At the request of the landowner: This land is posted and trespassers WILL be prosecuted. It is monitored by cameras at all times. Also an update on the beer can. A tax stamp was found from Florida. So this can originally was purchased in Florida and likely the stop the band made just prior to Greenville. Here is UNCUT part 1 - ua-cam.com/video/DGGRpTDl7T0/v-deo.html Here is UNCUT part 2 - ua-cam.com/video/n94QXX0_4DI/v-deo.html Minelab CTX 3030 - treasuremtndetectors.com/history-seekers-package-minelab-ctx-3030-metal-detector-with-free-gear/ Minelab Equinox 800 - treasuremtndetectors.com/history-seekers-package-minelab-equinox-800-metal-detector-with-free-gear/ History Seekers Shirts - detectees.onlineweb.shop/History_Seekers/p5708246_18943415.aspx Our Amazon Influencer store: www.amazon.com/shop/historyseekers
I've been detecting over 45 years , I'm in my 60's now and still love detecting. And I love watching you guys and gals detecting to . History Seekers is my favorite y'all keep it real and exciting. Keep up the good work.
My then best friend worked at the Miami Oklahoma airport and I knew this plane had landed. When I got there my friend was fueling the plane. As he got down from the wing two limo's pulled up at the back of the plane. I was standing at the stairs that went up to the plane. Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant came up to me, stopped and we spoke for a few minutes, mainly about Miami and where they were headed. Cassie got out of her limo and comes up and says "hello" to me and goes up the stairs with the rest of them. As the stairs rose back up into the bottom of the plane, Steve Gaines came back to the top of the stairs and waved goodbye. I was the last person in Miami Oklahoma to see them alive. Not proud of that but it is part of my history.
That is incredible. We all have those experiences in life that make us unique and that is your little special piece of history with Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines. If you know of a library, museum or protected place at the airport that would like to display the items, please reach out to us. We would be honored to loan them to the Gaines hometown for an exhibit. underwoodkj@yahoo.com
I live in Miami. My sister was good friends with most of the band members. Ronnie Brooks was an original band member but chose to stay home with his family instead of being a part of the traveling band. I used to go over to his house and listen to stories about the band.
That beer can you found might be from the adjoining property owner. He helped get all of them out of the plane, both survivors and the deceased. It took him 25 years to go back. When he was finally able, he would go late in the evening and bring two beers with him. He would drink one and set it down then leave one for Ronnie.
We checked into that. If you will notice in our community section we posted a picture of the can. We found a Florida tax stamp. So unless he went to Florida for a beer run then buried it under crash debris. we think its unlikely. We did however find bush beer cans from MS that we do think were left by someone else. They were on top of the ground and opened. If you have trouble finding the picture from the FL marked can let me know I can post a direct link for you. We were also able to confirm the can was from Florida via the stamp and verified by Budweiser. As to who purchased the beer in Florida and had it on the plane will likely never be solved.
History Seekers This video was in my recommended so I didn’t think to check your community section. I will definitely check it out, though. I just watched the video where the survivors retell their experiences. In the video, Bobby, the adjoining property owner, tells his story. That’s where I got that idea from. Thank you so much for the information!
I was born in 1979. My mom and dad (may they rest in peace) were 15 and 22 at the time of the crash and were huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. They always talked about them, their music and the crash. They even took me and my older sister to visit their graves. I wish mom and dad could have seen this video. It surely made my year. 😄
I was 17 yrs old... I saw them twice..75/76...bought street survivors album and tape 18th Oct...had tickets to see them again in December..I was a Tough guy street fighter..i cried and i cried unashamedly...My heart was and still is broken...This right here was the day the music died for me...Rip Ronnie/Steve/Cassie/Allen/Billy/Leon..Best Band Ever!!!
The plane was in the town I live in, Brookhaven MS. It was behind a 6 foot chain link fence. There are a lot of people that have giant parts of the plane here. The American Flag emblem on the tail section was cut off with a torch. The plane was right across the road from The Woodman of the World building that had dances on Friday nights where the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd was played every Friday night. The wreckage of the plane was haunting to see!!!
In 77 I was 16 living in Lake County Florida. I was listening to WORJ out of Orlando when they announced that Skynyrd had gone down. I didn't sleep that night--- at all. Was a Skynyrd listener since the first album came...still am to this day. They inspired me to pick up the guitar and been playing ever since. The day Ed King passed I bought an SG and the first song I played on it was Sweet Home Alabama since that was the axe Ed composed it on. Watching y'all find these pieces from the crash...well honestly, it choked me up. For those of us that grew up in Florida in the 70's felt a kinship with The Boys From Jacksonville. It was like we lost family that night. I could go on for hours and days talking Skynyrd... Y'all take good care of those pieces you found!
I'm from the North East of England, Newcastle Upon Tyne and I love Skynyrd as well as thousands and thousands of others from Newcastle do, I'm 47 years old and have loved Skynyrd since I first heard Freebird back in 1980
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
@@HistorySeekers I just watched your follow up video. Like the first one it was both interesting from an 'archeological' standpoint and quite emotional too. I would like to visit the site someday and maybe find a memento that I would treasure the rest of my life, but I doubt I'll ever make it there. Such is life, but we have the treasured memories, don't we....
My brother and his friends went to the site only a couple of years after they found a lot of coins,dimes,nickles, and quarters pieces of the plane and part of the instrument panel with a wire still attached. But the best thing was half of Leon's sunglasses identical to the glasses he's wearing on the inside picture of street survivors album.
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
Thank you Brian. We just hope it will keep their memory alive as well as the pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray. So many forget them. Mr. Gray was also an a veteran that served during the Vietnam era.
I found the beer can most intriguing. The idea that it was in Lynyrd Skynyrd's airplane refrigerator before crashing, it leaking it's contents at about the exact same time Robbie, Steve, Dean and the 2 pilots died (Cassie didn't die immediately as the others did but rather she died awaiting EMS) and then spent about 40 years buried in the Mississippi backwoods before being unearthed here. Incredible!
@@kellyhistoryseekers3090 As I am surprised anything was left behind. I personally like the beer can find. Amazing. I was hoping someone would find a playing card. 👍
Man we said the same thing about the cards. Most likely long since gone. We all went with zero expectations of finding anything after the FAA / NTSB said they recovered everything and 42 years of people going out there. You just never know.
I saw them in concert in memphis TN on July 4th of 1976. ZZ Top was the headliner but Skynyrd blew everybody away. It was the best concert I've ever been to.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is got to be one of the top 10 rock groups of all time probably in the top five as far as my taste goes. The man that's been singing for the group after the group came back from the crash does a tremendous job just like the first one. I'm so happy that we can listen to records and CDs and tapes of that bygone era today. I was in the seventh grade when they died and vaguely remember the incident but as the years went by I became a big fan of theirs especially in my later years in high school.
Hi from Texas! I was 11 years old when the crash happened. 6th grade I believe. My older sister had gotten 2nd helping about a week before the crash. We listened to it several times and I loved it. Even at that age I felt a profound sense of loss. They were one of the main reasons I started listening to rock music! Good to hear others were as moved as I was!!!
As a life long Skynyrd fan (I'm 66) I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Seeing those aircraft parts is a haunting reminder of that tragic day when young lives were lost. Great video Heath
I was 17 when I went to their show in Asbury Park Nj, July 1977. We packed 9 people in my 72 firebird formula going to the concert ! Oh man, we had a blast that day. I couldn't believe the news about the crash. Their music was a big part of my life growing up. Thanks for the video
I was at their July 2, 1977 show at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, the place was packed!!! It was an awesome show, good times with great friends, I'll never forget that day!!! I must have cried 😭 all day when we heard about the crash. Such a tragic loss of some fantastic people. And yes Ronnie, you had to leave us but yes...we will still remember you. RIP 🙏🕯🕊 Ronnie Van Zant Steve Gaines Cassie Gaines Dean Kilpatrick Fly high Freebirds 🕊🕊🕊🕊 🎶🎸🎤
Lived in Magnolia, Ms and lived less than 10 miles from the crash site. I arrived at the crash site less than 20 minutes after the crash. Was at a friend's house when the call came over his police scanner from Pike County SO that a plane had crashed and that it was the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane that was involved. Was a member of the Pike County Civil Defense Rescue Unit and I arrived at the site before a lot of the Sherriff department and other rescue personnel arrived. There was a Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the site with it's search light on illuminating the crash site. Helped as many of the victims as I could before medical personnel and other law enforcement arrived to secure the site. October 20, 1977.
Thank you. I hope we recognized you honorably in the section with the tribute tree. There likely would have been more fatalities if the community hadn't pulled together to help the survivors. You are all heroes.
Kelly Dzemske Thank you!! It was something that I will never forget. I have not been back to the actual site in the woods. I went to school with the owners of the property at the time of the crash. Not sure if they are still the owners. I did what I could to help but when I arrived and then turned it over to those who were taking charge of the scene.
Got that right.we have missed out on so much more music he would of created and you are right he was a amazing song writer.he pretty much predicted his own death because he told his mom and many of his close friends he wont live to be 30. Died to young but their music well live on forever.
I can still remember this so clearly. It was approximately 10:00pm on my 16th birthday, October 20th, 1977, when my friend called, just as I was about to go to bed, to let me know that he had just heard that Lynyrd Skynyrds plane had crashed. Needless to say, I was shocked by the news. For some reason, I asked him if Ronnie Van Zant had died, but he didn't know whether he had or not. When I got to school the following morning, I headed straight for the library to read the about it in the newspaper, and that is when I learned that Ronnie had in fact died. I remember thinking that there was no way Skynyrd could carry on without him, and I felt very sad.
I happened to be in my room listening to an FM rock station when a dj reported that there had been a crash, this was about 8:30 pm Central time. The plane went down close to 7pm.
One of the best from the South. I have a drawing hanging on my wall of Ronnie Van Zandt that I drew while in HS a few months after the accident. Also the original Street Survivors LP with the band on the cover in flames.They were supposed to play NYC where I'm from. Finally got to pay my respects to Ronnie and Steve & Cassie Gaines in Jacksonville Fl where they were laid to rest. Fly on Free Birds. 🎸
Went by there with girlfriend (she was from that area and pointed it out ) in mid 90s and at time you could still see the broken off tree tops at a angle where plane had crashed
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
I have watched probably every live concert footage on U tube. Billy Powel often had a Budweiser cab sitting on top of his piano. At one concert, want to say Asbury park Ronnie took a drink out of can, it was night so you couldn't tell but Ronnie held it uo & said this concert briught to you by Budweiser King of Beer. It wasn't a plug, he was just makin a joke, he lived his Buds. For historical purposes I find this video fascinating but made me want to cry, just like every time I think abt it. One of the best Rock bands & most underrated of all time!
I’m 39. Born 3 years after the crash. This was not part of my generation like Nirvana was so it’s none of my business to judge or criticize. However, as a music lover who is pretty familiar with Skynyrd, I believe this stuff should be in a museum or returned to the family and surviving band members. Good job on the dig. I dabble in metal detecting too . Thank you.
Thank you for commenting. Yes, we have spoke to a few and to family members. We are making it so these items can never be sold and displayed to the public.
@Chitown Hustler we were concerned about that too. When we cleaned it off we found something seems to point to it not having been left there by him. That is the fact it was from Florida. Here is the top of the beer stamped Florida. Here is that post in our community section. ua-cam.com/channels/5iPVh8ORRfe1iLVQn4qCtw.htmlcommunity?lb=Ugxdg3tu2wsaFjEwCFR4AaABCQ
@@meauxjeaux431 it was Convair CV-240 purchased by the band for touring. A chartered flight just means it's not the usual flight path a commercial flight would take. Also the custom paint job on the nose is kinda dead give away 😂
Thumbs up! ..to you guys that are a big part of saving history...Lynyrd Skynyrd was!! And still is one of my favorite bands. And I have always looked up to Johny and rest of the band for keeping the Skynyrd band alive all these years..im sure all of the artifacts that are recover are in very good hands.thanks again...
I teared up watching this. This has been my favorite band since I was a young kid listening to my brother's records that I wasn't supposed touch. Thankfully he had good taste in music. I was happy to see that you seemed to actually care and respect the task at hand. It was a tragic loss of human life and a tragic loss for music. There are rumors and accounts that people were looting the scene of personal items before the victims were even removed, which sickens me to think that people like that even exist.
Jeanette, we cared very much about recovering the items from the scene so the could be saved and preserved. Each of us had our own personal reason for wanting to go outside of preserving the History. For Scott and Heath, they grew up in Alabama and listened to the band growing up. They have been saving History for years with their metal detecting. I was actually born the day of the crash. The band was one of my Dad's favorites and Freebird was played at his funeral. I am the main historian of the group and this gave me a chance to connect with my Dad. It also made me realize how much the word has changed since 1977. So many of those who arrived at the scene to help were the ordinary people who had tractors and pickup trucks to access that swamp. In today's world, many people would sit back and watch. Heroes saved lives to keep this accident from being much, much worse. Thank you for watching.
@@kellyhistoryseekers3090 Happy Birthday to you tomorrow. Without those there to help, I believe many more whould have perished that day. We need more people like that. Thank you for doing this in a respectful way. Metal detecting is really cool and I hope to do more of it in the future.
That was actually really cool. Nothing we can do about it at this point, and no disrespect meant at all. One of my favorite bands, just cool to see more of the history of this accident found and discussed like this. Great job guys
I was 15 when this happened, but to me it happened yesterday. i started to cry the fist piece you found.i had to stop the video for a sec.God bless you for not selling this stuff.
Thank you! Keep on the lookout for updates on where we send the pieces. Feel free to give us suggestions if you have an idea of where to donate. Thsnks for watching!
I was 17 years old living in Jacksonville Florida when the plane crash happen Me and my friends used to ride our bikes to the hell house and listen to them practice And we skip school to go to the funeral that was in Orange Park brings back a lot of memories cool video
Thank you David. We are huge fans and listened to them growing up even though I was only a few months old when the crash happened. Kelly was born hours before the crash.
@@68air Thanks for your service, Shipmate. I think Leonard Skinner owned a bar on the westside of Jacksonville near NAS Jax on St Rd 17 and San Juan Ave at one time also.
I was a senior in high school when this crash happened. I live in Miami, Oklahoma (home town of Steve & Cassie). I shared this on Face Book here locally, as I believe it would be of interest to the fans, friends and family of the Gains who would most likely never see your video unless they were detectorist and/or subscribed to your channel ( I happen to be both ). What a special opportunity to save some historically tangible relics of this tragic event. Your respectful and thoughtful handling of your recoveries (as always) is much appreciated. Great video (again, as always), and I am looking forward to seeing the uncut version. Thanks for the video...oh...and that Nox 800 would be awesome! Good luck & happy hunting.
Thank you Ralph. We would be willing to talk to them to put stuff on loan there if you know of any museums that would be interested. We just want to insure nothing ends up getting sold.
You are correct Greg. We have had so many stories of people remembering where they were when they heard the news. We hope that the items being displayed will help preserve their memories.
Hey so was I in north Mississippi. I remember driving to school that morning and the dj told the news and it was sketchy but he knew Ronnie was one of the casualty
I had just graduated HS in May of 77 when they crashed. Remember it like it was yesterday...my son was born on the day before this happened, the 19th of October, 77
You have an American piece of history no one else has its priceless someone would pay a fortune. And your going to donate it? That just shows it's not about the money but passion I love it.
Thank you...yes some other aircraft people told us about that after we published the video. We appreciate the input. Check out latest video and see if you recognize the gauge that we found. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
@@HistorySeekers I just came across your video today, I'm an airplane mechanic & inspection authorization so I just added the zinc . Take care & be safe
I know where a very large piece of this plane are. It is still very close to the site where it was taken less than 48 hours following the crash. We were chased out of the woods/swamp by the cops. All of us took a piece but I only know where 1 of those pieces are. It appears to be an outter aluminum riveted part of the wing. It's in Tylertown, MS where it has been stored since that day.
I find this line in “You Got That Right”, sung and co-written by Steve & Ronnie to be sadly ironic: “When my times up I’ll hold my own, you won’t find me in an old folks home “
Well done. It was such a unique opportunity for you guys to be asked to come hunt this area and such a part of rock n roll history. Looking forward to the uncut version.
The tiller wheel for steering was "the find of the day" for me, I have a pilots license and as soon as it was pulled out of the ground, I figured it for a trim tab adjusting wheel, have seen some tab adjuster wheels that look just like that. About three years ago a good friend bought an expensive metal detecting unit to get into that hobby and I begged him for all I was worth that we should go to this crash site but I couldn't make it happen then, now health problems stop me, always wanted to do it. Some people are going to say, like recovering items from the Titanic, that you are messing around in a graveyard. You said you don't sell these items, which is good. If I would have been on the plane, or on the Titanic, it wouldn't bother me a bit that someone is doing this. It helps to keep the memory of a part of history alive, something we can touch and see. I grew up in Jacksonville and went to high school with one of the guys who played with a later version of Skynyrd and knew them from the start. If you have problems finding space to keep that wheel, send it to me. I, like a lot of others, would cherish it. I did aviation maintenance for a living, and one of the hardest jobs I ever had to do, aviation or otherwise, was replace a trim tab cable. I still have nightmares about it. Thanx.
Excellent video, this is one of the rare occasions where finding twisted metal is actually treasure instead of trash as it was part of an important historical event.
Man I was so excited for this video and you guys and gal didn't disappoint me. Thank you for preserving that crash not only for the Band but for all the others who perished as well. Bless you all.
I put everything else on hold when I saw this in my margin. It certainly brought back some sad memories, but I am happy you made these finds and shared them with us. Thank you!
Awesome video. Not too many get that privilege. This is a band near and dear to my heart and I'm so glad you all got the chance to save the history behind this tragedy. Can't say I'm not a bit envious of you but hey, it's all good. I would have tried to recover anything, given the opportunity myself. Also, great article in this Months 'American Digger'. This is what brought me here.
Thank you so much! Kelly worked hard on that article. We just went back to the site a few weeks ago and found something else. That video will be coming soon too. The magazine is such a quality product that Butch puts out.
@@HistorySeekers I subscribed to your channel so hopefully I get the update. I wish I had more content on my channel to show, but it's very hard getting out. (lol) Can't wait to see the newest vid. Happy hunting my friend
Heath, super job on editing/creating your video. Super spot for all of you to dig and recover some pieces of history. I look forward to the unedited version. Congratulations!
My husband was at their last concert I could not get off of work what I had found out was Ronnie Van Zant had been up at least 3 or 4 days doing cocaine he walked up to the front of the plane and took some Quaaludes and passed out it was towed when the plane went down Ronnie Van Zant didn't feel a thing because he was passed out God Rest their souls cuz this was a group that will never be forgotten and had the most amazing music I still to this day miss them and always will no one can sign like Ronnie Van Zant
Being how mangled the plane was and how big of an area it spread you just scratched the surface of finds . Such a awesome site to detect what a honor ✌
Mike, the plane was taken by the NTSB to determine the cause of the crash in 1977 and the vast majority of the items were removed. We will post a picture of the debris field in the UnCut version or you can find it on the NTSB report.
My Uncle was a Mississippi game warden at the time. He was one of the first people on the scene of the crash. He has a piece of the plane framed and signed by the surviving members. He said one of the survivors said the crash felt like they were in a dryer and being beat with baseball bats. Enjoyed your video.
Hahaha! You know you wouldn't have dug it 🤪 Best can slow ever. Hard to imagine that can was older than me and should have been drank the day I was born by someone famous!
Wow..44 years undiscovered.. An unopened bud can and the find of the day. An original piece of The Lynard Skynard Plane Instrument Panel.. Great Rock-n-Roll Historical Finds..
You should all get a case of cold bud .. Drink it together,then take a Vote on Donating your finds to.. The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.. That way,Rock Fans for Generations can see these pieces of this Rock-n-Roll Hisorical event.. I would Vote.. Yes,Absolutely..
we contacted them but could never get them to let us speak to the curators. We even told them it was no charge. We are looking at donating it to the family of Ronnie who plan to open a museum in FL. We are going to display them for free.
Yup, the plane had crapped out before and needed repairs. The company was too cheap to have it fixed by someone else so they told the pilots to keep flying it until they got it back to Louisiana the charter company had a facility there that could fix it cheaper. The sad thing is they could have just flown commercial to the concert in Louisiana then got back on the private plane after it was fixed. Cassie had actually bought a ticket on a commercial flight but Steve talked her in to flying with the rest of the band. Amazingly it didn't suffer a mechanical failure but was simply ran out of fuel. So preventable and so sad.
The WHITE LIGHT MAIN INST. PANEL piece looks like it was part of the cockpit Circuit Breaker Panel (CBP) or possibly a cockpit LIGHTING CONTROL PANEL. The round steering wheel is actually the Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) control, for steering AC while taxing. I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd New Year's Day 1977, San Diego, CA. I live in Jacksonville, FL. I'm a retired Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) Chief that flew EC-121M, EP-3E and P-3Cs my entire career. I also worked as an aircraft (multiple platforms) Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Instructional Designer (ID) for defense contracts. I own all but one of the LS albums including the original Street Survivors. I bought the first album on Guam, a couple in Atsugi, Japan and the last at NAS Marimar, San Diego, CA. My late Aunt taught a couple of the band members at Jeb Stuart Jr. High.
I was in Jr. High in Liberty, MS at the time and lived on Gillsburg Road that the ambulances drove down when they were rushing the survivors to the hospital. I remember them going by our house with sirens wailing. I found out the next day some of my classmates who lived in Gillsburg had been some of the first people on the crash site helping survivors.
I STILL have my Ticket to the Baton Rouge concert that got cancelled because of the accident. I DID get to see them in Baton Rouge 10years later on their Street Survivor Tour.
If you had tickets to the cancelled baton rouge show because of the accident then how did you see them 10 years later. Ronnie van zant was dead. After the original band members were deceased they were never the same band
Yeah Aerosmith literally refused to fly in it because they said it was too dangerous. Sadly, Ronnie was even warned about it and said that if it was his time to go then it was his time to go and told everybody to get on it. They knew better than to tell Ronnie no but this would have sure been the time to do it. The pilots should have known to put fuel in it. The real tragedy of it all is the fact that it could have been avoided.
That beer can is the ONE time you will see someone on a detecting video get excited about a pull tab. Awesome dig, I loved their music growing up.......time to pull up and listen to some.
That is unique to get to go Metal Detecting at a Historical Site... Collecting, Preserving & Sharing Historical Artifacts are one of My Favorite Hobbies.. It would be cool to go searching Historical Sites with this group. They seem to respect the Artifacts and respect the fact that this was a Rock N Roll Tragedy and glad to see these few Historical Artifacts preserved and saved for future Generations to enjoy!!! Thank You for sharing.
Enjoyed watching and found it fascinating that so many identifiable objects were able to be recovered to be donated. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the extended version. GL, HH and take care.
We used to finish our set with 'Freebird' - got the crowd every time. Played at Stonehenge in about 78/9 on Hawkwind's gear and played it for the best part of 30 minutes. Exhilarating stuff.
The item at 5:48 is a 225 amp fuse. It bolts to a fuse holder using the two rounded cutouts on each end of the larger piece of metal on the left. The rest of the pieces are normally stacked and secured in the center. Knowing how these are bolted in, it had to be a very hard impact to remove it from the plane.
Like many people, I purchased the Street Survivors album with the original album cover. It wasn't days after I purchased the album that the plane crashed. Right after the plane crash they changed the album cover to all black. I cherish that album to this day.
that is too cool, I am an aircraft mechanic and have worked on a lot of older planes such as this one, I believe that was a Convair 240. it would be awfully hard to tell what the individual pieces are, but you are correct in that the painted pieces would be the exterior while the green is a primer that would generally be found on the interior
hey Scott, yes, numbers would be found on parts, say, from the engines, electrical components and from certain equipment on board, like galley eqiptment. some of the pieces you found appear to be brackets probably from electrical components
Thank you Wendy. That means a lot! Please share it with your friends. We went back there a couple of weeks ago and have a follow up to this video. It was just published last night.
This brings me memories from back in Venezuela where I searched this jungle mountain side, around 1983, where a Lockheed Constellation crashed back in the late 50s, found all 4 engines, an aluminum frame from a suit case, nose wheel strut and tires, took 2 cylinders home, eng oil still inside the valve covers etc. Post crash fire consumed most of the aircraft
That beer can would be the find of the day for me, to think one of them had THAT CAN in their hand at one time, priceless. Only thing better would be a ring, wallet or clothing. But I would be happy finding that busted up old can 😁
daimlerbenzstuttgart - "Only thing better would be a ring, wallet or clothing"? How about some teeth? Do you realize that 6 extremely cool people lost their lives on that very spot? You people disgust me. Fucking grave robbing scavenger parasites.
@@HistorySeekers There were a few instruments they kept on the plane for entertainment. As I heard it some of that stuff was never recovered. Some of it has to be around that area. I believe the spot you guys are on is the actual impact spot. There is probably a lot more interesting pieces and artifacts a few yards out. I would mark that as the center and go in circle sweeps from there. There were also 2 luggage cases they stated were never found. I had a copy of the original FAA report a friend gave me on about my 20th birthday after I graduated flight school my best friends father worked the crash site. My friend had a lot of interesting unknown facts about the crash which included a list of unfound unlocated personal items. I would have loved have been along on this adventure. That was def a trim tab wheel of an old Convair. A pretty stable old bird as well. They just don't fly very well without fuel. It would pay off to return see if you can locate some of those personal items are there as well. I believe the land owner leveled the spot after the crash with alot of debris still there. Whether or not he carted off stuff during the first days of the recovery process is also note on that FAA report. It indicates they meaning the FAA did make an attempt to find some of the items surviving members were requesting being returned to them. Keep in mind the FAA notes on that report more than two craters about 4 feet deep. Obviously the two engines and landing gear were heavy enough to make craters where stuff could still be in those crater holes.
Found your site by accident, subscribed, this took me back to the day the news broke. Southern Rockers in Heaven RIP, ...Gone but not forgotten ......Southern Love from Alabama.
Visited the site with my wife this past Easter Holiday. Very solemn place. We did respect the memorial and stayed off what wasnt ours. Flying Free Now.
I had purchased tickets for the band band and low and behold the tragedy happened. Back then it was probably to see them at Cobo Arena In Detroit michigan.
Bad. Ass. Best video yet! In my opinion anyways. It would be awesome to hunt that site! That had to of been a day full of goosebumps with each item pulled from the ground!
@@HistorySeekers, I can imagine it would be! I feel the emotions just thinking about it, but to be there? And hold pieces of the plane that you dug up? Man that's crazy awesome. Definitely one of the best videos, Heath. The kind that's worth watching again
We spent a lot of time working on this project. Over 3 weeks just editing while Kelly and Scott did research. It was a big effort by everyone on our team.
@@HistorySeekers , well you all did one hell of a job! It would be awesome to make this hunt into a sort of documentary. Maybe an hour long video or something? It's really interesting and to feel the emotions just by watching it, makes it that much better..... if what I'm saying makes sense. Lol
So is this why it's sealed off today and gated with security cameras, so no one else can go back and dig things up and carve on the tree? I was born in "81" but grew up on the music "parents was huge fans". Absolutely loved the video and thanks for sharing it for ones all over the world "ME" who are unable to get up close like that.it made me feel as if I was right there!!! Awesome awesome
No the site where the monument is not the site of the crash. The owner of the actual site doesn't allow people out there either. We were fortunate enough to have someone that knew him and was able to talk him into letting us know. Even then it was not easy getting permission understandably. Unfortunately people tend to leave trash behind and damage the land and ruin things for everyone. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Brian! That means a lot. Be sure to check our latest video that we released several days ago from the site. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
At the request of the landowner: This land is posted and trespassers WILL be prosecuted. It is monitored by cameras at all times.
Also an update on the beer can. A tax stamp was found from Florida. So this can originally was purchased in Florida and likely the stop the band made just prior to Greenville.
Here is UNCUT part 1 - ua-cam.com/video/DGGRpTDl7T0/v-deo.html
Here is UNCUT part 2 - ua-cam.com/video/n94QXX0_4DI/v-deo.html
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Oklahoma Rocks Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ty. Cool find.
@Bella Joy Siberians = Donna Stump my Wifey..
I've been detecting over 45 years , I'm in my 60's now and still love detecting. And I love watching you guys and gals detecting to . History Seekers is my favorite y'all keep it real and exciting. Keep up the good work.
Would love an upgrade from my Garrett GTI 2500.
I need that Nox
My then best friend worked at the Miami Oklahoma airport and I knew this plane had landed. When I got there my friend was fueling the plane. As he got down from the wing two limo's pulled up at the back of the plane. I was standing at the stairs that went up to the plane. Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant came up to me, stopped and we spoke for a few minutes, mainly about Miami and where they were headed. Cassie got out of her limo and comes up and says "hello" to me and goes up the stairs with the rest of them. As the stairs rose back up into the bottom of the plane, Steve Gaines came back to the top of the stairs and waved goodbye. I was the last person in Miami Oklahoma to see them alive. Not proud of that but it is part of my history.
That is incredible. We all have those experiences in life that make us unique and that is your little special piece of history with Ronnie Van Zant, Steve and Cassie Gaines.
If you know of a library, museum or protected place at the airport that would like to display the items, please reach out to us. We would be honored to loan them to the Gaines hometown for an exhibit. underwoodkj@yahoo.com
WOW Jim! Such a powerful story!
I live in Miami. My sister was good friends with most of the band members. Ronnie Brooks was an original band member but chose to stay home with his family instead of being a part of the traveling band. I used to go over to his house and listen to stories about the band.
Are you saying Ronnie Brooks was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd??
@@mikerobinson938 He was before they went big. Probably even before Ronnie joined.
That beer can you found might be from the adjoining property owner. He helped get all of them out of the plane, both survivors and the deceased. It took him 25 years to go back. When he was finally able, he would go late in the evening and bring two beers with him. He would drink one and set it down then leave one for Ronnie.
We checked into that. If you will notice in our community section we posted a picture of the can. We found a Florida tax stamp. So unless he went to Florida for a beer run then buried it under crash debris. we think its unlikely. We did however find bush beer cans from MS that we do think were left by someone else. They were on top of the ground and opened. If you have trouble finding the picture from the FL marked can let me know I can post a direct link for you. We were also able to confirm the can was from Florida via the stamp and verified by Budweiser. As to who purchased the beer in Florida and had it on the plane will likely never be solved.
History Seekers This video was in my recommended so I didn’t think to check your community section. I will definitely check it out, though. I just watched the video where the survivors retell their experiences. In the video, Bobby, the adjoining property owner, tells his story. That’s where I got that idea from. Thank you so much for the information!
If it took him 25 years after the accident to go back, then he didn't bring that beer can. Ring tabs were long gone by 2002.
I was born in 1979. My mom and dad (may they rest in peace) were 15 and 22 at the time of the crash and were huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. They always talked about them, their music and the crash. They even took me and my older sister to visit their graves. I wish mom and dad could have seen this video. It surely made my year. 😄
Melissa thank you for sharing this with us. I wish they could have seen it too.
I was 17 yrs old... I saw them twice..75/76...bought street survivors album and tape 18th Oct...had tickets to see them again in December..I was a Tough guy street fighter..i cried and i cried unashamedly...My heart was and still is broken...This right here was the day the music died for me...Rip Ronnie/Steve/Cassie/Allen/Billy/Leon..Best Band Ever!!!
They were the best band for sure. Thank you for sharing your memory.
"If i leave here tommorrow would you still remember me?"... Yes Ronnie!, we remember all of you who should still be here today!😥
you are exactly right. I actually said those exact same words when I finished editing this video.
Amen..I saw them in Philadelphia during their tour leading up to the crash..so sad.
@Dan Thomas that's cool.little did we know that was their final tour..
@Dan Thomas I had the album with the flames all around them.wish i had it now..
@Dan Thomas it's worth alot of money
The plane was in the town I live in, Brookhaven MS. It was behind a 6 foot chain link fence. There are a lot of people that have giant parts of the plane here. The American Flag emblem on the tail section was cut off with a torch. The plane was right across the road from The Woodman of the World building that had dances on Friday nights where the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd was played every Friday night. The wreckage of the plane was haunting to see!!!
how long did it stay there ?.
@@rv6205it was there till 1984 or 85
Ahh, Brookhaven. That used to be one of my rest stops on the way to the Big Easy. Wish I’d known it was there.
In 77 I was 16 living in Lake County Florida. I was listening to WORJ out of Orlando when they announced that Skynyrd had gone down. I didn't sleep that night--- at all. Was a Skynyrd listener since the first album came...still am to this day. They inspired me to pick up the guitar and been playing ever since. The day Ed King passed I bought an SG and the first song I played on it was Sweet Home Alabama since that was the axe Ed composed it on.
Watching y'all find these pieces from the crash...well honestly, it choked me up. For those of us that grew up in Florida in the 70's felt a kinship with The Boys From Jacksonville. It was like we lost family that night.
I could go on for hours and days talking Skynyrd...
Y'all take good care of those pieces you found!
Thank you for sharing that Jeff!
I live in lake county Florida as well. I remember that day. I also live 2 miles from where Randy Rhodes crashed now. RIP to all.
I'm from the North East of England, Newcastle Upon Tyne and I love Skynyrd as well as thousands and thousands of others from Newcastle do, I'm 47 years old and have loved Skynyrd since I first heard Freebird back in 1980
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
@@HistorySeekers I just watched your follow up video. Like the first one it was both interesting from an 'archeological' standpoint and quite emotional too.
I would like to visit the site someday and maybe find a memento that I would treasure the rest of my life, but I doubt I'll ever make it there. Such is life, but we have the treasured memories, don't we....
My brother and his friends went to the site only a couple of years after they found a lot of coins,dimes,nickles, and quarters pieces of the plane and part of the instrument panel with a wire still attached. But the best thing was half of Leon's sunglasses identical to the glasses he's wearing on the inside picture of street survivors album.
Wow!!!
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
@@HistorySeekers what are ya all doing with these items found at the site? Hopefully going to family members and museums
They've stated a few times that they're donating them - but what about the guys who found 'half of Leon's sunglasses'?!
What, no teeth? Grave digging vermin.
This stuff needs to be in a museum so much history
we agree
As a huge Skynyrd fan I found this video fascinating! RIP Ronnie, Steve, Cassie and Dean!
Thank you Brian. We just hope it will keep their memory alive as well as the pilot Walter McCreary and William Gray.
So many forget them. Mr. Gray was also an a veteran that served during the Vietnam era.
I found the beer can most intriguing. The idea that it was in Lynyrd Skynyrd's airplane refrigerator before crashing, it leaking it's contents at about the exact same time Robbie, Steve, Dean and the 2 pilots died (Cassie didn't die immediately as the others did but rather she died awaiting EMS) and then spent about 40 years buried in the Mississippi backwoods before being unearthed here. Incredible!
Thanks for watching. We have another video on the channel where we went back a few months later and found even more stuff.
What the hell are you talking about you don’t know what you’re talking about
I applaud ALL of you for history AND not to sell! I have the utmost respect for this.
thank you Steve!
Excellent dig. Found so much left behind. All treasures. Long Live Lynyrd Skynyrd 🇺🇸
We were surprised we found anything honestly. It was a great honor to be at the site. We can't wait to share it with the public 😀
@@kellyhistoryseekers3090 As I am surprised anything was left behind. I personally like the beer can find. Amazing. I was hoping someone would find a playing card. 👍
Man we said the same thing about the cards. Most likely long since gone. We all went with zero expectations of finding anything after the FAA / NTSB said they recovered everything and 42 years of people going out there. You just never know.
@@HistorySeekers Nice. I say you all hit the jackpot. Liked, Subbed & Hit The Bell 👍
Welcome to the channel! Glad to have you as a subscriber.
I saw them in concert in memphis TN on July 4th of 1976. ZZ Top was the headliner but Skynyrd blew everybody away. It was the best concert I've ever been to.
i was there too! any photos or recordings from it? i traveled from NY to it.
wow, your old as hell
@@kathyelliott1606 that's a lie
@@wildestcowboy2668 you're a liar
Lynyrd Skynyrd is got to be one of the top 10 rock groups of all time probably in the top five as far as my taste goes. The man that's been singing for the group after the group came back from the crash does a tremendous job just like the first one. I'm so happy that we can listen to records and CDs and tapes of that bygone era today. I was in the seventh grade when they died and vaguely remember the incident but as the years went by I became a big fan of theirs especially in my later years in high school.
It's Ronny's younger brother that sings now. Johnny van zant is his name sir!
Hi from Texas! I was 11 years old when the crash happened. 6th grade I believe. My older sister had gotten 2nd helping about a week before the crash. We listened to it several times and I loved it. Even at that age I felt a profound sense of loss. They were one of the main reasons I started listening to rock music! Good to hear others were as moved as I was!!!
As a life long Skynyrd fan (I'm 66) I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Seeing those aircraft parts is a haunting reminder of that tragic day when young lives were lost. Great video Heath
You are exactly right. We got chills when we dug some of these items.
I was 17 when I went to their show in Asbury Park Nj, July 1977. We packed 9 people in my 72 firebird formula going to the concert !
Oh man, we had a blast that day.
I couldn't believe the news about the crash. Their music was a big part of my life growing up.
Thanks for the video
Thank you for sharing
What a great memory! Mine was in 1995 going to Lollapalooza. Glad you liked the video.
Kelly Dzemske
Thanks Kelly...your hot show sounds like a blast too.
btw...HAPPY BELATED B-DAY : )
I was at their July 2, 1977 show at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California, the place was packed!!! It was an awesome show, good times with great friends, I'll never forget that day!!! I must have cried 😭 all day when we heard about the crash. Such a tragic loss of some fantastic people.
And yes Ronnie, you had to leave us but yes...we will still remember you.
RIP 🙏🕯🕊
Ronnie Van Zant
Steve Gaines
Cassie Gaines
Dean Kilpatrick
Fly high Freebirds 🕊🕊🕊🕊
🎶🎸🎤
I can't believe they scrapped the entire plane! That was such a huge part of music history!
Lived in Magnolia, Ms and lived less than 10 miles from the crash site. I arrived at the crash site less than 20 minutes after the crash. Was at a friend's house when the call came over his police scanner from Pike County SO that a plane had crashed and that it was the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane that was involved. Was a member of the Pike County Civil Defense Rescue Unit and I arrived at the site before a lot of the Sherriff department and other rescue personnel arrived. There was a Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the site with it's search light on illuminating the crash site. Helped as many of the victims as I could before medical personnel and other law enforcement arrived to secure the site. October 20, 1977.
Thank you. I hope we recognized you honorably in the section with the tribute tree. There likely would have been more fatalities if the community hadn't pulled together to help the survivors. You are all heroes.
Thank you so much for replying. We thank you for your willingness to help. So many local people were heroes responding to help that night.
Kelly Dzemske Thank you!! It was something that I will never forget. I have not been back to the actual site in the woods. I went to school with the owners of the property at the time of the crash. Not sure if they are still the owners. I did what I could to help but when I arrived and then turned it over to those who were taking charge of the scene.
So sad. Ronnie was such an incredible song writer and singer. Long live Lynyrd Skynyrd.
You are exactly right.
Aspen Dukes Amen 👍🇺🇸
Got that right.we have missed out on so much more music he would of created and you are right he was a amazing song writer.he pretty much predicted his own death because he told his mom and many of his close friends he wont live to be 30.
Died to young but their music well live on forever.
I can still remember this so clearly. It was approximately 10:00pm on my 16th birthday, October 20th, 1977, when my friend called, just as I was about to go to bed, to let me know that he had just heard that Lynyrd Skynyrds plane had crashed. Needless to say, I was shocked by the news. For some reason, I asked him if Ronnie Van Zant had died, but he didn't know whether he had or not. When I got to school the following morning, I headed straight for the library to read the about it in the newspaper, and that is when I learned that Ronnie had in fact died. I remember thinking that there was no way Skynyrd could carry on without him, and I felt very sad.
Thank you for sharing those memories. So many felt the same way. He was a musical genius by all accounts.
I happened to be in my room listening to an FM rock station when a dj reported that there had been a crash, this was about 8:30 pm Central time. The plane went down close to 7pm.
One of the best from the South. I have a drawing hanging on my wall of Ronnie Van Zandt that I drew while in HS a few months after the accident. Also the original Street Survivors LP with the band on the cover in flames.They were supposed to play NYC where I'm from. Finally got to pay my respects to Ronnie and Steve & Cassie Gaines in Jacksonville Fl where they were laid to rest. Fly on Free Birds. 🎸
Best bad ever for sure. Thank you sharing your experience.
That's pretty amazing that after all THOSE YEARS, there is still debris from that high profile crash still lying around at the site!
We thought so too. We expected to not find much.
Exactly, imagine how many people have been out there digging around over the years.
The plane that Aerosmith had severe doubts about flying on.
For good reason.
Went by there with girlfriend (she was from that area and pointed it out ) in mid 90s and at time you could still see the broken off tree tops at a angle where plane had crashed
@@robertramirez1082 yeah. It is just very sad.
We just released a follow up video from our second trip there and we found more items missed by NTSB investigators. Here is the link to the new video. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
They also had doubts about the two pilots as they had seen them drinking.
I have watched probably every live concert footage on U tube.
Billy Powel often had a Budweiser cab sitting on top of his piano.
At one concert, want to say Asbury park Ronnie took a drink out of can, it was night so you couldn't tell but Ronnie held it uo & said this concert briught to you by Budweiser King of Beer. It wasn't a plug, he was just makin a joke, he lived his Buds.
For historical purposes I find this video fascinating but made me want to cry, just like every time I think abt it.
One of the best Rock bands & most underrated of all time!
I’m 39. Born 3 years after the crash. This was not part of my generation like Nirvana was so it’s none of my business to judge or criticize. However, as a music lover who is pretty familiar with Skynyrd, I believe this stuff should be in a museum or returned to the family and surviving band members. Good job on the dig. I dabble in metal detecting too . Thank you.
Thank you for commenting. Yes, we have spoke to a few and to family members. We are making it so these items can never be sold and displayed to the public.
Same!
That Beer Can was the find of the day because it was property of the Band
Thanks for watching
Probably not. Explained here: ua-cam.com/video/OkC0iQJX0p0/v-deo.html
@Chitown Hustler we were concerned about that too. When we cleaned it off we found something seems to point to it not having been left there by him. That is the fact it was from Florida. Here is the top of the beer stamped Florida.
Here is that post in our community section.
ua-cam.com/channels/5iPVh8ORRfe1iLVQn4qCtw.htmlcommunity?lb=Ugxdg3tu2wsaFjEwCFR4AaABCQ
@Michelle Green NOPE, it was a chartered plane.
@@meauxjeaux431 it was Convair CV-240 purchased by the band for touring. A chartered flight just means it's not the usual flight path a commercial flight would take. Also the custom paint job on the nose is kinda dead give away 😂
Thumbs up! ..to you guys that are a big part of saving history...Lynyrd Skynyrd was!! And still is one of my favorite bands. And I have always looked up to Johny and rest of the band for keeping the Skynyrd band alive all these years..im sure all of the artifacts that are recover are in very good hands.thanks again...
Thank you!
I teared up watching this. This has been my favorite band since I was a young kid listening to my brother's records that I wasn't supposed touch. Thankfully he had good taste in music. I was happy to see that you seemed to actually care and respect the task at hand. It was a tragic loss of human life and a tragic loss for music. There are rumors and accounts that people were looting the scene of personal items before the victims were even removed, which sickens me to think that people like that even exist.
Jeanette, we cared very much about recovering the items from the scene so the could be saved and preserved. Each of us had our own personal reason for wanting to go outside of preserving the History.
For Scott and Heath, they grew up in Alabama and listened to the band growing up. They have been saving History for years with their metal detecting.
I was actually born the day of the crash. The band was one of my Dad's favorites and Freebird was played at his funeral. I am the main historian of the group and this gave me a chance to connect with my Dad.
It also made me realize how much the word has changed since 1977. So many of those who arrived at the scene to help were the ordinary people who had tractors and pickup trucks to access that swamp. In today's world, many people would sit back and watch. Heroes saved lives to keep this accident from being much, much worse. Thank you for watching.
@@kellyhistoryseekers3090 Happy Birthday to you tomorrow. Without those there to help, I believe many more whould have perished that day. We need more people like that. Thank you for doing this in a respectful way. Metal detecting is really cool and I hope to do more of it in the future.
Just Amazing! Thanks for looking and respectfully preserving things that mean so much to the music and fans!
Thanks Doug. We had a great conversation with a museum today. We will post in our community section and most likely a video when they go on display.
I am a metal detectorist and very much appreciate how you're using the metal detecting hobby to preserve history.
Thank you!
That was actually really cool. Nothing we can do about it at this point, and no disrespect meant at all. One of my favorite bands, just cool to see more of the history of this accident found and discussed like this. Great job guys
Thank you Barry. We spoke to a museum today. While we havent committed to anything and it's not finalized we are one step closer.
Quite an adventure - thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!
Scott thank you for watching. We hope you will share it with friends.
I am so proud to see medal detecting done on this special day, you guys are amazing what you for the icons of rock and roll history
Thanks Tammy. I hope these relics will help preserve their memory for future generations.
I was 15 when this happened, but to me it happened yesterday. i started to cry the fist piece you found.i had to stop the video for a sec.God bless you for not selling this stuff.
Thank you! Keep on the lookout for updates on where we send the pieces. Feel free to give us suggestions if you have an idea of where to donate. Thsnks for watching!
I turned 16 the day of the crash.
Me too.
OMG this was amazing! So glad you guys shared this video with us! 🤘💜
Thank you so much! We felt it would be ashame for this site to be lost forever and forgotten.
I was 17 years old living in Jacksonville Florida when the plane crash happen Me and my friends used to ride our bikes to the hell house and listen to them practice And we skip school to go to the funeral that was in Orange Park brings back a lot of memories cool video
Thank you David. We are huge fans and listened to them growing up even though I was only a few months old when the crash happened. Kelly was born hours before the crash.
I'm jealous as hell of you. To have the memories of hearing them practice, priceless.
Dukee Hello Dukee I had a lot of good time back in the 70s those times were great
I was stationed in Mayport and remember a cool bar called Leonard Skinners on Jax Beach. It was a play on the name and it rocked out on the weekends.
@@68air Thanks for your service, Shipmate. I think Leonard Skinner owned a bar on the westside of Jacksonville near NAS Jax on St Rd 17 and San Juan Ave at one time also.
This was Awesome! It was honestly worth the wait. I hope you all are asked to come and uncover future sites like this one..
We will for sure!
How many times have you watched it now 😂🤣🤪 So glad you are enjoying the video 😀
@@kellyhistoryseekers3090 3 times so far now waiting for the full version.. I really enjoy this kind of stuff.
Thanks for doing this in a respectful way. Nicely done.
Thank you James
I was a senior in high school when this crash happened. I live in Miami, Oklahoma (home town of Steve & Cassie). I shared this on Face Book here locally, as I believe it would be of interest to the fans, friends and family of the Gains who would most likely never see your video unless they were detectorist and/or subscribed to your channel ( I happen to be both ). What a special opportunity to save some historically tangible relics of this tragic event. Your respectful and thoughtful handling of your recoveries (as always) is much appreciated. Great video (again, as always), and I am looking forward to seeing the uncut version. Thanks for the video...oh...and that Nox 800 would be awesome! Good luck & happy hunting.
Thank you Ralph! It was an honor to be able to save some of this stuff. Thanks for sharing it outside of the regular metal detecting community.
Thank you Ralph. We would be willing to talk to them to put stuff on loan there if you know of any museums that would be interested. We just want to insure nothing ends up getting sold.
That was such a sad day for millions of people around the world.
You are correct Greg. We have had so many stories of people remembering where they were when they heard the news. We hope that the items being displayed will help preserve their memories.
@@HistorySeekers Thanks for doing this.
I remember when that happened. It was a very solemn day. RIP.
Truly a sad day across the nation.
The Budweiser in that can would probably taste the same as it does today.
not a big fan but maybe.
Guaranteed :D
Why don't you drink it
Yep, Bud is a nasty tasting beer alright.
With all the preservatives and chemicals it would more then likely would.
WE STILL LOVE YOU..RONNIE. 🎸🎶👱♀️
Thanks for sharing. I was a senior in HS when this tragedy occurred and remember how devastated we all felt arriving at school that day.
It was truly a sad day. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
Hey so was I in north Mississippi. I remember driving to school that morning and the dj told the news and it was sketchy but he knew Ronnie was one of the casualty
I had just graduated HS in May of 77 when they crashed. Remember it like it was yesterday...my son was born on the day before this happened, the 19th of October, 77
Awesome finds guys. Thanks for Sharing with us.
You have an American piece of history no one else has its priceless someone would pay a fortune. And your going to donate it? That just shows it's not about the money but passion I love it.
Thank you Bobby!
That "green paint" you keep talking about is actually zinc-chromate primer to inhibit corrosion on the aluminum
Thank you...yes some other aircraft people told us about that after we published the video. We appreciate the input. Check out latest video and see if you recognize the gauge that we found. ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html
@@HistorySeekers I just came across your video today, I'm an airplane mechanic & inspection authorization so I just added the zinc . Take care & be safe
That tree should never be removed. SKYNYRD NATION
We agree.
I know where a very large piece of this plane are. It is still very close to the site where it was taken less than 48 hours following the crash. We were chased out of the woods/swamp by the cops. All of us took a piece but I only know where 1 of those pieces are. It appears to be an outter aluminum riveted part of the wing. It's in Tylertown, MS where it has been stored since that day.
I find this line in “You Got That Right”, sung and co-written by Steve & Ronnie to be sadly ironic: “When my times up I’ll hold my own, you won’t find me in an old folks home “
Ronnie always said or so is claimed that he would never see 30 years old.
History Seekers I heard an interview with his father and that is exactly what he said.
Well done. It was such a unique opportunity for you guys to be asked to come hunt this area and such a part of rock n roll history. Looking forward to the uncut version.
Thanks DK!
Thank you DK! We look forward to your interview.
@@HistorySeekers Let me know when you want to get that setup
👍
I was born and raised in beautiful Miami Oklahoma!! We love Steve & Cassie Gains!
Their hometown correct?
History Seekers correct!
The tiller wheel for steering was "the find of the day" for me, I have a pilots license and as soon as it was pulled out of the ground, I figured it for a trim tab adjusting wheel, have seen some tab adjuster wheels that look just like that. About three years ago a good friend bought an expensive metal detecting unit to get into that hobby and I begged him for all I was worth that we should go to this crash site but I couldn't make it happen then, now health problems stop me, always wanted to do it. Some people are going to say, like recovering items from the Titanic, that you are messing around in a graveyard. You said you don't sell these items, which is good. If I would have been on the plane, or on the Titanic, it wouldn't bother me a bit that someone is doing this. It helps to keep the memory of a part of history alive, something we can touch and see. I grew up in Jacksonville and went to high school with one of the guys who played with a later version of Skynyrd and knew them from the start. If you have problems finding space to keep that wheel, send it to me. I, like a lot of others, would cherish it. I did aviation maintenance for a living, and one of the hardest jobs I ever had to do, aviation or otherwise, was replace a trim tab cable. I still have nightmares about it. Thanx.
Thank you for posting. That means a lot to us.
I too am a pilot, the tiller wheel is by far the most legit in my humble opinion..
Excellent video, this is one of the rare occasions where finding twisted metal is actually treasure instead of trash as it was part of an important historical event.
Thank you for getting it!
1977 - Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashes. 2019 - Someone thinks to use a metal detector at the site.
Great video. Thanks for showing the public this epic dig!
Thanks Ken!
Thank you Ken!
I LOVED that when you found that piece of the wheel, that you showed a photo of how it would have been in the plane.
Thank you Kelly. We think it’s important to give visuals when possible on most of our stuff.
Rest easy, they're in our hearts and minds. forever angels watching over Dixieland.
Man I was so excited for this video and you guys and gal didn't disappoint me. Thank you for preserving that crash not only for the Band but for all the others who perished as well. Bless you all.
Glad it was worth the wait 😀
Thank you JR!
Nice diggin' folks. Lynyrd Skynyrd were the best thing from the South since the Confederacy. Honour the Fallen
Thanks Murray. They were a great band
Will never forget this day. I was in high school in ‘77 and live an hour away from the crash site.
Thank you for sharing Glenda.
WOW... to much my friend.
I put everything else on hold when I saw this in my margin. It certainly brought back some sad memories, but I am happy you made these finds and shared them with us. Thank you!
You're welcome. Thank you for watching 😀
Thank you for sharing and watching
Holy cow guys, THE crash site? How cool, and humbling, must that be?!?! Very excited to watch, congrats in advance on landing a permission like that.
Thanks for watching Ryan!
Awesome video. Not too many get that privilege. This is a band near and dear to my heart and I'm so glad you all got the chance to save the history behind this tragedy. Can't say I'm not a bit envious of you but hey, it's all good. I would have tried to recover anything, given the opportunity myself. Also, great article in this Months 'American Digger'. This is what brought me here.
Thank you so much! Kelly worked hard on that article. We just went back to the site a few weeks ago and found something else. That video will be coming soon too. The magazine is such a quality product that Butch puts out.
@@HistorySeekers I subscribed to your channel so hopefully I get the update. I wish I had more content on my channel to show, but it's very hard getting out. (lol) Can't wait to see the newest vid. Happy hunting my friend
Yes it is... we had a few weeks of video saved up luckily. Hopefully we will all be back to normal soon.
The new video releases in a few hours. Noon on Friday central time.
Heath, super job on editing/creating your video. Super spot for all of you to dig and recover some pieces of history. I look forward to the unedited version. Congratulations!
Thank you! We just got new info about it too right after the video aired.
Skynyrd is my favorite band love watching stuff about them
Thank you. We have another video just released a couple months ago finding even more stuff. Be sure to check out that video.
My husband was at their last concert I could not get off of work what I had found out was Ronnie Van Zant had been up at least 3 or 4 days doing cocaine he walked up to the front of the plane and took some Quaaludes and passed out it was towed when the plane went down Ronnie Van Zant didn't feel a thing because he was passed out God Rest their souls cuz this was a group that will never be forgotten and had the most amazing music I still to this day miss them and always will no one can sign like Ronnie Van Zant
Thank you for watching and sharing
Being how mangled the plane was and how big of an area it spread you just scratched the surface of finds . Such a awesome site to detect what a honor ✌
Indeed an honor!
Mike, the plane was taken by the NTSB to determine the cause of the crash in 1977 and the vast majority of the items were removed. We will post a picture of the debris field in the UnCut version or you can find it on the NTSB report.
yes we located the main part where the passenger area and cockpit came to rest.
Wow. What amazing finds. RIP to those who were lost that day.
Thank you for watching.
My Uncle was a Mississippi game warden at the time. He was one of the first people on the scene of the crash. He has a piece of the plane framed and signed by the surviving members. He said one of the survivors said the crash felt like they were in a dryer and being beat with baseball bats. Enjoyed your video.
Thank you for sharing. Myself and other members of our team are also former law enforcement and current.
I can’t believe the plane was scrapped. 😭😭😭😭
Yes we felt the same way.
Yes!!!
Hard to believe 😭
That beer can was the only can I’ve ever seen anyone happy to dig. Great finds
Hahaha! You know you wouldn't have dug it 🤪 Best can slow ever. Hard to imagine that can was older than me and should have been drank the day I was born by someone famous!
Kelly Dzemske greatest pop top ever
LOL you are right about that!
Wow..44 years undiscovered..
An unopened bud can and the find of the day.
An original piece of The Lynard Skynard Plane Instrument Panel..
Great Rock-n-Roll Historical Finds..
You should all get a case of cold bud ..
Drink it together,then take a Vote on Donating your finds to..
The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame..
That way,Rock Fans for Generations can see these pieces of this Rock-n-Roll
Hisorical event..
I would Vote..
Yes,Absolutely..
we contacted them but could never get them to let us speak to the curators. We even told them it was no charge. We are looking at donating it to the family of Ronnie who plan to open a museum in FL. We are going to display them for free.
@@HistorySeekers Thats Great..
I wish you much luck.
That stuff really is Part of Rock History..
Thanks for letting me know..
Great Job People..
An amazing place to save some history of Rock and Roll.
Thank you!
That plane ride, could have been avoided, and they would all still be here.
Yup, the plane had crapped out before and needed repairs.
The company was too cheap to have it fixed by someone else so they told the pilots to keep flying it until they got it back to Louisiana the charter company had a facility there that could fix it cheaper.
The sad thing is they could have just flown commercial to the concert in Louisiana then got back on the private plane after it was fixed.
Cassie had actually bought a ticket on a commercial flight but Steve talked her in to flying with the rest of the band.
Amazingly it didn't suffer a mechanical failure but was simply ran out of fuel.
So preventable and so sad.
The WHITE LIGHT MAIN INST. PANEL piece looks like it was part of the cockpit Circuit Breaker Panel (CBP) or possibly a cockpit LIGHTING CONTROL PANEL. The round steering wheel is actually the Nose Wheel Steering (NWS) control, for steering AC while taxing. I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd New Year's Day 1977, San Diego, CA. I live in Jacksonville, FL. I'm a retired Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) Chief that flew EC-121M, EP-3E and P-3Cs my entire career. I also worked as an aircraft (multiple platforms) Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Instructional Designer (ID) for defense contracts. I own all but one of the LS albums including the original Street Survivors. I bought the first album on Guam, a couple in Atsugi, Japan and the last at NAS Marimar, San Diego, CA. My late Aunt taught a couple of the band members at Jeb Stuart Jr. High.
I was in Jr. High in Liberty, MS at the time and lived on Gillsburg Road that the ambulances drove down when they were rushing the survivors to the hospital. I remember them going by our house with sirens wailing. I found out the next day some of my classmates who lived in Gillsburg had been some of the first people on the crash site helping survivors.
Thank you for sharing
I STILL have my Ticket to the Baton Rouge concert that got cancelled because of the accident. I DID get to see them in Baton Rouge 10years later on their Street Survivor Tour.
Very cool.
If you had tickets to the cancelled baton rouge show because of the accident then how did you see them 10 years later. Ronnie van zant was dead. After the original band members were deceased they were never the same band
I'm surprised that bucket of bolts could even get off the damn ground!
Yeah Aerosmith literally refused to fly in it because they said it was too dangerous. Sadly, Ronnie was even warned about it and said that if it was his time to go then it was his time to go and told everybody to get on it. They knew better than to tell Ronnie no but this would have sure been the time to do it. The pilots should have known to put fuel in it. The real tragedy of it all is the fact that it could have been avoided.
That beer can is the ONE time you will see someone on a detecting video get excited about a pull tab.
Awesome dig, I loved their music growing up.......time to pull up and listen to some.
I bet that listed to them 599 times during editing.
That is unique to get to go Metal Detecting at a Historical Site... Collecting, Preserving & Sharing Historical Artifacts are one of My Favorite Hobbies.. It would be cool to go searching Historical Sites with this group. They seem to respect the Artifacts and respect the fact that this was a Rock N Roll Tragedy and glad to see these few Historical Artifacts preserved and saved for future Generations to enjoy!!! Thank You for sharing.
Enjoyed watching and found it fascinating that so many identifiable objects were able to be recovered to be donated. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the extended version. GL, HH and take care.
We identified another part after the video went live.
We used to finish our set with 'Freebird' - got the crowd every time. Played at Stonehenge in about 78/9 on Hawkwind's gear and played it for the best part of 30 minutes. Exhilarating stuff.
Thanks Steve.
The item at 5:48 is a 225 amp fuse. It bolts to a fuse holder using the two rounded cutouts on each end of the larger piece of metal on the left. The rest of the pieces are normally stacked and secured in the center. Knowing how these are bolted in, it had to be a very hard impact to remove it from the plane.
Like many people, I purchased the Street Survivors album with the original album cover. It wasn't days after I purchased the album that the plane crashed. Right after the plane crash they changed the album cover to all black. I cherish that album to this day.
Thank you for sharing that Kenneth.
This sounds like a great adventure. Can't wait for the video 🙂
It’s out now.
The long version will be out in the future
I would have loved to have been on this dig. Epic. Brought a tear to my eye.
Thank you Joe. Be sure to keep check on our community section and we will have an update when these items go on display.
that is too cool, I am an aircraft mechanic and have worked on a lot of older planes such as this one, I believe that was a Convair 240. it would be awfully hard to tell what the individual pieces are, but you are correct in that the painted pieces would be the exterior while the green is a primer that would generally be found on the interior
Excellent information Vic. Thanks for that!
Several of the pieces I have found have a number etched into them. I'm assuming these are probably part numbers?
hey Scott, yes, numbers would be found on parts, say, from the engines, electrical components and from certain equipment on board, like galley eqiptment. some of the pieces you found appear to be brackets probably from electrical components
Thank you Vic, we may need to ask you some questions about some of the other parts.
Thank you y'all! You are doing a great thing!
Thank you Wendy. That means a lot! Please share it with your friends. We went back there a couple of weeks ago and have a follow up to this video. It was just published last night.
This brings me memories from back in Venezuela where I searched this jungle mountain side, around 1983, where a Lockheed Constellation crashed back in the late 50s, found all 4 engines, an aluminum frame from a suit case, nose wheel strut and tires, took 2 cylinders home, eng oil still inside the valve covers etc. Post crash fire consumed most of the aircraft
That beer can would be the find of the day for me, to think one of them had THAT CAN in their hand at one time, priceless. Only thing better would be a ring, wallet or clothing. But I would be happy finding that busted up old can 😁
I thought that can was too but if we found a wallet or ring I would definitely insist those items be returned to the family if we could identify them.
I 💗 that busted up old can 😀
daimlerbenzstuttgart - "Only thing better would be a ring, wallet or clothing"? How about some teeth? Do you realize that 6 extremely cool people lost their lives on that very spot? You people disgust me. Fucking grave robbing scavenger parasites.
@@HistorySeekers There were a few instruments they kept on the plane for entertainment. As I heard it some of that stuff was never recovered. Some of it has to be around that area. I believe the spot you guys are on is the actual impact spot. There is probably a lot more interesting pieces and artifacts a few yards out. I would mark that as the center and go in circle sweeps from there. There were also 2 luggage cases they stated were never found. I had a copy of the original FAA report a friend gave me on about my 20th birthday after I graduated flight school my best friends father worked the crash site. My friend had a lot of interesting unknown facts about the crash which included a list of unfound unlocated personal items. I would have loved have been along on this adventure. That was def a trim tab wheel of an old Convair. A pretty stable old bird as well. They just don't fly very well without fuel. It would pay off to return see if you can locate some of those personal items are there as well. I believe the land owner leveled the spot after the crash with alot of debris still there. Whether or not he carted off stuff during the first days of the recovery process is also note on that FAA report. It indicates they meaning the FAA did make an attempt to find some of the items surviving members were requesting being returned to them. Keep in mind the FAA notes on that report more than two craters about 4 feet deep. Obviously the two engines and landing gear were heavy enough to make craters where stuff could still be in those crater holes.
@@davidhopkins5581 Some Teeth? You're sick for even thinking of that...and it's not a grave it's a crash site.
Found your site by accident, subscribed, this took me back to the day the news broke. Southern Rockers in Heaven RIP, ...Gone but not forgotten ......Southern Love from Alabama.
Thank you Pam. As Alabamians this group holds a special group in our heart.
Visited the site with my wife this past Easter Holiday. Very solemn place. We did respect the memorial and stayed off what wasnt ours. Flying Free Now.
I had purchased tickets for the band band and low and behold the tragedy happened. Back then it was probably to see them at Cobo Arena In Detroit michigan.
Wow. Thank you for sharing. Did you keep you tickets?
I was supposed to be at that show too 10/31/77 -Was to be my first concert :(
I think when I got the refund you turned in you're tickets , so I don't have them.
@@skydogduane What part of Michigan are you from?
@@river4837 Farmington Hills
Bad. Ass.
Best video yet! In my opinion anyways. It would be awesome to hunt that site! That had to of been a day full of goosebumps with each item pulled from the ground!
Thank you! Yes, I still get them thinking about some of that stuff. It was emotional for us all.
@@HistorySeekers, I can imagine it would be! I feel the emotions just thinking about it, but to be there? And hold pieces of the plane that you dug up? Man that's crazy awesome. Definitely one of the best videos, Heath. The kind that's worth watching again
We spent a lot of time working on this project. Over 3 weeks just editing while Kelly and Scott did research. It was a big effort by everyone on our team.
@@HistorySeekers , well you all did one hell of a job! It would be awesome to make this hunt into a sort of documentary. Maybe an hour long video or something? It's really interesting and to feel the emotions just by watching it, makes it that much better..... if what I'm saying makes sense. Lol
So is this why it's sealed off today and gated with security cameras, so no one else can go back and dig things up and carve on the tree? I was born in "81" but grew up on the music "parents was huge fans". Absolutely loved the video and thanks for sharing it for ones all over the world "ME" who are unable to get up close like that.it made me feel as if I was right there!!! Awesome awesome
No the site where the monument is not the site of the crash. The owner of the actual site doesn't allow people out there either. We were fortunate enough to have someone that knew him and was able to talk him into letting us know. Even then it was not easy getting permission understandably. Unfortunately people tend to leave trash behind and damage the land and ruin things for everyone. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video guys! This was a great idea. Glad you guys could get on the site.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you Will!
Awesome what yall are doing . Great finds .
Thank you so much Aaron!
So very cool to watch, i'm glad you contacted families and museums to ensure its never sold...great job guys and lady!
Thank you for watching Ed.
Thanks for watching!
History Seekers yes sir!
Kelly - History Seekers yes ma'am!
True professionals thank you. Amazing pieces of history.
Thank you Brian! That means a lot. Be sure to check our latest video that we released several days ago from the site.
ua-cam.com/video/aWtt4XgpQtY/v-deo.html