Three members from the gospel group The Nelons were killed in a plane crash on Friday afternoon in northeast Wyoming.
The plane, which was en route to Billings, Montana, went down 8 miles south of the Montana border in Campbell County at about 1 p.m.
Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds told Cowboy State Daily there were no survivors.
He said a distress signal was sent out by the plane shortly before the crash.
Identities
A statement from the Gaither Management Group listed seven people who were killed in the crash.
The deceased were identified as: Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler and their assistant Melodi Hodges, along with the 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.
Autumn Nelon Streetman, the youngest daughter of Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, was not onboard the plane and confirmed the identities in a separate 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.”
Refueled In Nebraska
The manager of an airfield in Nebraska City, Nebraska, confirmed to Cowboy State Daily that while the plane didn't originate from there, it did touch down to take on fuel.
"It did stop here for fuel," said the manager, who declined to be identified by name.
He also said the plane was a regular customer buying fuel at the small airport.
"It's a real bummer. They've been here multiple times and are just super, super nice people," he said. "I didn't fuel it (this time), but typically they put on about 200 or 300 (gallons)."
He said he had heard something happened to the plane, but had hoped it wasn't true.
"We get aircraft from all over the country, and I dreaded the day this would happen," he said.
According to the website, CountryMusicFamily, Kelly Nelon Clark shared a post to Facebook as they departed Nebraska City where they planned to have lunch.
Response To Crash
Undersheriff Reynolds said sheriff’s office units arrived at the scene about 2:30 p.m. Medical personnel were called off on their response, David King, Campbell County Emergency Management coordinator, told Cowboy State Daily.
Scanner traffic was terse early in the response, with agents agreeing to call each other or talk on different radio lines. One responder confirmed that he’d spotted the fuselage.
A fire responder asked if he was needed. Another referenced a dozer having drawn a line across one side of the ravine so vehicles could cross the ravine to get to its northeast side.
Deputies had heard reports of a smoke column. Perkins said the fire was not subdued as of 4:30 p.m. She later dispatched a statement saying the county's suppression efforts include aircraft, heavy equipment and engine crews.
One agent speaking over the scanner asked at 4:18 p.m. if he could fly his drone over the scene to get photographs, and another responder told him that was fine.
Back at the Campbell County Fire Department in Gillette, an attendant on the phone said "no comment," adding that, "no one's here.”
The plane, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single engine aircraft, is registered to Haynie Enterprises Inc. of Henderson, Nevada.
Clair McFarland can be reached at: Clair@CowboyStateDaily.com
