Celebrities Who Died In Aviation Accidents

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September 13, 2017 10:43AM EDT

1 of 10

Aaliyah – Aug. 25, 2001

Aaliyah – Aug. 25, 2001 — After filming a music video in the Bahamas, Aaliyah and her crew boarded a private plane to fly back to Florida. The aircraft was smaller than the one they took to the island, and it crashed and exploded just 200 feet from the runway. All nine people on-board were killed.

2 of 10

Troy Gentry – Sept. 8, 2017

Troy Gentry – Sept. 8, 2017 — Troy Gentry was flying to his show in New Jersey via helicopter when the aircraft crashed at the Flying W Airport, killing the country singer and pilot on-board. The copter suffered mechanical issues just before landing, and the pilot decided to hover above the airport and wait for the fire department to arrive, but it went down before officials got to the scene.

3 of 10

Buddy Holly – Feb. 3, 1959

Buddy Holly – Feb. 3, 1959 — Buddy Holly, two of his bandmates, and a pilot were killed instantly when their private plane crashed in Iowa. The group was traveling from Mason City, Iowa to Minnesota in inclement weather, and the aircraft went down just five miles from the take-off point.

4 of 10

John Denver – Oct. 12, 1997

John Denver – Oct. 12, 1997 — John Denver, who had nearly 3,000 hours of experience as a pilot, was flying for leisure when his plane crashed in California’s Monterey Bay because he was not able to switch the fuel tanks during the flight. At the time of the accident, John was not legally permitted to fly, as he’d had several drunk driving arrests and his medical certification was revoked. After his death, it was also determined that John didn’t have adequate training in the aircraft he was flying. The autopsy found no sign of drugs or alcohol.

5 of 10

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Oct. 20, 1997

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Oct. 20, 1997 — Two members of Lynyrd Skynrd, along with a backup singer and road manager, were killed when their plane ran out of fuel and crashed in Mississippi. The pilot and co-pilot also died in the accident, although there were also 20 survivors.

6 of 10

Otis Redding – Dec. 10, 1967

Otis Redding – Dec. 10, 1967 — Despite bad weather, Otis Redding and his band decided to travel from Cleveland to Wisconsin in a private plane on the evening of Dec. 9, 1967. Less than four miles from the destination, the plane crashed into Lake Monona, and the cause for the crash was never determined. Otis, four bandmates and the pilot were killed, leaving trumpet player, Ben Cauley, as the only survivor.

7 of 10

Jenni Rivera – Dec. 9, 2012

Jenni Rivera – Dec. 9, 2012 — Jenni Rivera was traveling in a small, business jet with four other passengers and two crew members from Monterrey, Mexico to Toluca, Mexico. 20 minutes into the flight, air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane. Later in the day, the wreckage was found, and everyone on-board was presumed dead. The exact cause of the crash was never determined.

8 of 10

John F. Kennedy Jr – July 16, 1999

John F. Kennedy Jr – July 16, 1999 — John F. Kennedy Jr was piloting an aircraft with his wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren, on-board on July 16, 1999. The plane was headed toward Martha’s Vineyard, Masschusetts, but crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the state’s coast. The trio’s bodies were not recovered for five days, and autopsies confirmed that they all died upon impact.

9 of 10

Patsy Cline – March 5, 1963

Patsy Cline – March 5, 1963 — Patsy Cline was traveling from Kansas City to Nashville with two other passengers and one crew member, pilot Randy Hughes, on March 5, 1963. After landing to refuel in Arkansas, and making a pit stop in Dyersburg, Tennessee, Randy was told that weather conditions were marginal for the flight. The plane took off anyway, then crashed near Camden, Tennessee minutes later. Everyone on-board was killed.

10 of 10

Cory Lidle – Oct. 11, 2006

Cory Lidle – Oct. 11, 2006 — New York Yankees pitcher, Cory Lidle, was piloting a single-engine aircraft, with his flight instructor on-board, when he crashed into New York City’s Belaire Apartments. Both men on-board were killed, and 21 people in the building sustained injuries.

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