3 Family Members Part of Gospel Group The Nelons Die in Plane Crash

Three family members, part of the Grammy-nominated gospel group The Nelons, were killed in a plane crash on Friday, July 26.

The group’s management company Gaither Music announced the news on social media, sharing that Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband, Jason Nelon Clark, and daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler, were killed in the crash.

Amber’s husband, Nathan Kistler, and their assistant, Melodi Hodges, also died in the crash, as did the pilot of the plane, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa, per the group.

Gaither Music said that the family had been traveling to perform at the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the incident occurred. 

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), they are currently “investigating the accident.”

Gaither Music confirmed that the group’s fourth member and Kelly’s younger daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, was not aboard the plane at the time of the crash.

She and her husband, Jamie Streetman, were “notified about the incident” after arriving in Seattle, the group said.

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

In a separate statement shared on Instagram, Autumn reacted to the tragedy, writing, “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 added, "We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”

Campbell County spokesperson Leslie Perkins confirmed to ABC News that the private plane went down north of Gillette, Wyoming.

She added that the plane crash caused a “wildland fire,” which Campbell County Fire Department units worked to “suppress.”

The NTSB tells PEOPLE that the plane the group was traveling on was a Pilatus PC-12/47E aircraft.

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The group said they will review and examine whether there was an autopilot issue during the flight as part of the investigation.

Additional investigators are now traveling to the site, where they will be “documenting the scene” and “examining the aircraft," the NTSB says.

From there, a preliminary report is expected in 30 days, while the final report with the probable cause of the crash could take up to two years to complete, per the organization.

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