Pilot declared emergency, loss of autopilot prior to crash that killed 3 members of renowned gospel group

Cheyenne, Wyo. (AP) — The pilot of a plane that crashed in northeastern Wyoming in July, killing seven people, declared an emergency and lost the autopilot shortly before the incident that killed three members of the Gospel Music Association Hall . of Fame quartet The Nelons.

The preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane took off from an airport in Nebraska on July 26 with plans to stop in Billings, Montana, when the aircraft went down about 12 miles (19 kilometers) north- east of Reclus, Wyoming.

During the final part of the flight, the pilot declared an emergency to the Air Route Traffic Control Center in Salt Lake City and reported the loss of the autopilot, prompting the controller to ask him where he would like to land, the report said . There was no initial response from the controller, but the pilot later said he was “trying to gain control of the airplane,” the report said.

Once radar and radio contact were lost, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert notice for the plane, which was later found crashed in a remote area, according to the report.

One witness near the crash site reported hearing a “loud whining noise” before impact, while another saw the plane “in a ‘barrel roll’” maneuver and heard the plane’s engine “loudly roaring” until he heard the plane hit the ground,” the report states.

A final report on the incident, examining potential causes, is expected later.

Nelon co-founder Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash, along with Nelon Kistler’s husband Nathan Kistler, family friend Melodi Hodges, and Larry and Melissa Haynie.

The Nelons planned to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise in Alaska, Gaither Management Group said in a statement at the time that identified Larry Haynie as the pilot.

The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and have won 10 GMA Dove Awards, including Song of the Year and Album of the Year.