Three members of the long-running gospel group the Nelons were among the seven people killed Friday in a plane crash near Gillette, Wyoming.
Kelly Nelon Clark — who was a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame-inducted singing group since 1977, when her father Rex Nelon founded the group — as well as her husband and Nelons singer Jason Clark and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash, which occurred as the Nelons were en route to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise in Alaska, USA Today reports.
Gaither Management Group, which represented the Nelons, said in a statement Friday, “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. Killed in the crash were Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler and their assistant, Melodi Hodges, along with the pilot, Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa.”
Jason and Kelly’s other daughter and Amber’s sister Autumn Nelon Streetman — also a member of the Nelons but who instead, along with other Nelon family members, took a different flight Friday that stopped in Seattle — added in a statement, “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. Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark. We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, Gaither Management Group added. A spokesperson for the NTSB said that preliminary information indicated that the plane experienced an “autopilot issue during flight,” the Guardian reports.
“The aircraft is in a remote location and once they gain access they will begin documenting the scene, examining the aircraft,” the spokesperson added. “The aircraft will then be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.”