On July 26, 2024, a

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in addi ...

single-engine aircraft with seven people on board crashed near the

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

–

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

border just north of

Gillette, Wyoming Gillette (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, jih-LET'') is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The town was founded in 1891 as a major railway town on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The po ...

, United States. All seven on board were killed upon impact. Three members of the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

quartet

the Nelons The Nelons, formerly the Rex Nelon Singers, were an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members included Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Streetman. ...

—vocalist

Kelly Nelon Clark Kelly Nelon Clark (December 1, 1959 – July 26, 2024) was an American inspirational Christian and southern gospel vocalist. Nelon was the head of the family singing group known as the Nelons. The group was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall ...

, her husband Jason, and her daughter Amber—as well as the pilot,

Georgia Department of Corrections The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is an agency of the U.S. state of Georgia operating state prisons. The agency is headquartered in Forsyth, on the former campus of Tift College. Headquarters The GDC has its offices in Gibson Hall, ...

chairman Larry Haynie, were among the deceased. The crash started a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

which was quickly contained by firefighting crews.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Pilatus PC-12/47E, MSN 1203, registered as N357HE. The aircraft, manufactured by

Pilatus Aircraft Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. In June 2016, the company employed 1,905 people. The company has mostly produced aircraft for niche markets, in particular STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) ...

in 2010, was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P engine.

Victims

The victims of the crash were

vocalists Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark, and Amber Clark Kistler, Amber's husband Nathan Kistler; the group's assistant, Melodi Hodges; pilot Larry Haynie, and his wife Melissa Haynie. Those on the plane were en route to join a

Gaither Homecoming ''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. Beginnings On February 19, 1992, the ...

specialty cruise to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

(The Nelons were to participate as performers). They were first flying to SeaTac to begin the cruise.

Autumn Nelon Streetman Autumn Nelon Streetman (born January 20, 1997) is an American southern gospel vocalist. Background Born Autumn Thompson, she is the daughter of Jerry Thompson and Kelly Nelon Clark. After the divorce of her parents in 1998, Nelon Streetman gre ...

(Kelly Clark's daughter and Amber Kistler's sister) pregnant with Rhett James Streetman (eventually born December 1, 2024) at the time, and her husband Jamie Streetman were traveling separately on another flight. At the time of his death, pilot Larry Haynie was the board chairman for the

, the state prison agency.

Crash

About 1 p.m.

Mountain Time The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...

in Campbell County, Wyoming, a Pilatus PC-12/47E single-engine aircraft crashed north of

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

, about 223 miles north of

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

, the capital of

. The crash started a wildfire which firefighters contained to an area smaller than one square mile. After the fire was extinguished, crews remained on site for a time to watch for hotspots and reignition. Initial reports indicated that an " auto pilot issue during flight" contributed to the crash. A representative said that investigators would travel to the crash site to examine the aircraft and wreckage before removing it for transport to an investigative facility.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillette Pilatus PC-12 crash, 2024 2024 in Wyoming July 2024 in the United States Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 2024 Accidents and incidents involving the Pilatus PC-12 Aviation accidents and incidents in Wyoming Campbell County, Wyoming Gillette, Wyoming Aviation accidents and incidents in 2024