Yes it was a shock. I remember their new album with the latest lineup showed the band with flames around them. They stopped distribution of Street Suvivor then soon re-released it without the flames.

The plane was a Convair two engine prop and American Airlines and several other airlines operated that type from 1948 through the early 1960's. They had two Pratt and Whitney 2,800 horsepower radial piston engines . The type was manufactured until 1954 and 1,100 were built. By the 1970's they had been retired by most airlines and became private planes, cargo and crop duster planes. The one LS was using had a lot of hours on the engines and needed overhaul. Plus the two pilots were lax and supposedly were sipping liquor out of the bottle. And they didnt have as much gasoline in the tanks as they thought. Both were killed in the crash.

Dickey Betts and Ronnie Van Zant had become real tight while Great Southern was on the road with LS. LS was influenced by the Allman Brothers but other than Ronnie reminding me of Gregg singing, they didnt sound like the Allmans. Dickey took it real hard. I've heard an interview with Dickey soon after the crash and he finally gave up and told the man he couldn't talk about it.

I watched a interview with Ronnie's father. Ronnie told his dad he had a bad feeling about that tour.
He told his dad he loved him as was convinced something would happen. His father was all
teary eyed recollecting about that conversation. Street Survivors album was released 10/17/77.

Although I don't really clearly recall the day of the crash, I do remember being deeply saddened by the news and the resulting media coverage. Owned the SS album with the original cover for decades...lost somewhere in time.... Saw the band twice (both times at Winterland, once w/o Billy Powell) and remember after the encore at one show, some of the guys came out and said "Show's over, we don't know how to play anything else w/o Billy" the lights came up and we all filed out. Saw the remaining members as "Rossington/Collins" once and caught the "Rebuilt" band in '91, walked away thinking JVZ was a clown who talked way too much while drinking from a bottle of Jack Daniels.....

My memories also are not clear, just great sadness, I was 14, I find myself emotionally touched by the seemingly extraordinary heartbreak and tragedy associated with Rock and Roll. Along with great creations and triumphs as well I guess?.........Peace.........joe

Although I don't really clearly recall the day of the crash, I do remember being deeply saddened by the news and the resulting media coverage. Owned the SS album with the original cover for decades...lost somewhere in time.... Saw the band twice (both times at Winterland, once w/o Billy Powell) and remember after the encore at one show, some of the guys came out and said "Show's over, we don't know how to play anything else w/o Billy" the lights came up and we all filed out. Saw the remaining members as "Rossington/Collins" once and caught the "Rebuilt" band in '91, walked away thinking JVZ was a clown who talked way too much while drinking from a bottle of Jack Daniels.....

I still have the SS album with the flaming cover.

Was supposed to see them in Syracuse on that tour.

Never took my ticket back for a refund.

Sadly my younger brother lost all my stubs from high school when I moved to Houston and my room became his.

I also saw the LS cover band in the early 90's when most of the guys were still original members.

You can read about the crash on Wikipedia. The National Transportation Safety Board placed the blame completely on the two pilots. Lack of proper flight planning and in attention to the performance of the aircraft.

The cause of the crash was fuel starvation. THEY RAN OUT OF GAS! They had just played Greenville, S. C. and the next stop was Shreveport, Louisiana. The right engine had been malfunctioning on previous flights. The band noticed flames out the exhaust pipes. The malfunction was causing the right engine to burn more gasoline than normal.

Aerosmith looked at this plane and crew earlier in the year and turned it down because the plane was too old and they noticed the pilots passing a bottle of Jack Daniels back and forth.

LS had decided they were going to fire that plane and the two pilots after the flight to Louisiana. Ronnie said they are now the number one southern band and one of the top 5 rock bands in America with sell out crowds and million selling albums and they don't have to fly in an airplane as old or older than the people in the band. They can afford a newer airplane and a more professional crew.

Ronnie Van Zant, the assistant road manager, new lead guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister and background singer Cassie and the two pilots were killed for a total of six fatalities. Twenty were injured and several were very serious. Billy Powell's nose was almost cut off. Ronnie was killed instantly when his head struck a tree that cut through the fuselage.

They were trying to land in a clearing but couldn't make it over the tree tops.

I submit that Ronnie Van Zant was the key to that band which means if anyone died it would be better if it were not Ronnie. Same with the Allman Brothers. Anyone who saw and fell in love with the original Allman Brothers could see clearly the main man in that band was Duane Allman. Ronnie and Duane were the spark plugs of those bands.

And neither LS or the ABB were ever as exciting and as good after those two died. There was an energy, a presence, a vibe that came off Ronnie and Duane that was NEVER again part of the experience of seeing those bands live. Just like imagining seeing the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger. The Dead without Jerry is another example.

Anybody who thinks a later lineup of LS or the ABB was as good as when Ronnie or Duane were alive never saw those bands with Ronnie Van Zant or Duane Allman. I'm sure all agree who saw Ronnie and Duane.

Also all Convair CV240 twin engine airliners were built between 1947 and 1954. The type first flew with American Airlines in February 1948. This plane was well over 20 years old when it crashed. But on the other hand, if it had been well maintained and had a professional crew not passing a bottle of Jack back and forth that knew how much fuel they had and that one engine was using fuel at an excessive rate, the plane would have crashed. There are Convair propliners still flying as cargo planes in central and south America that are now 60 years old. 1,100 were built and a couple hundred are still flying cargo. Certainly none are carrying passengers now.

I should mention they did toxicology exams on the bodies of the two pilots and neither man tested positive for drugs or alcohol. They had been observed sipping liquor around the plane but apparently they were sober the day of the crash. Running out of fuel between South Carolina and Louisiana is inexcusable even sober so that is why the NTSB put the blame completely on the pilots.

Been enjoying all things Skynyrd this very warm So Cal afternoon. The plane crash's anniversary still makes me sad. What could have been...

Rock In Peace Ronnie, Steve, Cassie, Dean, the pilots and the band members who've passed

Travelin' Man live. Knebworth Festival 1976

Lynyrd Skynrd Crash Report from 1977 - Rare Survivor & Eyewitness Interviews

I was only 8 years old but my older brothers already had One More From the Road playing in our house and Sweet Home Alabama was inescapable in the mid 1970s...so I remember being very sad if not details of the actual day after.

The band was on such a roll, had great new songs, and new life breathed into them with Steve Gaines. He had that pickin' strat sound that Ed King had previously provided. He was also another creative songwriting partner for Ronnie, as Ed had been (Ed & Steve coincidentally were born on the same day in 1947).

One More From the Road and Street Survivors were so good with Steve. The band was making another jump and it's sad to think where they would have gone over the next few years.

I remember what a big deal it was when Rossington Collins Band formed a couple years later. It was a bigger deal it seems in Atlanta than the Allman Brothers reuniting. They played The Omni coliseum on New Year's Eve and the local news even covered the event.

I was lucky to see Gary, Billy, Ed, Artimus and Leon perform together twice in 1987 with friends just as my freshman year at Georgia Tech began. It remains a concert highlight among the hundred I've ever seen.

Saw the original band once, opening for Marshall Tucker. Was due to see them early in the Street Survivors tour. Still have the original designed album. There were some outstanding tunes on it.

Had free tickets to see the "later years" band at our County Fair. Didn't even go.

Saw the originals open for Wet Willie - right after the Who tour. On that Ken Burns C&W series, several artists stated that, "if you love them - they'll love you back." Ronnie knew this as well as Paul McCartney in the early Beatles days. At the show I saw, Ronnie paced the front of the stage and shook any/every hand pushed towards him. I don't have the figures, but I'd bet that "Pronounced ..." sold a thousand copies in Birmingham the next day.

Saw the originals open for Wet Willie - right after the Who tour.

I was lucky enough to have seen them twice, both times at Winterland. The MTB was on both bills, the first one featured the CDB as well. Man it was so long ago and the memories have faded, but as stated earlier. I remember Billy Powell being absent at one and can clearly recall a GIANT Confederate battle flag unfurling in the background as Ronnie and the band kicked into "I Ain't The One". I was right up front against the stage for a while and can see Ronnie twirling the mic (Roger Daltrey style) as he approached the crowd. Fast forward to an encore (Free Bird) and now being way in the back there were hundreds of girls up on the shoulders of young men "dancing" and flailing their arms in the air from that vantage point during the madness that was the guitars soloing, people holding lighters in the air.....

I will never forget.

Go to the 51:00 min mark and they cover Blue Sky

Artimus Pyle Band" (Live) 12th Annual Make-A-Wish Benefit Concert! (Full Show

[Edited on 10/24/2019 by jszfunk]

podcast with Artimus.Go to the 43:00 min mark and they talk about that day.
https://omny.fm/shows/talk-is-jericho/flight-survivors-artimus-pyle-the-lynyrd-skynyrd-p

One More from the Road followed by Street Survivors propelled the band into stratosphere even though the band ended 3 days (as we know it) after the Street Survivors release. They had good song writing, charismatic leader and wonderful following before the release of SS. I've always wondered how far LS & ABB would have gone with original lineups.