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Just over two years after a plane crash killed seven people, including members of southern gospel group The Nelons, officials have announced that poor weather and an autopilot failure caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.
The crash happened in northeastern Wyoming on July 26, 2024, killing seven people, according to a report the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released on Aug. 26.
An updraft of air caused by storm activity, clouds and low visibility led the plane’s autopilot mode to disconnect. The pilot was distracted by the autopilot disconnecting and lost control of the plane, the agency said in its report.
The plane had set out on a cross-country flight to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska, an event for label Gaither Music, which the group had worked with previously.
The plane was set to stop and refuel in Montana, the report says.
Gaither Music and the Nelon family, in a statement after the crash, confirmed that among those killed were:
- Amber Nelon Kistler and her husband, Nathan Kistler
- Jason Clark and his wife, Kelly Nelon Clark
- Melodi Hodges, the Nelons’ assistant and friend
- Pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa Haynie
“One of the best loved Gospel music families in America, The Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash,” the music label said. “The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.”
Here’s what we know about the crash that took their lives.
Pilot declared an emergency once autopilot disengaged
The pilot and six passengers were aboard a 2010 Pilatus PC-12 Next Generation aircraft that day when the plane crashed about 12 miles northeast of Recluse, Wyoming, near Gillette.
The final two minutes of the flight were when things became “erratic,” according to the report. At around 1:02 p.m., the plane was in the last portion of its flight. About 15 seconds before entering a rainy area, the pilot reported to the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center that the autopilot had stopped working.
“(The pilot) declared an emergency to the air route traffic control center controller,” the report reads. “The controller asked the pilot where he would like to land and the pilot responded that he was trying to get control of the airplane.”
The air traffic controller asked the pilot to let them know if he needed assistance but received no response, the report says.
According to data the agency’s investigators observed, the plane entered the rainy area and flew to the right, then climbed to about 26,525 feet above sea level. The plane then turned right again, descended and then flew up to about 27,025 feet above sea level.
Investigators looked at the last data point, which showed the plane was headed south at about 21,900 feet above sea level, traveling 256 knots.
“Data indicated that the autopilot disconnected a few seconds after the airplane encountered the precipitation,” the NTSB said in the report.
Pilot had 2,200 hours of flight experience
According to the NTSB’s report, the pilot was trying to turn the autopilot back on and get the plane under control, which “likely created an operational distraction.”
Once the plane lost radio and radar contact, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice. Local police eventually found the plane in remote terrain.
The pilot answered on his most recent aviation medical examination application that he had 2,200 total hours of flight experience, including 70 hours in the six months before the examination.
“The pilot was issued an FAA third-class airman medical certificate on Sept. 15, 2022, with the following limitation: must have available glasses for near vision,” the report reads.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.