Time Capsule: Oct. 20, 1977

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and back-up singer Cassie Gaines were killed in a plane crash 31 years ago.

On Oct. 20, 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd were flying from Greenville, S.C. to Baton Rouge, La. just after the release of their fifth album, Street Survivors. Their chartered plane ran out of fuel and it crashed in Mississippi. Van Zant, the Gaineses, Skynyrd's road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the pilot and co-pilot were all killed instantly.

Guitarist Allen Collins broke two of his vertebrae in the crash, while rhythm guitarist Gary Rossington broke both his arms and both legs, one of his hips and also suffered organ puncture injuries. Back-up singer Leslie Hawkins suffered severe facial lacerations and also broke her neck in three places, and keyboardist Billy Powell nearly lost his nose because his face was so badly cut in the crash.

After the crash, drummer Artimus Pyle crawled from the crash and proceeded to walk miles down the road through the woods with two crew members to get help. Pyle had broken several ribs in the crash.

Creepily, Aerosmith had thought of using the exact same plane for their own use that summer, but their management decided the plane was not safe.

Although Lynyrd Skynyrd broke up after the crash, the surviving members — Collins, Powell, Pyle, bassist Leon Wilkeson and Rossington — reunited in 1979 to play a volunteer event. Rossington, Collins, Wilkeson and Powell later formed The Rossington-Collins Band. That group released two albums with a female vocalist before disbanding in 1982.

Collins later formed the Allen Collins Band and released one album. He suffered a further tragedy in 1986 when a car he was driving crashed, killing his girlfriend and paralyzing him permanently from the chest down. He had been driving drunk at the time, but avoided prison time because he pled no contest to a DUI manslaughter charge.

Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited in 1987, and Rossington, Powell, Wilkeson and Pyle were guitarist Ed King were joined Johnny Van Zant's younger brother on tour. Since Collins was paralyzed, he chose Randall Hall, a former member of the Allen Collins Band, to play in his place, but as part of his plea deal, Collins had to come out on stage and tell the audience why he was no longer able to walk.

Although the 1987 reunion was supposed to be a one-time thing, the band are still together, despite the deaths of some more of their members. Collins died in 1990, and Wilkeson passed away in 2001. Lynyrd Skynyrd's lineup currently consists of Johnny Van Zant on vocals, Rossington, Mark Matejka and Rickey Medlocke on guitar, Powell on keyboards, Ean Evans on bass and Michael Cartellone on drums.