RECLUSE, Wyo. — A pilot reported losing autopilot and declared an emergency before the plane he was flying crashed in northeastern Wyoming last month, killing all seven people onboard, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Three members of Atlanta family gospel group The Nelons – Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark and Amber Kistler – were among those killed in the July 26 crash, WXIA reports. Amber's husband, Nathan Kistler; the Kistlers' assistant Melodi Hodges; and the pilot and his wife, Larry and Melissa Haynie, were also killed.
According to the NTSB preliminary report, the private plane crash happened around 1 p.m. July 26 near Recluse, Wyoming, which is a town about 36 miles north of Gillette. The Pilatus PC-12 was headed from Nebraska City, Nebraska to Billings, Montana, the report says.
During the last portion of the flight, the pilot reported to the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center that he had lost autopilot and declared an emergency, the report says. The controller asked the pilot where he would like to land but got no response. The pilot then responded that he was trying to get control of the airplane, and the controller told the pilot to let them know if he required more help. The controller then advised the pilot of the minimum instrument flight rules altitude and current altimeter and got no further response from the pilot.
After radio and radar contact was lost, the FAA issued an alert notice for the airplane. Local law enforcement found it in remote terrain about 12 miles northeast of Recluse, the report says.
One witness located near the crash site heard a “loud whining noise” that diminished and then increased before the crash, according to the report. Another witness saw the airplane overhead in a “barrel roll” maneuver and heard the airplane’s engine “roaring loud” before the crash.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
According to a statement from Gaither Management Group, the seven people aboard the plane had been traveling to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise bound for Alaska.
The Nelons had been active for decades, founded originally by Rex Nelon, Kelly Nelon Clark's father. The band was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and they were also once nominated for a Grammy for Best Southern Gospel Album for "Let The Redeemed Say So" in 1991.
Larry Haynie was the chairman of the Georgia Department of Corrections Board.
WXIA contributed to this report.
