10/20/2026
So happy I got to go see them a couple of months ago! What an amazing legacy. May they rest in peace, and may their brethren continue to sustain their legacy.
On This Day in 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd Played Their Final Concert — The Story of Their Last Hours Together
October 19, 1977, was supposed to be another stop on Lynyrd Skynyrd's ambitious Tour of the Survivors. Their new album, Street Survivors, had been released just two days earlier, and the band was preparing to travel from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a concert at Louisiana State University on October 21.
But behind the scenes, there was a serious problem. Their chartered Convair CV-240, a twin-engine aircraft built in 1947, had already frightened several passengers. During the previous flight into Greenville on October 18, flames had been seen coming from its right engine. The plane had arrived safely, but the incident left some of the musicians deeply concerned about flying again.
Guitarist Allen Collins was particularly shaken. Gary Rossington later recalled Collins describing the frightening sight of flames coming from the engine. Cassie Gaines was also afraid of the aircraft and reportedly wanted to make the next journey by road with the equipment crew rather than fly.
Ronnie Van Zant was determined to keep the tour moving, but the situation was more complicated than simply ignoring the danger. Years later, drummer Artimus Pyle explained that the band had already discussed replacing their transportation. They wanted to purchase two tour buses, one for the women traveling with the group and another for the crew, and move to a Learjet for future flights.
More importantly, there was a specific plan for Baton Rouge. According to Pyle, a mechanic from Falcon Aviation was supposed to meet the Convair after landing and inspect its troubled engine. If the problem could not be repaired, the band intended to continue the tour using commercial flights. They were not planning to rely indefinitely on the aging aircraft.
The following afternoon, October 20, the musicians and their traveling party prepared to leave Greenville Downtown Airport. Ronnie, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell and Artimus Pyle were among the 26 people aboard, along with road crew members, associates and the two pilots.
The official flight plan called for a journey of approximately two hours and 43 minutes to Baton Rouge, with a cruising altitude of 12,000 feet. The expected arrival was around 6:45 p.m. Central Time. The band would then have the following day to prepare for their scheduled Friday-night performance at LSU.
At 5:02 p.m. Greenville time, the Convair finally took off. In Louisiana, where clocks were one hour behind, it was 4:02 p.m.
That departure was supposed to mark the beginning of a new chapter in the tour, with repairs or replacement transportation awaiting them in Baton Rouge.
Instead, during the flight, the aircraft developed a fuel emergency. At approximately 6:42 p.m. Central Time, the pilots contacted air traffic control requesting directions to the nearest airport. Minutes later, both engines had lost power, and the aircraft descended toward the wooded countryside near Gillsburg, Mississippi.
Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick and both pilots lost their lives. Twenty others survived, many with devastating injuries.
The most heartbreaking detail is that Lynyrd Skynyrd had already been discussing a safer way to travel. They had plans for new transportation, another concert waiting in Baton Rouge, and a newly released album that promised an extraordinary future.
They were only one flight away from putting those plans into motion.
