Lynyrd Skynyrd BS

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Lynyrd Skynyrd had established themselves as one of the most successful rock bands of the ’70s by the time they released Street Survivors in October 1977. The group’s career would come to a tragic halt just three days later, on Oct. 20, 1977, when their twin engine plane went down in a swamp in Gillsburg, Miss., killing three of the band members, a tour manager and both pilots on impact. The group had put together a string of iconic hits including “Free Bird,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Gimme Back My Bullets” prior to the release of Street Survivors. Anticipation for the new album was so high that it went gold within days, and Lynyrd Skynyrd embarked on the most ambitious headlining tour of their career, traveling between concert dates in their own Convair CV-300. Rock legend has it that Aerosmith had looked into renting the same plane earlier in the year, but passed on it due to concerns over both the safety of the plane, and the readiness of its crew. Lynyrd Skynyrd were traveling from Greenville, S.C., to Baton Rouge, La., when their plane apparently ran out of fuel toward the end of the flight. The pilots attempted to land on a small air strip, but the bottom of the plane clipped some trees, and the aircraft went down in a remote stand of forest. Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, vocalist Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray were killed instantly, while the other band members and road crew suffered terrible injuries. Drummer Artimus Pyle and two crew members crawled from the wreckage and hiked through swampy woods until they finally flagged down a local farmer, who sent for help. Read More: The History of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Tragic Plane Crash | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/lynyrd-skynyrd-plane-crashes/?trackback=tsmclip