A plane crash Friday in Wyoming killed three members of the Georgia-based gospel quartet The Nelons and the chair of the Georgia Department of Corrections Board, among others, officials said.
The plane, en route to Billings, Montana, went down eight miles south of the Montana border in Campbell County, Wyoming, at about 1 p.m. on July 26, reports Cowboy State Daily. Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds told the news outlet a distress signal was sent out by the plane shortly before the crash. There were no survivors.
A statement from the Gaither Management Group listed the seven people killed in the crash as Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler and their assistant Melodi Hodges, as well as pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa.
“One of the best loved Gospel music families in America, The Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash on Friday afternoon on their way to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska,” the statement reads.
Haynie was chair of the GDC Board.
“As chairman of the Georgia Department of Corrections Board and through a career of valued service in public safety, Larry’s impact on our state will not be forgotten. We will continue to hold his memory and that enduring commitment to his fellow Georgians in our hearts and memories,” said Gov. Brian Kemp in a statement released Saturday.
Kemp said he and his family are truly saddened by this tragic and “heartbreaking accident.”
Please see the following statement: https://t.co/Kna4TKDFNz pic.twitter.com/lVgPVvpVBt
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) July 27, 2024
Autumn Nelon Streetman, the youngest daughter of Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, was not on board the plane. She confirmed her parents’ deaths in a statement.
“Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark,” her statement reads. “We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”
The Nelons are a popular Christian gospel band that has performed at many venues across the country. Their home base was in Ropeville, Georgia.
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine aircraft, is registered to Haynie Enterprises Inc. of Henderson, Nevada, according to FAA records. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.
