THE Nelons – America’s beloved gospel family – have been involved in a fatal plane crash en route to a concert.
Seven people died in the horror accident including three members of the Grammy-nominated family in Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler.
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Amber’s husband Nathan Kistler, the families assistant Melodi Hodges and pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa also died.
The Nelons’ fourth member, Autumn Nelon Streetman, wasn’t on the plane at the time as she is pregnant with a baby boy on the way.
Members of the band were heading to Alaska on Friday to join in with the Gaither Homecoming Cruise when their plane crashed over Wyoming – sparking a huge wildfire when it collided with the ground.
The plane reportedly went up in flames when it crashed leaving fire crews and emergency responders rushing to the scene as a huge fire broke out.
There were no survivors, say the Wyoming sheriff’s office.
A video taken just before they boarded the doomed plane shows a smiling Jason talking to the group on a runway in Nebraska.
The jet, believed to be owned by pilot Larry, can be seen in the background of the harrowing clip as they stopped over to refuel at around midday.
Jason, Kelly Nelon Clark and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler can be seen smiling in the post captioned “Gaither Alaskan Cruise Travel Vlog”.
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Melodi, Larry and Melissa can also be seen in the happy footage.
Nathan was also on board the flight when it crashed but it is unclear where he was at the time of the recording.
The group then headed out into Nebraska City for some food before returning to get on the jet.
Autumn Nelon Streetman, the final remaining member of the award-winning group released a statement confirming the tragic deaths.
She said: “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.
“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.”
The jet was a Pilatus PC-12/47E owned by Haynie Enterprises, according to Flightaware.com.
The National Transportation Safety Board is now set to investigate the crash.
Widely regarded as one of the iconic families in US gospel history The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016.
Some of their biggest hits include I Shall Not Be Moved, Come Morning and We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown.
They have also earned three Grammy nominations throughout their career.
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