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Date | December 31, 1985, at 17:14 (CST) |
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Summary | In-flight fire |
Site | Near De Kalb, Texas, U.S. |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3 |
Operator | privately owned |
Registration | N711Y |
Flight origin | Guntersville Municipal Airport, Guntersville, Alabama, U.S. |
Destination | Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
Occupants | 9 |
Passengers | 7 |
Crew | 2 |
Fatalities | 7 |
Survivors | 2 |
American pop singer Ricky Nelson died during the crash-landing of his band’s aircraft on December 31, 1985. The plane, a Douglas DC-3, was brought down mid-flight outside De Kalb, Texas, by a fire that rapidly spread from a suspected faulty in-cabin heater. Nelson and six others—including several band members and his girlfriend—were killed in the accident. Both pilots survived.