Three members of the US family gospel group The Nelons have died in a plane crash, their management has confirmed, NME report.
Jason Clark, Kelly Nelon Clark and their daughter Amber Kistler were killed in the crash in north-east Wyoming on Friday (July 26) while travelling to perform on a cruise ship. Four other people died – Kistler’s husband Nathan, the band’s assistant Melodi Hodges, the pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa.
According to the Campbell county Facebook page, the crash happened at about 1pm north of the town of Gillette and started a wildfire.
“One of the best loved gospel music families in America, the Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash on Friday afternoon on their way to join the Gaither Homecoming cruise to Alaska.,” the Gaither Management Group wrote on Instagram.
In a statement, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said preliminary information indicated the plane crashed following an “autopilot issue during flight”. The agency had sent a team of investigators to the site for further examination and a preliminary report on the crash is expected in around 30 days. A final report naming the probable cause of the crash could take up to two years to complete.
The youngest daughter of the Clarks, Autumn Nelon Streetman, was not on the plane and was waiting in Seattle for their arrival. She said: “As many of you have heard by now, my father and mother, Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, along with my sister, Amber, and brother-in-law, Nathan, as well as our dear friends Melodi Hodges, Larry and Melissa Haynie, were involved in a tragic plane crash on Friday.
