WYOMING — A fatal plane crash in Wyoming that killed three members of The Nelons musical group and four others was attributed to a combination of weather conditions and the pilot’s distraction.
That detail comes from the final report published by the National Transportation and Safety Bureau.
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According to the report, the pilot got distracted while flying in July 2024 when the autopilot program disconnected as the plane hit an updraft from convective activity.
The pilot was former Georgia Department of Corrections Board Chairman Larry Haynie.
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That distraction, and the weather conditions, caused Haynie to lose control, leading to the deaths of Nelons members Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler and their assistant, Melodi Hodges.
Haynie and his wife Melissa were both on the plane when it crashed.
As Channel 2 Action News reported, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp confirmed Haynie was the pilot and shared his condolences for the long-time civil servant.
At the time of the flight, the Nelons, the Haynies and Hodges were en route to the Gaither Music Cruise to Alaska, where the Nelons were expected to meet the rest of the musical group and attend the event.
Fellow ‘The Nelons’ member Autumn Nelon Streetman and her husband Jamie Streetman were not on board, instead in Seattle.
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