A plane carrying the Nelons, a well-known and loved gospel family in the United States, crashed and killed all on board. Seven people died in the terrible accident, including Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler, and two other family members who were nominated for Grammys.
Also killed were Amber’s husband Nathan Kistler, Melodi Hodges, who worked for the family, and pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa.
Season 4 of The Nelon, Autumn Nelon Streetman, wasn’t on the plane at the time. On Friday, members of the band were on their way to Alaska to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise. But, their plane crashed over Wyoming, starting a huge forest fire when it hit the ground. A video taken just before they got on the plane that was going to crash shows Jason talking to his family and the pilot on a Nebraska runway while smiling. The pilot Larry is thought to own the jet that can be seen in the background of the scary video, which was taken when the group stopped to refuel around noon.
There are seven people on board, and five of them can be seen laughing and joking about the future trip.Someone said the plane crashed into the ground in flames, and firefighters and other emergency workers rushed to the scene as a wildfire broke out. According to the Wyoming sheriff’s office, no one survived. In a statement about the tragedy, Autumn Nelon Streetman said, “As many of you know by now, my parents, Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, along with my sister Amber, brother-in-law Nathan, and our dear friends Melodi Hodges, Larry, and Melissa Haynie, were in a terrible plane crash on Friday.” For the prayers that have already been said for me, my husband Jamie, our soon-to-be-born son, and Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark, thank you. “Your prayers, love, and support will help us get through the next few days. Thank you.”
FlightAware.com says the plane was a Pilatus PC-12/47E owned by Haynie Enterprises. The accident will now be looked into by the National Transportation Safety Board. In 2016, The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. They are widely seen as one of the most important families in US gospel history. I Shall Not Be Moved, Come Morning, and We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown are some of their most popular songs. They have also been nominated for three Grammys over the course of their career.