The sound got louder and louder until Rossington was knocked unconscious he awoke some time later on the ground with the plane's door on top of him. Guitarist Gary Rossington recalls hearing what sounded like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane's fuselage as it began striking trees. With the gravity of the situation clear, the passengers sat in silence, some praying. At some point the passengers became aware that something was wrong, and drummer Artimus Pyle recalls entering the cabin and being told by a terrified pilot Walter McCreary to go back and strap himself in. Several other passengers passed the time by playing cards. Despite their efforts, at approximately 6:52 pm the plane skimmed about 100 yards (91В m) along the top of the tree line before smashing into a large tree and splitting into pieces near Gillsburg, Mississippi.Д®arly in the flight, witnesses recall that lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant was lying on the floor with a pillow, having been up most of the previous night and being in need of sleep. As a last resort, they attempted an emergency landing in an open field about 300 yards (270В m) from where the plane eventually went down. Upon realizing that the plane had insufficient fuel, the pilots attempted to navigate to McComb Airport, about 10 miles (16В km) northeast of the eventual crash site in Amite County, Mississippi, but soon realized that the plane would not make it. The plane ran out of fuel near the end of the flight. In honor of Skynyrd and its fallen members, watch this version of вЂњFreebirdвЂќ recorded just months before the end.On October 20, 1977, three days after releasing their album Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, and boarded a Convair CV-240 airplane to take them to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they were to perform at Louisiana State University. LetвЂ™s take a minute to remember those that didnвЂ™t make it on that tragic day back in 1977. However, the band would never be the same. Lyrnyrd Skynyrd has gone through various formations since then, and still tours regularly to this day. Taking over band leader Ronnie Van ZantвЂ™s role in the band would be, fittingly, his younger brother Johnny Van Zant.

After a decade, they would reunite, along with guitarist Ed King, who had left the band two years before the crash. Drummer Artimus Pyle, along with two crew members, were able to escape the wreckage and seek help from a local farmer and assist other the rest of the survivors.ДЄfter the accident, surviving members of the band Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson and Artimus Pyle officially disbanded. Following a concert at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, the band members boarded a chartered Convair CV-300 to head to a show down at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA the next night.Дue to a faulty engine draining fuel at an excessive rate, the plane went down over the swamp while pilots attempted an emergency landing at local airport in Gillsburg, Mississippi. The group just had come off an epic summer tour, and had released Street SurvivorsВ a mere three days before the shocking accident. With hits such as вЂњSweet Home Alabama,вЂќ вЂњSimple Man,вЂќ and вЂњFree Bird,вЂќ which features one of the most memorable guitar solos ever, and is a tribute to fallen Allman Brothers Band founding member Duane Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd was well on their way. The Jacksonville, FL-based band was well on their way into the legendary canon of the rock nвЂ™ roll halls, having cleaned up their act of boozing and fighting, at the behest of Van Zant, and turning into an absolute juggernaut of an act, both live and in the studio. One of the most tragic stories in rock history has got to be the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash that took the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and both pilots of the plane, Walter McCreary and William Gray.

Lynyrd skynyrd plane