2024 Gillette Pilatus PC-12 crash
{{Short description|Aviation accident in Wyoming, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| occurrence_type = Accident
| image = N357HE - Pilatus PC-12 47E - KPDK - Apr 2018.jpg
| caption = N357HE, the aircraft involved in the accident
| date = {{start date|2024|07|26}}
| summary = Collided with terrain, under investigation
| site = North of Gillette, Campbell County, Wyoming, U.S.
| coordinates =
| aircraft_type = Pilatus PC-12/47E
| operator = Haynie Enterprises Inc
| tail_number = {{Airreg|N|357HE}}
| stopover0 = Nebraska City Municipal Airport, Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States
| last_stopover = Billings Logan International Airport, Billings, Montana, United States
| destination = Seattle, Washington, United States
| occupants = 7
| passengers = 6
| crew = 1
| fatalities = 7
| survivors = 0
}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Three members of Gospel Music Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons among 7 killed in Wyoming plane crash |url=https://apnews.com/article/nelons-gospel-plane-crash-wyoming-hall-fame-566a9aa818880ec2f8a2a5fcd3ae224a |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Orban |first=André |date=2024-07-28 |title=Tragic crash of Pilatus PC-12/47E in Wyoming results in seven fatalities |url=https://www.aviation24.be/miscellaneous/accidents/tragic-crash-of-pilatus-pc-12-47e-in-wyoming-results-in-seven-fatalities/ |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Aviation24.be |language=en-GB}}
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 & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P engine.{{Cite web |title=Aircraft Inquiry N357HE |url=https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=357HE |access-date=July 28, 2024 |website=registry.faa.gov}}
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.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Northern Wyoming plane crash causes 7 fatalities, sparks wildfire |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/northern-wyoming-plane-crash-causes-7-fatalities-sparks-wildfire |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}} 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 SeaTac to begin the cruise.{{Cite web |title=The Nelons: Wyoming plane crash claims lives of family gospel group members |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2gl0x7p0ko |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Autumn Nelon Streetman (Kelly Clark's daughter and Amber Kistler's sister) pregnant with Rhett James Streetman (eventually born December 1, 2024) at the time, and her husband Jamie Streetman were traveling separately on another flight.
At the time of his death, pilot Larry Haynie was the board chairman for the Georgia Department of Corrections, the state prison agency.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Dave |date=2024-07-30 |title=Georgia Department of Corrections chairman, Atlanta gospel group die in plane crash |url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2024/07/30/georgia-department-of-corrections-chairman-wife-die-in-plane-crash/74601002007/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Savannah Now}}
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.{{Cite news |last=Media |first=P. A. |date=2024-07-27 |title=Members of US family gospel group the Nelons killed in plane crash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/27/members-of-us-family-gospel-group-the-nelons-killed-in-plane-crash |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
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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{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2024}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 2020s}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillette Pilatus PC-12 crash, 2024}}
Category:July 2024 in the United States
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2024
Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Pilatus PC-12
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Wyoming