Seven Perish In Northern Wyoming Plane Crash

On Friday, July 26th, seven people died in an airplane wreck around seven to eight miles from the Montana border, near the Bay Horse Road.

The single engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12 aircraft went down around 1:05 PM, and started a 38 acre fire. All seven occupants of the plane, which had taken off from Nebraska with a destination of Billings-Logan airport, perished in the crash.

Killed in the crash were pilot Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa, Melodi Hodges, as well as Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, and Amber and Nathan Kistler, according to Gaither Management Group, a media organization representing “The Nelons” Gospel music group. Jason and Kelly Nelon Klark, as well as Amber Kistler were members of the group, originally founded in 1977, which featured an evolving set of members, singing southern gospel music. The statement went on to say the plane was enroute to an Alaskan cruise with other Christian performers, scheduled to depart from Seattle.

Responding to the incident were emergency service personnel from Campbell County, Wyoming. The plane reportedly sent out a distress signal before crashing, and debris was spread over a wide area from the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, and a preliminary report with facts from the initial investigation generally comes out within 30 days of the crash; a final report with probable cause and other details often takes several years.