Three members of the gospel group The Nelons were among seven people killed in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday, July 26. There were no survivors.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said “an in-flight autopilot issue” was a concern and that investigators were further assessing the situation after examining the crash scene.
Prior to the crash of the single-engine Pilatus PC-12/47E turboprop aircraft, Dr. Alan Diehl, former NTSB, FAA and U.S. Air Force crash investigator, aviation psychologist and author of “Requiem for Camelot,” spoke to Fox News Digital about the events that passengers on the fatal flight may have experienced.
“Dark fears. I hear them a lot in my novels. [John F. Kennedy Jr.] “It was falling out of the sky,” Diehl said. “I said I was done, but the screaming, you know, he didn’t have a voice recorder on the plane, but when a plane falls out of the sky like this, he and his two passengers must have just been terrified.”
Seven killed in plane crash, including three members of gospel music hall of fame quartet The Nelons
Jason Clark, Kelly Nelon Clark and Amber Nelon Clark died in a plane crash in Wyoming. Autumn (second from left) was not on the plane at the time of the crash. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images, courtesy of Dove Awards)
“But, of course, in this case, you know, the actual disintegration, we don’t know. The plane may have lost pressurization. And in some sense, if the disintegration had happened early enough and there had been a loss of pressurization, they may have actually been unconscious or semi-conscious in the last minute or so. And that would be merciful. They would say it was God’s mercy.”
The Nelons co-founder Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler died in the accident, according to a statement released by their daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, the band’s fourth member.
“I want to thank you for the prayers that have already been offered to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be son, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark,” she said. “Thank you all for your continued prayers, love and support as we get through the days ahead.”
“If the decomposition had happened quickly enough and the pressure had been lost, they might have actually been unconscious or semi-conscious in the last minute or so. And that would be merciful. They would call it God’s mercy.”
Amber’s husband, Nathan Kistler, her assistant, Melody Hodges, and pilot Larry Haney and his wife, Melissa, also died in the crash, according to Nelon Streetman.
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Deal said investigators on the ground would launch “a massive effort to determine whether or not that particular autopilot failed,” adding that “in theory, any time that such a failure occurs, it should be reported to the FAA so that the FAA can track this data.”
The Nelons’ Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber Nelon Thompson, Autumn Nelon Clark and Jason Clark attend the 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards at Lipscomb Allen Arena on October 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
He noted that when NTSB investigators arrived on the scene, they would likely have checked to see if the body was “inside the aircraft” and even whether it was clothed.
“The fact that they were undressed means they were thrown out while the plane was still falling,” he said. “When you’re going 200, 300 miles per hour, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. Unless you’ve got really tight blue jeans, your clothes are going to get ripped off.”
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“I’ve investigated military accidents and in many cases the flight suits were torn apart. They had a few minutes to think they were going to die,” Deal added.
Aviation safety expert and former airline pilot Kathleen Bangs told Fox News Digital that the Pilatus PC12 is an “expensive airplane” that only requires one pilot to fly. Bad weather could have affected the flight, causing the plane to spin out of control.
Autumn Nelon Streetman (right) was not on the plane that crashed, taking the lives of her family. (Jason Davis/Getty Images, courtesy of GMA)
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“People often ask me if the passengers were conscious at the time,” says Buns. “You know, the air is pretty thin at 26,000 feet. So there’s always the possibility that you’re getting 300 mph winds blowing at you and it suddenly gets pretty cold. The air is pretty thin. If a passenger is thrown out of the plane, there’s a good chance they’re going to lose consciousness.”
“There have been cases where the person was conscious all the way down.”
of An Atlanta-based gospel music family The family was on the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the plane crashed, according to cruise sponsor Gaither Music Group. The family’s youngest daughter, Autumn, and her husband, Jamie Streetman, were not on the flight and only found out about the crash after they arrived safely in Seattle.
“Autumn and Jamie have rejoined Kelly’s brother, Todd Neron, and his wife Rhonda as they navigate the difficult task ahead. Please keep them, and the Kistler, Haney and Melody Hodges families, in your prayers,” Gaither Music Group said.
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Holloway said a preliminary report on the crash is expected to be released within about 30 days, but a final report estimating what caused the crash could take up to two years to complete.
Nelons was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and is a 10-time GMA Dove Award winner, including multiple wins for Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
