14, 2015 Permalink |
You or good man and thanks…..GREAT INFO
Stephanie Tipton 4:06 pm on October 20, 2015 Permalink |
I just watched a video from the surviving members that state the were LOW ON FUEL.They lost an engine and were landing in a swamp.During decending,the pilot accidentally hit a button that dumped their remaining fuel,killing the remaining engine.Today is the 38 th anniversary of the plane crash.
Brian c 9:36 pm on March 29, 2021 Permalink |
They did not dump the fuel Mark Frank saw liquid coming out but they were dumping the reserve water tanks n sewage they had hundreds of pounds and gallons of water reserve so they had to get rid of it that’s what Mark Frank saw no one ever along the glidepath found any evidence of dumped gasoline mystery solved I’m pretty sure the Pilots were not that incompetent they knew how the plane worked sitting on the tarmac in South Carolina and not taking on enough fuel was the problem they sketched on budget and that’s why The manager try to save money and he sold himself short