Random Truth About Infamous Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Is Stranger Than Fiction (15 items)

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  (#7) The Left Propeller Also Suddenly Stopped, Thousands Of Feet In The Air

  Pilots Walter McCreary and William Gray were already aware of a fuel issue and there is speculation that they were attempting to transfer oil from one engine to the other but instead mistakenly jettisoned whatever remaining fuel they had, causing the left engine to also shut off, a major issue at 9,000 feet in the air.

  Band members Artimus Pyle and Billy Powell entered the cockpit when one of the pilots, his eyes distorted with fear, told them to get back to their seats and have everyone strap in. Pyle woke up Ronnie Van Zant and informed him of the situation. Survivors would later say that the Skynyrd lead vocalist nonchalantly headed to his seat, an irritated look on his face, as if this was all just another bad day at the office. Ronnie Van Zant was 87 days shy of his 30th birthday.
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  (#4) 48 Hours Prior To The Crash, The Band Was Flying On The Plane When They Saw Sparks Shoot Out Of The Engine

  On October 18, 1977, Lynryd Skynyrd performed in Lakeland, Florida, and then flew to Greenville, South Carolina, for their show on October 19, 1977. En route, several band members were alarmed when they saw 10-foot streams of sparks and flames shooting out of the right engine of the prop plane.

  Although the plane landed safely, following the concert, several members of the band and crew told lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant that they would not continue the tour unless the plane was replaced. Backup vocalist Cassie Gaines even made a reservation on a commercial flight to the next tour stop, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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  (#13) A Member Who Intuitively Left The Band Had The Same Birthday As His Deceased Replacement

  Lynryd Skynyrd's first two albums were quite successful and included the signature songs "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama," which established the band as a viable act. But less successful efforts eventually created dissension. During the infamous 1975 "Torture Tour," a 90-day, 61-date enterprise, lead guitarist Ed King decided that he had had enough. He literally walked out on the band on May 27, 1975, for reasons that are still in dispute.

  King acknowledges that he never really fit in with the rest of the group, who knew each other from their roots in lower middle class, Jacksonville, Florida. King was a career musician who achieved fame with the one-hit wonder band, Strawberry Alarm Clock. He achieved immortality by composing the introductory guitar riff for "Sweet Home Alabama." King's voice is also heard numerically introducing the song before Van Zant's "Turn it up!"

  Van Zant uncharacteristically allowed Ed King to be included in the song credits for "Sweet Home Alabama." King was eventually replaced by Steve Gaines, one of the two band members killed on October 20, 1977. Years later, King was stunned when he visited Gaines's grave, only to find out that they shared the same birthday: September 14, 1949. 
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  (#11) A Local Fire Department Chief Was The First To The Crash Site

  The first individual to reach the crash site was Jamie Wall of the Gillsburg Volunteer Fire Department. He convinced Mote that a crash had actually occurred and Mote ultimately let the fireman and his brother Jeffrey onto his property. Wall used a flashlight to cross a creek and when he got to the plane, a Coast Guard helicopter had illuminated it so any forthcoming rescue units could find it.

  The plane was twisted in pieces, the front part upside down. Wall saw one of the pilots, hanging from the interior of the cockpit, clearly dead. Several times in the dark, he tripped over human beings who were still alive and used a hatchet to chop away debris and remove survivors from the wreckage. Eventually, he would be joined by hundreds of people who helped pull survivors out of the plane and walked or stretchered them through creeks and swamp to ambulances as much as a mile away. Although six people were killed, including both pilots, road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Ronnie Van Zant, and Steve and Cassie Gaines, 20 people survived the crash despite horrific injuries. 
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  (#5) Several Band Members Did Not Want To Fly On The Convair, But They Were Overruled By Band Leader Ronnie Van Zant

  Van Zant was more than just the band's main song writer and central figure. Known as "Papa Ronnie" when sober, he was a thoughtful, patriarchal influence who had held the band together through earlier, leaner times. While intoxicated, he was an intimidating, violent individual who once knocked out the two front teeth of keyboard player Billy Powell (he felt Powell overextended his "Free Bird" piano intro). He had even slashed the hands of Gary Rossington, his best friend and guitarist, with a broken beer bottle.

  Getting a new plane meant cancelling tour dates, which was something Van Zant wouldn't even consider. He also appealed to the band's pride by saying that they were scheduled to appear on the campus of LSU, headlining in front of a crowd of at least 10,000 fans. This was not some venue in New York or Chicago, it was in the Deep South, in front of their most loyal fan base. Typical of a man who repeatedly said he would never make it to the age of 30, Van Zant got on the plane, telling Cassie Gaines, "If your time is up, your time is up."  
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  (#3) Lynyrd Skynyrd And Aerosmith Were Both Interested In The Same Plane, But Aerosmith Cited Safety Concerns And Backed Out

  Prior to Lynyrd Skynyrd leasing their twin prop, a Convair CV-240, Aerosmith was also interested in the same plane. The band's autobiography tells the story of their management examining the aircraft and being underwhelmed. When they also observed the pilot and co-pilot exchanging a bottle of Jack Daniel's during the inspection, they were convinced that both the Convair and its crew were not up to their standards.

  This was in the spring of 1977, only months before Skynyrd's tragic flight.  

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