Lynyrd Skynyrd was an iconic American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre. The band was originally formed in 1964, in Jacksonville, Florida, under the name "My Backyard." The founding members were singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Allen Collins and Gary Rossington, drummer Bob Burns, and bassist Larry Junstrom. They went through a few name changes, including "The Noble Five" and "The One Percent," before finally settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. The name was a mocking tribute to their gym teacher at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida, who was known for his strict policy against boys with long hair—a policy that often targeted the band members during their school days. The name Lynyrd Skynyrd was chosen as a playful jab at their former teacher, with a slight alteration in spelling.
Their journey to stardom began with the release of their debut album, Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd in 1973, which featured the hit song "Free Bird." The band's fame continued to grow with their second album, "Second Helping," released in 1974. It included the iconic song "Sweet Home Alabama," which solidified Lynyrd Skynyrd's status as Southern rock stalwarts. On October 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd was skyrocketing to fame and had several new members at the start of a three-month tour to promote their new album "Street Survivors." The current members at the time were Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Allen Collins, and Gary Rossington, drummer Artimus Pyle, bassist Leon Wilkeson, and keyboardist Billy Powell. The band also had three female backup singers known as The Honkettes, which included Leslie Hawkins, JoJo Billingsley, and Steve Gaines' sister, Cassie Gaines. The plane chosen for their tour was an old 1948 Convair CV-240, a twin-engine prop that had already racked up over 29,000 flight hours. The airplane was scheduled to fly them from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a concert taking place the following night.
A few months earlier, Aerosmith had considered chartering the same plane for their upcoming tour, but after thorough inspection and concerns over the pilot's drinking habits, Aerosmith's flight crew decided against using it for the band's travel. They deemed the plane and its crew below their safety standards. This decision most likely saved their lives. As they prepared to embark on the flight to Baton Rouge, several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and their entourage were nervous about flying in the band's leased Convair 240 and had expressed reservations to the band leader Ronnie Van Zant. But they had valid reasons because one day earlier, after a gig in Lakeland, Florida, the band flew to Greenville, South Carolina for a show on October 19, 1977. While en route, a 10-foot stream of sparks and flames erupted from the plane's right engine; luckily, they arrived at their destination without any major issues. Now, they were being requested to board the same plane once again. This did not sit well with Cassie, a backup vocalist and sister of Steve Gaines, who was so fearful of the plane that she booked a commercial ticket for the next flight to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their plan to find a different plane didn't sit well with Van Zant; getting a new plane meant canceling tour dates, and that was out of the question. Ronnie brushed them off, reportedly saying just before boarding, "Hey, if the Lord wants you to die on this plane, when it's your time, it's your time. Let's go, man. We got a gig to do." This was coming from a man who claimed he'd never make it to the age of 30.
The plane took off at 4:02 PM from Greenville, South Carolina, heading for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with an estimated arrival time of 6:45 PM. Pilot Walter McCreary notified the flight tower that they had roughly five hours of fuel onboard, plenty for the flight. The plane took off smoothly and was soon high up in the air. That night, the first stretch of the 700-mile flight to Baton Rouge was smooth sailing. It was just a typical flight. Van Zant took a nap in the aisle, huddled up with a pillow, fast asleep, while the other passengers played poker. But just a couple of hours later, halfway through the flight when the plane was over Mississippi, the pilots made the startling realization that the craft was insufficiently fueled for the voyage. Pilot Walter McCreary contacted the Air Traffic Control Center in Houston, saying they were out of fuel. They attempted to reroute to the closest airport, McComb-Pike Airport, just a couple of miles outside McComb, Mississippi. The pilots were horrified when they figured out they lacked even the sufficient fuel to make it there.
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