A plane crash that claimed the lives of three members of the gospel group The Nelons and four others may have been caused by an equipment malfunction.
The Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine turboprop aircraft reported an “autopilot problem during flight” before crashing Friday afternoon in northeastern Wyoming.
Dan Gryder, a pilot and accident investigator, suggested that such extreme movements at 300 mph could have caused the plane to disintegrate in mid-air.
“Like when you stick your hand out while you’re walking down the street,” Gryder said. Cowboy State Journal. ‘It forces you to raise your hand very forcefully.’
The force of the plan could have caused a “domino effect” with parts of the plane breaking off while it was still airborne, Gryder said, leaving passengers enduring every minute of the violent descent until impact.
Three members of gospel group The Nelons died in a tragic plane crash (LR Kelly, Jason and Kelly’s daughters Autumn Nelon Streetman and Amber, pictured)
The Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine turboprop aircraft reported an ‘autopilot problem during flight’ before crashing Friday afternoon in northeastern Wyoming.
Once the plane begins to disintegrate, “it’s over,” he told the outlet, explaining that it’s impossible to reverse the crash at that point.
The impact is believed to have occurred after two violent minutes, which everyone on board is believed to have experienced before the accident.
The victims included Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark and Amber Nelon Kistler of The Nelons, along with Nathan Kistler, Melodi Hodges and Larry and Melissa Haynie.
The plane experienced an equipment malfunction common to problems known to plague that model of aircraft, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) spokesman Keith Holloway told the outlet.
Flight data indicate the aircraft experienced a violent up and down pitch before falling from an altitude of 26,000 feet.
The plane crash that claimed the lives of three members of the gospel group The Nelons and four others may have been caused by an equipment malfunction
The force of the plan could have caused a “domino effect” with parts of the plane breaking off while it was still airborne, Gryder said, leaving passengers enduring every minute of the violent descent until impact.
A heartbreaking video detailing the final moments of American group The Nelons (pictured, L-R: Jason Nelon Clark, Melodi Hodges, Kelly Nelon Clark and Melissa Haynie) has been discovered
The plane, which had departed Nebraska and was headed to Billings, Montana, crashed near the Montana border in northern Campbell County.
Local police reported finding debris scattered over a wide area, supporting the theory that a mid-air rupture occurred.
The accident also caused a major fire due to the plane’s fuel load, which local firefighters fought from the air and on the ground.
The NTSB plans to share a preliminary report in about two weeks following an investigation.
“The aircraft is in a remote location and once investigators gain access to the site, they will begin documenting the scene and examining the aircraft,” Holloway said Saturday. “The aircraft will then be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.”