why do celebrities die in plane crashes
The airplane took off from Twinwood Airfield, about 50 miles north of London, en route to Paris, where Major Miller, 40, was going to make arrangements to bring his Army band to the continent to entertain American troops. The helicopter had departed from the Alpine Valley Music Theater for a flight to Chicagos Midway Airport following Vaughans concert appearance with Eric Clapton and others. Gentry, who was one half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey, on Sept. 8, 2017. Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, later sued Los Angeles County for emotional distress over claims that police and firefighters on the scene had taken photographs of the wreckage, including photos of the remains of Kobe and their daughter, and had shared them. Rhoads and makeup artist Rachel Youngblood accompanied Aycock aboard a second flight when the plane's wing hit the tour bus, hit a tree, and ultimately crashed into a home, where it caught on fire. Don McLean's 1971 hit "American Pie" was inspired by the plane crash that killed 1950s rock star Buddy Holly. In the music profession, especially, many young lives have been lost to accidents in the air. Denver died at 53 when his experimental aircraft crashed into Monterey Bay, California, on October, 12, 1997, per theAP. The deceased were Ronnie Van Zant, the band's lead vocalist, guitar player and vocalist Steve Gaines and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines. Petrovic had just led the New Jersey Nets to the playoffs, averaging a career-high 22.3 points. Many people who can afford itoften use choppers and smaller planes to speed up travel times while working and on tour. Moreover, major lacerations and crushing can occur as well (via NATO). If the plane doesn't explode and continues to plummet, it's likely the spine will break and separate the nerves from your brain, causing instant death. All the Light We Cannot See is set to air on Netflix Nov. 2, 2023. The number of times famous people use private jets per year is statistically higher than the average user of private jets , increasing their likelihood of dying in a plane crash. Anyway, I'm just an engineering student with very little statistics background. While the common man can avoid plane travel, its not a luxury celebrities can afford! These celebrities were known in different fields such as music, science and acting.. Jordan, who wrote "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story," detailed the crash and shared that Reeves was flying during a thunderstorm and lost visual reference. The Tennessean reported that before trying to land at their final destination, the group stopped in Dyersburg, Tennessee, to refuel. Tom Huntington is the editor of Aviation History and World War II magazines. Copyright 2023 KTRK-TV. All three people died on the plane. Redding and his band were just miles from the airport, en route from a series of performances in Cleveland. Valens was just 17 years old. These are some of the notable celebrities who have died in aircraft disasters over the years: The 50-year-old was one half of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry. Alan Kulwicki, 38: The NASCAR driver died in an airplane crash April 1, 1993, when the plane he was in crashed while trying to land in Blountville, Tenn. Kulwicki was the 1992 NASCAR champion. Plane Crash: 'I Love You and the Kids', Lynyrd Skynyrd's Last Surviving Founding Member, Guitarist Gary Rossington, Dead at 71, Waylon Jennings' Eerie Last Words to Buddy Holly Before His Death: 'I Hope Your Ol' Plane Crashes', Bodies of 4 Who Died in Gulf of Mexico Helicopter Crash Are Recovered, Victims of Ark. "When Ozzy got back from getting this old man out of the house, we clung to each other, and we were just screaming and weeping and shaking, and we just couldn't put all the pieces together and make one good picture, because everybody was in shock," she shared. Why do so many celebrities and sports figures die from plane crashes? The bodies of Lidle and certified instructor Tyler Stanger were found in the street, where the vessel plummeted after hitting the residential building. Soul legend Otis Redding's classic song "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" became a massive success upon its release in 1968 and would become Redding'sfirst number-one hit. According to the National Transportation Safety Board's accident report, Osbourne's tour bus driver Andrew Aycock stole an aircraft while the band was in Leesburg, Florida, for a joyride on March 19, 1982. The accident investigators blamed pilot error. He was like a gift from God we worked so well together. While flying is by no means a dangerous mode of travelling, plane crashes do occur from time to time which result in the deaths of numerous people each year in the most horrific manner. It's incredibly saddening when a celebrity dies young, and fans can't help but wonder what could have been if they were still around. Rolling Stone reported that one of the last songs Cline recorded before her death was"Sweet Dreams,"which became a Top 10 Hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Singer Patsy Cline, who was killed in a crash of a Piper Comanche in 1963 (from the Autumn 2022 issue of Aviation History), was neither the first nor the last popular musician to die in an airplane crash. Who is the most famous person who died in a plane crash? If an explosion occurs, it's more likely that passengers will die before the actual crash. Powell shared, "It felt like being in a solid steel garbage can rolling down a hill, hit with a hundred baseball bats, head, body, ankles, you name it." Rocky Marciano. What new music would artists like soul singer Amy Winehouse and rapper Mac Miller release if they didn't die before 30? The DC-3 had taken off from Guntersville, Alabama, for a flight to Dallas and crashed outside De Kalb, Texas. The country music legend, who was famed for her hits "Walkin' After Midnight" and "Crazy," died while on board a private plane belonging to her manager on March 5, 1963, in Tennessee. While flying is by no means a dangerous mode of travelling, plane crashes do occur from time to time which result in the deaths of numerous people each year in the most horrific manner. Kobe Bryant joins a list of athletes who died young in vehicle or aviation accidents. Privacy Policy. One says a British bomber returning home after bad weather had obscured its target jettisoned its bomb load and accidentally blew the Norseman out of the air; another speculated that the Norsemans wings had iced over, causing the airplane to plunge into the Channel. Pilot error was the most likely cause of the crash. The singer behind "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was on board a chartered Beechcraft aircraft when it crashed into a tree on take off in Natchitoches, Louisiana, on Sept. 20 1973. Montgomery continued to perform under the band's name despite Gentry's death. First, wealthy people travel more by plane or helicopter, because they have a higher value on each hour of their. The pilot of his chartered Beechcraft E18 was Robert N. Elliott, who had to make most of the three-mile trip to the airport on foot because he couldnt get a cab. Aaliyah had her final film role in 2002's "Queen of the Damned," which she had finished shooting before her untimely death, per ET. The cause was put down as pilot error; Brown might have experienced night blindness after taking off under bright lights and then ascending into fog and darkness. Over the decades several bands have died in airplane accidents as the world mourned. Here are some notable cases. She broke her collarbone, had deep cuts, and ruptured a ligament in her knee, but survived. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. According to Redding's website, the singer was flying in a private plane he had purchased when it crashed into a lake in Madison, Wisconsin. An active philanthropist, 38-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates player Clemente was traveling to Managua, Nicaragua, to bring aid and supplies to the country after a destructive earthquake. After shooting a music video, she and eight other people had boarded the chartered Cessna for a flight from the Bahamas to Florida. The number of times famous people use private jets per year is statistically higher than the average user of private jets, increasing their likelihood of dying in a plane crash. Who is the most famous person who died in a plane crash? This is a list of notable human fatalities resulting from aviation accidents and incidents. Before his death, Clemente was a two-time World Series champion and was named the World Series MVPfollowing the team's second World Series win against the Baltimore Orioles in 1971. Her songs like "Are You That Somebody?" A search began, and eventually, on July 19, what was left of the plane was found in the Atlantic; all three bodies were found on July 21. Impresario and rock concert promoter Bill Graham was killed in a helicopter crash while returning home from a Huey Lewis and the News concertin California. Steve Olin, 27: Indians pitcher was killed March 23, 1993, when the boat he was in collided with a dock in Clermont, Fla. Teammate Tim Crews was also killed in the accident. Dates come in no particular order. According to the aircraft's accident report, the plane was flying out from Greenville, South Carolina, and was bound for Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when it crashed into a wooded area of Gillsburg, Mississippi. He had achieved chart success with Bad, Bad Leroy Brown and other songs and was working on a third album. Clemente, who was active in charity work, had sponsored emergency relief flights to the Nicaraguan capital city of Managua after a massive earthquake devastated the region. You remember the few cases where it happened and forget the many, many cases where it didn't. If there is any actual data that shows celebrities die more often in plane crashes than ordinary folks--and I'd have to see that to believe it--then it would be the obvious fact that celebrities have to travel by plane WAY more often than your average mope. It is not known who was flying the plane at the time of the crash. EDIT: http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/banda-supestar-jenni-rivera-dies-plane-crash/story?id=17919621#.UMZTHIPedNo, http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Entertainment/banda-supestar-jenni-rivera-dies-plane-crash/story?id=17919621#.UMZTHIPedNo. The pilot was her manager, Ramsey Randy Dorris Hughes. He never arrived. The country artist was also with his pianist Dean Manuel, who died in the crash. According to Rolling Stone, country music legend Waylon Jennings was supposed to be on that same flight but was asked by Richardson to give up his seat. However, the plane and bodies ofKennedy Jr, his wife, and his sister-in-lawwere later located on July 21. Joshua Sanders of Rutherford County Fire Rescue said in a news conference that authorities initially conducted searches at the crash scene by boat and in shallow water, and later performed dive operations, according to ABC News. Singer, dancer and actress Aailyah (full name Aaliyah Dana Haughton) was only 22 when she died in the crash of a twin-engine Cessna 402 on August 25, 2001. Cory Lidle, 34: The New York Yankees pitcher was killed Oct. 11, 2006, when his plane crashed into an apartment building in New York. Home life (sometimes associated with stress) Mental overload. As perThe Washington Post, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the crash was due to pilot error and bad weather, stating that the plane went down because of Kennedy's "failure to maintain control of the airplane during a descent over water at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation.". Her body recovered and buried at the All Souls Cemetery in California. But the crash says as much about the times in which it occurred as the circumstances surrounding it. According to Jet, four members of the Bar-Kays band, their valet, and the pilot also died. Cline was 30 years old. All six onboard, including guitarist Maury Muehleisen, comedian George Stevens, road manager Dennis Rast and Croces agent, Kenneth D. Cortese, died in the crash. (The opening band for Redding in Madison that night was to be a local outfit called the Grim Reapers, featuring future Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen.) He died early in the morning of August 27, 1990, in the crash of a Bell 206B JetRanger helicopter outside Elkhorn, Wisconsin. She had completed a music video shoot on the islands. The people who fly in private jets are typically famous people, so when a private plane crashes there is a higher probability that one of the passengers will be famous (although this is interesting because there are far more private jets that transport corporate people like my dad and myself and their crash rate is significantly lower, so there He was in that league.". This is one of the most dangerous reasons plane crashes, and is usually the reason why most airliners crash. From plane malfunctions to severe weather conditions to pilot error, these incidents show that tragedy can strike at any moment and with anyone, famous or not. Country music star Patsy Cline was aboard a small plane bound for Nashville, Tennessee, after a performance in Kansas City, Kansas, when it crashed in a wooded area on March 5, 1963. Randy andI were like a team." Why do so many celebrities died in plane crashes? Here is a list of other athletes and celebrities who died in air tragedies. Any light or explanations you guys could shed on this would be awesome. Guitarist Vaughn died early the morning of Aug. 26, 1990, after his helicopter crashed into a ski hill. Vote for Your Favourite People Who Died In Plane Crash, (Singer-Songwriter & Pioneer in Mid 1950's Rock and Roll), (One of the Greatest Heavyweight Boxers of All Time), (One of the Most Influential Vocalists of the 20th Century), (One of the Most Decorated American Combat Soldiers of World War II), (A 'Rock and Roll' Pioneer and a Forefather of the 'Chicano Rock' Movement), (Puerto Rican Professional Baseball Right Fielder), (American Actress Who was Known for Her Off-Beat Roles in Screwball Comedies), (Indian Nationalist Who Participated in Indian Freedom Movement), (Folk and Rock Singer Best Known for His Third album 'You Don't Mess Around with Jim'), (American Singer Known for Her Work in 'Banda', 'Mariachi' and 'Norteo' Music Genres), (Composer, conductor, and orchestrator of film scores), (American Civil Aviator and the First African-American Woman to Hold a Pilot License), (Son of American Entertainer Dean Martin), (South African Cricketer Who was Banned from Cricket for His Role in Match-Fixing Scandal), (American Peace Activist and Child Actress Who Became Famous for Her Anti-War Outreaches During the Cold War), (The First Person to Fly Solo Nonstop Around the World in a Balloon and in a Fixed-Wing Aircraft), (American Auto Racing Driver and Team Owner), (Native American Aviator Who Completed the First Solo Flight around the World), (American Entrepreneur, Racing Driver and Heir to the Woolworth Fortune), (One of the Founding Fathers of Czechoslovakia), (First American Star in Ice Hockey by the Hockey Hall of Fame). By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The 22-year-old R&B singer was in the Bahamas filming a music video for "Rock the Boat" when she and her crew decided to head home early after finishing production. A championship golfer who won 11 PGA Tour events, Stewart was 42 when he died in the crash of a Learjet flying from his home in Florida to a tournament in Texas. Country singer Jim Reeves, 40, died in a crash similar to Clines, except in this case Reeves was flying his own airplane. The group was bound for Miami, Florida, when their plane crashed immediately after taking off from Marsh Harbour Airport, killing everyone on board. The accident investigation determined that the airplane ran out of fuel because the pilots had neglected to properly check their fuel status. On Feb. 3, 1959, Holly was killed in a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa, just a few miles away from the airport, along with fellow musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. flights become a regular part of life for traveling famous people, as they move from . Gentry was 50 years old. Jenni boarded a 10-seat airplane on December 9th, 2012. She suddenly found herself falling through the air while still strapped in her seat. Aaliyah - Aug. 25, 2001. However, Hughes believed they would be okay since it was a short flight. Read on to learn which mega stars' lives were cut short after they died in plane crashes. The plane crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff from Puerto Rico with Clemente and three others onboard. He was 50 years old and survived by his wife Angie and their daughters, Kaylee and Taylor. As noted in theDaily Mail, The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the pilot, Aya Zobayan, neglected federal safety guidelines and was not qualified to fly in foggy weather conditions with low visibility. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. Veteran Aviator and Student Pilot He Helped Land After She Lost Her Nose Gear Take to the Skies Together, Oklahoma Man Charged After Allegedly Covering Up the Murder of the Woman His Wife Was Having an Affair With, Texas Man Continued His Date After Cops Say He Fatally Shot Someone Over $40, Autistic Artist Sebastian Franco Hopes to See Northern Lights as He Contemplates Going Completely Blind, Lori Vallow Daybell's Sister: 'You Expect Me to Just Keep Believing Without Ever Having a Question?'. The son of the 35th U.S. president, Kennedy was behind the controls of a Piper Saratoga light aircraft that had departed New Jersey on July 16, 1999. If the plane doesn't explode and continues to plummet, it's likely the spine will break and separate the nerves from your brain, causing instant death.