The music community, specifically fans of gospel music, are mourning the tragic loss of some of their own.
On Friday afternoon, three members of The Nelons, a Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet, were killed in a plane crash in Wyoming.
In a statement, family member Autumn Nelon Streetman, whose parents and sister were victims of the crash, and who is pregnant with a baby son, shared: "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," adding: "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."
Here's what we know so far.
© GettyWho was in the plane crash?
The three members of The Nelons killed were co-founder Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Nelon Clark, and their daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler.
There were a total of seven passengers, none of whom survived; in addition to the three Nelon family members, the other passengers included pilot Larry Haynie, his wife Melissa Haynie, assistant of the band and family friend Melodi Hodges, and Amber's husband, Nathan Kistler.
© InstagramWhat happened?
Larry was piloting a single engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12/47E, and the crash happened at around 1pm local time in Campbell County, Wyoming, near Gillette. They were on their way to Alaska to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise.
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A team of investigators was set to visit the site by Saturday. The National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Keith Holloway said: "The aircraft is in a remote location and once they gain access, they will begin documenting the scene, examining the aircraft," after which it will be recovered and "taken to a secure facility for further evaluation."
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He further shared that while a preliminary report on the crash is expected in about a month, a complete report with the probable cause of the crash could take up to two years to finalize. After Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven other people, died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California in January 2020, it wasn't until February of the following year that an investigation came to an end, which found the pilot at fault for the crash after he flew into clouds in violation of federal rules.
© InstagramWho were The Nelons?
The Nelons were a Grammy-nominated gospel group, who were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Jason, Kelly, Autumn and Amber comprised the group, Amber now being the only surviving member of the band.
They had over 50 upcoming scheduled concerts and performances, through January of next year, the nearest being a performance on Sunday, August 4 in Carrollton, Georgia.
