Three members of family gospel group The Nelons killed in plane crash

Three members of the family gospel group The Nelons were killed in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday afternoon that left four other people dead, including the pilot.

Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler were en route to Alaska for the Gaither Homecoming Cruise when the crash occurred, Gaither Management Group said in a statement Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the accident occurred near Recluse, Wyoming, a community in the northeast of the state.

Kelly and Jason’s other daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, who was also a member of the group, was not on the plane. She released a short statement thanking people for the “prayers that have already been sent to me, my husband Jamie and our soon-to-be-born son, as well as Jason’s parents Dan and Linda Clark.”

“We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support in the days ahead,” she said.

Also killed in the crash were Amber’s husband Nathan Kistler, Melodi Hodges, an assistant, the pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa.

It was initially unclear what caused the accident. The Gaither Management Group said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.

An NTSB spokesman said preliminary information indicated that a Pilatus PC-12/47E, a single-engine turboprop aircraft, “impacted the ground due to a reported in-flight autopilot problem.”

The spokesman said the investigation is still in its early stages and not much information is available at this time. The agency is sending a team to the crash site. Once the team has access to the plane, which is in a remote location, it will begin examining the aircraft, the spokesman said.

According to their website, the Nelons have recorded more than 35 albums and amassed over 20 top-five Southern gospel radio singles, including “Thanks,” “Come Morning,” “We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown” and “O for a Thousand Tongues.”

In 2016 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Over the course of their career, the four-person group received a Grammy nomination for Best Southern Gospel Album in 1991 and 35 GMA Dove Award nominations. Most recently, they won a Dove Award for Country/Bluegrass/Roots Song of the Year in 2021 for “If God Pulled Back the Curtain.”

“The GMA and our entire music community mourn the tragic loss of Jason, Kelly and Amber, as well as the others involved in the tragic plane crash,” President Jackie Patillo said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences and prayers are with Autumn and the rest of the Nelon family. They will be forever cherished and remembered in the GMA Hall of Fame.”