The farmer then rushed to assist Pyle and get help back to the crash site. Then, something tore through my arm, and I yelled, ‘Plane Crash!’ with what I thought was my last breath.” I was stumbling because I had injuries and thought I was dying. There was some discussion as to whether it might have been a ricochet shot. The farmer would later deny shooting Pyle. “He came out of the house, and I looked like Charles Manson all covered in blood, with my long hair and beard. “I know the farmer was only protecting his family,” Pyle says. He would end up getting shot along the way. He headed for a farmhouse he spotted in the distance. Right after the crash, Pyle, whose injuries included broken ribs, helped pull one victim out of the wreckage, then went for help. Of the 26 people on board, miraculously, 20 survived, although many suffered severe injuries. Pilot Walter McCreary and Co-pilot William Gray rounded out the six fatalities. Guitarist Steve Gaines, and Gaines sister and back-up vocalist, Cassie Gaines were also killed, along with assistant road manager, Dean Kilpatrick. Pyle believes he was probably struck by the heavy Sony Trinitron or beta machine they had on board that was loose and flying through the plane along with everything else – upon impact. The doctor told him Van Zant’s body was intact, but he had died from a single blow to the head. Much later, after Pyle was eventually transported to the hospital, Pyle would discover Van Zant didn’t make it. The small plane had 26 people on board, and six were killed in the crash, including three members of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Band. The wreckage of a twin engine Convair CV-240 plane lies in a wooded area near McComb, Miss., on Oct. Pyle chokes up and pauses, then through tears, continues. He stopped at my seat, did the old hippie handshake, then gave me a beautiful smile. You’re going to the back of the plane where it’s probably a little safer. “Ronnie went to the back of the plane, and I remember thinking to myself, that’s a good idea. Pyle remembers everything, including his last interaction with Van Zant. I mean everybody was going, ‘Oh shit, we’re going down.” So, there was some anger, but for the most part everybody was calm, cool, and collected. “In the movie, it shows some of the band freaking out because a couple of guys got really mad at our pilot and co-pilot for making the terrible mistakes that got us into this position. ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ are in a certain class of rock song that supersedes the band to become standards of the genre.Bio-documentary that tells the story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash through the eyes of drummer. The band released their first album ‘(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)’ in 1973, to immediate acclaim in rock circles, especially for their song ‘Free Bird’.įor many, Lynyrd Skynyrd are the quintessential band for a Southern US brand of Rock n’ Roll. The band named themselves after Leonard Skinner, a PE teacher in their Florida high school and a character in Allan Sherman's novelty song ‘Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh’. They cycled through the names ‘Conquer the Worm’, ‘The Noble Five’ and ‘The One Percent’ before settling on the iconic moniker ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ in 1969. Please keep Dale, Mary, Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this difficult time.” Lynyrd Skynyrd's legacyĪ founding member of the band, Rossington was a teen when he, Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom and Bob Burns started practising together in 1964.Īs a fivesome, the group was originally called ‘My Backyard’. “Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does.
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