Gospel band shared haunting last image before fatal crash
Only hours before their plane went down, Kelly Nelon Clark of the gospel band the Nelons shared a haunting message on Facebook.
Shortly after, the head of the Grammy-nominated group shared a second message that shows her daughter Amber and assistant Melodi Hodges in their last moments before the plane crashed and claimed seven lives.
On July 26, members of the The Nelons were flying from Nebraska to Seattle, Washington for the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska.
The Atlanta-based gospel band was one of several set to perform on the weeklong Christian music cruise that traveled along the coast of Alaska.
On the private plane was Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, their daughter Amber with husband Nathan Kistler, their assistant, Melodi Hodges, along with the pilot, Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa.
“Up for an early flight to Seattle. Pray for a good smooth flight and no storms. Then pray a great Gaither Alaskan Cruise. Will we see you?” writes Kelly Nelon Clark, the head of the family singing group that was started by her dad Rex Nelon in 1977.
Sharing her excitement for the upcoming cruise, Nelon Clark then made one final social media post.
“Wheels up! Seattle here we come!” she captions the post which includes an image of her daughter and Hodges seated inside the plane.
‘Best loved gospel music families’
According to reports, about 1 p.m., just north of Gillette, Wyoming, “one of the best loved Gospel music families in America, The Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash.”
Gaither Music confirmed that the group’s fourth member and Kelly’s younger daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman and her husband Jamie Streetman, were not on the plane at the time of the crash and arrived safely in Seattle.
She and her husband, Jamie Streetman, were “notified about the incident” after arriving in Seattle, the group said.
“Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly’s brother, Todd Nelon, and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead,” Gaither Music writes in a statement. “Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers.”
“I don’t have the words to comprehend how I feel right now & I’m not sure when I will, if ever,” writes Autumn of her immense grief. “But I do want to take the time to say thank you all for the outpouring love you have sent my family. Thank you to my Gaither family who embraced us last evening when we got to Seattle.”
According to Gov. Brian Kemp, the pilot – the Georgia Department of Corrections Chairman of the Board – is remembered for “a career of valued public service.”
“Our entire family is asking everyone to join us in praying for those who have been lost, for their loved ones and communities, and for those throughout the gospel music community who have lost dear friends in this heartbreaking accident,” Kemp writes in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Keith Holloway tells ABC News that preliminary information indicates there was an “auto pilot issue during flight” that caused the aircraft to crash.
The investigation is ongoing.
Rest in peace. Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can all send the surviving members of the two families a lot of love!
