The Nelons members may have felt ‘dark terror’ in final moments before fatal plane crash, says expert

ALASKA, UNITED STATES: Three members of the gospel group The Nelons were among the seven individuals who perished in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday, July 26. There were no survivors.

The National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson, Keith Holloway, highlighted an "autopilot issue during flight" as a cause for concern. He also mentioned that investigators are continuing to assess the situation following the examination of the crash site.

Expert shares insights into final moments of passengers of ill-fated plane

Dr Alan Diehl, who has previously worked as a crash investigator for the NTSB, FAA, and US Air Force, and is an aviation psychologist and author of 'Requiem for Camelot', shared with Fox News Digital his insights on what the passengers aboard the ill-fated single-engine Pilatus PC-12/47E turboprop airplane might have gone through before the crash.

"Dark terror. That's what you usually hear in my novel when I talk about [John F Kennedy Jr ] falling from the sky," Diehl shared. "I said it was all over, but the screaming, and that's based on, you know, he didn't have a voice recorder on his airplane, but I'm sure that he and his two passengers were just in terror as the plane was falling out of the sky, much like this one."

He went on to say, "But of course, in this case, you know the actual breakup, we don't know — the plane may have lost pressurization. And in a way… if the breakup occurred early enough, and they lost pressurization, they may have actually been unconscious or semi-conscious at the last minute or so. And that would be merciful. They would say that was God's mercy."

Kelly Nelon Clark, co-founder of The Nelons, along with her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler, perished in the crash, as stated by Autumn Nelon Streetman, their daughter and the fourth member of the band.

"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 remarked. "We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days."

Investigators working to determine if the autopilot failed

According to Autumn Nelon Streetman, Amber Nelon's husband Nathan Kistler, their assistant Melodi Hodges, pilot Larry Haynie, and his wife Melissa also perished in the crash.

Investigators on the ground, according to Dr Diehl, will launch a "major effort to try to establish whether that particular autopilot failed".

He continued, "Theoretically, you have, whenever something like that fails, you have to tell the FAA about it so that they can start tracking this data."

He mentioned that upon arrival at the scene, NTSB investigators would typically check whether the bodies were inside the aircraft and if the individuals were clothed.

"If their clothes were off that means they were thrown out while the airplane was still falling," he said. "Your clothes, if you're coming down at two, 300 miles an hour, I don't care what you're wearing, unless it's really tight blue jeans, your clothes get ripped off."

Diehl added, "I investigated military accidents and a lot of times the flight suits are even ripped off. They knew they were going to die for a couple of minutes."

Former airline pilot and aviation safety expert Kathleen Bangs told Fox News Digital that the Pilatus PC 12 is a "expensive airplane" that can be flown by one pilot alone. It's possible that unfavorable weather conditions during the flight contributed to the plane spinning out of control.

"People often ask were people conscious during this," Bangs said. "And you know, at 26,000 feet the air is quite thin. So there's always the chance that with the oncoming velocity of the air hitting you at 300 miles an hour, and all of a sudden the temperature is quite cold."

She added, "The air is quite thin. There is a good chance that if occupants were ejected, that they would lose consciousness There are incidents where people have been conscious all the way down."

Preliminary report on accident anticipated within 30 days

The family from Atlanta, known for their Gospel music, was on their way to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise in Alaska when their plane crashed, according to the cruise sponsor, Gaither Music Group.

The family's youngest daughter, Autumn, and her husband, Jamie Streetman, were not aboard and were informed of the tragedy upon their safe arrival in Seattle.

"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. Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers," Gaither Music Group said.

A preliminary report on the accident is anticipated within 30 days, whereas a final report detailing the probable cause could take as long as two years to finalize.

The Nelons were honored with induction into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and have received 10 GMA Dove Awards, encompassing several Song of the Year and Album of the Year accolades.

Internet sends prayers for Gospel group

The news of the death of the three members of The Nelons gospel group left fans devastated.

A social media user said, "Extremely devastating. Prayers to all the families."

Another user said, "Once again “God” failed to intervene."

The third user felt "Sad."

"My heart is broken not only have I been to their concerts I have pictures with them," one said.

A person remarked, "LetsTalkReal Any pain and suffering is over now, for they are truly with their Lord! Prayers sincere, and on our knees for the loss of these great Americans!"

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