Three members of the family gospel group The Nelons were killed in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday afternoon that also claimed the lives of four others, including the pilot.
Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband, Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler were headed to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the crash occurred, Gaither Management Group said in a statement Saturday.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the crash occurred near Recluse, Wyoming, a community in the northeast of the state.
Kelly and Jason’s other daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, who was also a member of the group, was not on the plane. She released a brief statement thanking people 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,” she said.
The group’s last Instagram post was on Friday after they documented a pit stop in Nebraska.
“Gaither Homecoming Alaskan cruise. We are on our way” Jason Clark said before panning the camera to show the rest of the group.
Also killed in the crash were Amber’s husband, Nathan Kistler, Melodi Hodges, an assistant, pilot Larry Haynie and his wife, Melissa.
It wasn’t immediately clear what led up to the crash. Gaither Management Group said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for the NTSB said preliminary information indicates that a Pilatus PC-12/47E, a single-engine turboprop, “impacted terrain following a reported autopilot issue during flight.”
The spokesperson said the investigation is still in the early stages and not much information is available at this time. The agency was sending a team to the crash site. Once the team gains access to the plane, which is in a remote location, they will begin examining the aircraft, the spokesperson said.
Haynie was a Georgia Department of Corrections Board chairman. The corrections department said Haynie and his wife were “devoted to one another, to their grandchildren and family” and “were also devoted to — and staunch supporters of — the GDC family.”
Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “truly saddened” over the deaths.
“As chairman of the Georgia Department of Corrections Board and through a career of valued service in public safety, Larry’s impact on our state will not be forgotten,” he said in a statement on X. “We will continue to hold his memory and that enduring commitment to his fellow Georgians in our hearts and memories.”
Kemp added: “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.”
The Nelons have recorded more than 35 albums and amassed over 20 Top 5 Southern Gospel radio singles for songs including “Thanks,” “Come Morning,” “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown” and “O for a Thousand Tongues,” according to their website.
In 2016, they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Throughout their career, the four-person group received a Grammy nomination for best Southern gospel album in 1991 and received 35 nominations for the GMA Dove Awards. They most recently won a Dove Award for country/bluegrass/roots recorded song of the year in 2021 for “If God Pulled Back the Curtain.”
“The GMA and our entire music community is grieving over the tragic loss of Jason, Kelly and Amber as well as the others involved in the tragic plane crash,” President Jackie Patillo said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences and prayers are with Autumn and the rest of the Nelon family. They will be forever cherished and remembered in the GMA Hall of Fame.”