The pilot of the plane that crashed in July and resulted in the deaths of three members of an Atlanta gospel group The Nelons said he lost autopilot and declared an emergency before the crash, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
On July 26, all seven people aboard, including the pilot, members of the gospel group, and three others, were killed when the plane was destroyed in a crash near Recluse, Wyoming, stated the report.
The group was on its way to a Gaither Homecoming Cruise in Alaska, according to a statement from Gaither Music Management Group .
In the last portion of the flight, the pilot reported losing autopilot to the Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center controller and declared a state of emergency.
When the controller asked the pilot how he would land, he did not receive a response initially. But the pilot later told him he was trying to regain control of the plane.
The controller then said that should the pilot need further assistance, to let them know and advised the pilot of the minimum instrument flight rules, to which the pilot did not respond.