Freebird Survivors Foundation Inc.
When a plane goes down on tour, support rarely follows the whole manifest. We exist to change that. The Freebird Survivors Foundation Inc. provides direct assistance to musicians and touring professionals who survive aviation crashes — and to the families of those who don't.
Our support covers medical costs, financial hardship, and the longer-term needs that show up months or years after a crash. There is no hierarchy here — a guitar tech or a lighting rigger matters as much as the headliner.
Direct grants to survivors facing hardship — covering medical bills, living expenses, and costs that accumulate long after the crash itself.
Connections to medical providers, help navigating insurance, and funding for treatment that survivors otherwise can't afford.
Speaking up for survivors who have been overlooked — by management, the industry, or the public — and making sure their needs are documented and heard.
Connecting survivors with each other and with supporters who understand what they've been through — because isolation is one of the worst parts of the aftermath.
If you were in a professional music capacity on a plane that crashed, you qualify — regardless of your role or how well-known the act was. That includes:
Musicians & vocalists
Headliners, supporting acts, backing performers
Road & production crew
Sound, lighting, staging, and logistics professionals
Tour managers
Everyone who keeps the operation running
Technical staff
Guitar techs, drum techs, riggers, backline crew
Film & media crew
Documentarians and television crews traveling with a tour
Families of the deceased
Immediate family members of those killed in a crash
If you or someone you know needs help, reach out directly. We'll listen first and figure out what support looks like from there.
Contact usThe foundation grew out of one specific crash — October 20, 1977, near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Twenty-six people were on board. Six were killed. Twenty survived. Their story is why we exist.
James Brace
Sound
Ron Eckerman
Road Manager
Kevin Elson
Sound
Marc Frank
Drum Tech
Mark Howard
Lighting
Clayton Johnson
Production Manager
Don Kretzschmar
Sound
Steve Lawler
Lighting
Gene Odom
Security
Joe Osborne
Sound
Ken Peden
Sound
Craig Reed
Guitar Tech
Paul Welch
Sound
Bill Sykes
Television Film Crew
Gary Rossington
Guitarist
Suffered severe injuries including broken bones. Continued playing with the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd after 1987.
Allen Collins
Guitarist
Survived the crash but was later paralyzed in a 1986 car accident. Passed away in 1990 from pneumonia.
Billy Powell
Pianist
Sustained injuries in the crash. Returned to play keyboards with the reformed Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Leon Wilkeson
Bass Guitarist
Suffered serious injuries. Continued with the band after 1987. Passed away in 2001.
Artimus Pyle
Drummer
Crawled from the wreckage despite his own injuries to seek help from nearby homes — a true act of heroism.
Leslie Hawkins
Vocalist
One of the backing vocalists aboard the flight, she survived severe trauma from the crash.
Ronnie Van Zant
Lead Vocalist
January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977
Steve Gaines
Guitarist & Vocalist
September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977
Cassie Gaines
Vocalist
January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977
Dean Arthur Kilpatrick
Asst. Road Manager
May 30, 1949 – October 20, 1977
Walter W. McCreary
Pilot
— October 20, 1977
William J. Gray Jr.
Co-Pilot
— October 20, 1977