Three family members from the Grammy-nominated gospel group The Nelons died in a plane crash on Friday.
The group’s management company Gaither Music shared the news on Facebook. In a lengthy statement, they revealed that Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband, Jason Nelon Clark, and daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler, were killed in the crash.
Amber’s husband, Nathan Kistler, their assistant, Melodi Hodges, the pilot, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa, also died in the crash.
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The family was traveling to perform at the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the private plane went down north of Gillette, Wyoming.
However, the group’s fourth member — Kelly’s younger daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman — was not on the Pilatus PC-12/47E aircraft at the time of the fatal crash.
Streetman and her husband were “notified about the incident” upon their arrival in Seattle, according to the Gaither Music’s Facebook post.
“Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly’s brother, Todd Nelon, and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead,” the group said.
“Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers.”
Alongside a photo of her relatives, Streetman shared a separate statement on Instagram. “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,” she said.
“We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”
Campbell County spokesperson Leslie Perkins told ABC News that the crash caused a “wildland fire,” which Campbell County Fire Department units worked to “suppress.”
The NTSB told People that the crash seemingly happened after an “autopilot issue during flight.” Additional investigators will soon be “documenting the scene” and “examining the aircraft” for more information.
