Aviation accident in Wyoming, United States
On July 26, 2024, a Pilatus PC-12 single-engine aircraft with seven people on board crashed near the Wyoming–Montana border just north of Gillette, Wyoming, United States. All seven on board were killed upon impact. Three members of the gospel quartet The Nelons—vocalist Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason, and her daughter Amber—as well as the pilot, Georgia Department of Corrections chairman Larry Haynie, were among the deceased. The crash started a wildfire which was quickly contained by firefighting crews.
Aircraft.
The aircraft involved was a Pilatus PC-12/47E, MSN 1203, registered as N357HE. The aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft in 2010, was equipped with a Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-67P engine.
Victims.
The victims of the crash were The Nelons vocalists Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark, and Amber Clark Kistler, Amber's husband Nathan Kistler; the group's assistant, Melodi Hodges; pilot Larry Haynie, and his wife Melissa Haynie. Those on the plane were en route to join a Gaither Homecoming specialty cruise to Alaska (The Nelons were to participate as performers). They were first flying to Seattle to begin the cruise. Autumn Nelon Streetman (Kelly Clark's daughter and Amber Kistler's sister), pregnant at the time, was traveling separately on another flight with her husband Jamie, and had arrived in Seattle when information came about the incident. Shortly afterwards, the Streetmans were flown to Atlanta, where her uncle Todd Nelon is based.
At the time of his death, pilot Larry Haynie was the board chairman for the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Crash.
About 1 p.m. Mountain Time in Campbell County, Wyoming, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine aircraft crashed north of Gillette, about 223 miles north of Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming. The crash started a wildfire which firefighters contained to an area smaller than one square mile. After the fire was extinguished, crews remained on site for a time to watch for hotspots and reignition.
Initial reports indicated that an "auto pilot issue during flight" contributed to the crash. A representative said that investigators would travel to the crash site to examine the aircraft and wreckage before removing it for transport to an investigative facility.
References.
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