Pilot declared emergency, loss of autopilot before crash that killed 3 members of famed gospel group

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A preliminary report says the pilot of a plane that crashed in northeast Wyoming in July, killing three members of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons, declared an emergency and the loss of the autopilot shortly before the incident that in total killed seven people. The report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board states the plane had taken off from an airport in Nebraska with plans to stop in Billings, Montana, when it went down in northeast Wyoming. During the last part of the flight, the pilot declared an emergency, reported the loss of autopilot and said he was trying to get control of the aircraft.