Death Of Stevie Ray Vaughan - Wikipedia

1990 helicopter crash in Wisconsin, U.S. Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan

A Bell 206B similar to the accident aircraft
Date	August 27, 1990 (1990-08-27)
Location	Alpine Valley ResortEast Troy, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coordinates	42°43′55″N 88°25′30″W / 42.73194°N 88.42500°W / 42.73194; -88.42500
Cause	Controlled flight into terrain
Deaths	5
Burial	August 31, 1990,Laurel Land CemeteryDallas, Texas, U.S.
Inquest	October 24, 1990in Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Coroner	John T. Griebel
Verdict	Death by misadventure

AlpineValleyclass=notpageimage| Location in the United States Alpine Valleyclass=notpageimage| Location in Wisconsin

In the early morning of Monday, August 27, 1990, American musician Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash near East Troy, Wisconsin, at age 35.[1] He was one of the most influential blues guitarists of the 1980s, described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "the second coming of the blues".

Vaughan spent his last days performing with his band Double Trouble as the opening act for Eric Clapton at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, thirty miles (50 km) southwest of Milwaukee. After the concert concluded, Vaughan and three members of Clapton's entourage boarded a helicopter that crashed into the side of a nearby ski hill shortly after takeoff. The Civil Air Patrol was notified of the crash at 4:30 am, and authorities were called to locate the scene of the accident. All five people were pronounced dead on arrival. The autopsy concluded that Vaughan suffered multiple internal injuries and died of exsanguination (bleeding to death) due to blunt trauma of the chest and abdomen.

At the inquest, the coroner found no evidence of drug or alcohol use and recorded death by misadventure. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the pilot failed to gain sufficient altitude to avoid rising terrain.[2]

Vaughan was buried at Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas, Texas, on August 31, 1990.[3] In 1992, his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Omniflight Helicopters, which was settled for an undisclosed amount in 1995.

Accident

[edit]

The day before his death, Stevie Ray Vaughan allegedly told his band and crew members about a nightmare that he had in which he was at his own funeral and saw thousands of mourners. He felt "terrified, yet almost peaceful".[4] Backstage after the show that evening, the musicians talked about playing together again, particularly with Eric Clapton for a series of dates at London's Royal Albert Hall in early 1991 as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.[5] Moments later, Clapton's tour manager, Peter Jackson, said that the weather was getting worse and they had to leave soon.[6] Vaughan's last words to drummer Chris Layton were, "I love ya."[7][8]

Four helicopters were waiting on a golf course to transport concert group members to Chicago. Vaughan boarded the third helicopter alongside Clapton's agent Bobby Brooks, bodyguard Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager Colin Smythe. His brother, Jimmie Vaughan, alongside Jimmie's wife, was also set to board. However, due to a last-minute change, only one seat was available, which Stevie tentatively took.[9][10] The helicopter, a Bell 206B Jet Ranger, was piloted by Jeff Brown.[8][11][5][12][13] It departed in dense fog at 1 am.[14] Brown piloted the helicopter off the golf course, at a higher speed and slightly lower altitude than the others.[11][15] It banked sharply[13] to the left,[11] and crashed into the side of a 300-foot (90 m) ski slope,[16] about 0.6 miles (1 km) from takeoff.[11] All on board were killed instantly;[17] no fire or explosion occurred, and the bodies and debris were scattered over two hundred feet (60 m).[12][15][16] No one was aware of the crash until the helicopter failed to arrive at its destination.

A Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol[18][19] search airplane found the wreckage at 7 am, fifty feet (15 m) below the summit of the hill.[11][15] Shortly after, Clapton and Jimmie Vaughan were called to the morgue to identify the bodies.[16] According to an autopsy report, Vaughan had suffered many unsurvivable injuries, such as transection and dissection of the aorta and multiple depressed skull fractures, along with a ruptured spleen and liver and fractures of the right thigh bone and ribs.[20] An investigation found that no drugs or alcohol were involved, and that all victims had worn seatbelts. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were found with the helicopter.[11]

Brown had many hours of experience operating the Bell 206B at night, but was only instrument rated on airplanes, not helicopters. In fact, not long before the flight, he had failed an instrument check ride.[21] According to the NTSB, the cause of the accident was deemed controlled flight into terrain, as Brown could not see the hill due to low visibility.[15]

Aftermath

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Vaughan's death triggered an outpouring of grief around the world. The album Family Style, the only collaboration recorded with his brother Jimmie, was released in September 1990 and became Vaughan's best-selling non-Double Trouble album. On August 31, Vaughan was buried at Laurel Land Memorial Park in Dallas.[3] Funeral services were held with over 1,500 people attending and 3,000 more outside the chapel. His fiancée, Janna Lapidus, and Jimmie and Martha Vaughan were in attendance. Among the other mourners were Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, ZZ Top, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and Nile Rodgers.[22][23][24]

Omniflight, the company that owned and operated the helicopter, was sued for negligence by Martha and Jimmie Vaughan. They claimed that pilot Jeff Brown operated the helicopter recklessly under visual flight rules (VFR) while in instrument meteorological conditions. The lawsuit ended in a settlement.[25] The widows of Vaughan's bodyguard, Nigel Browne, and assistant tour manager, Colin Smythe, received more than $2 million in settlements.[26]

Memorials and tributes

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Jimmie Vaughan later co-wrote and recorded a song in tribute to his brother and other deceased blues guitarists titled "Six Strings Down". Bonnie Raitt's 1991 album Luck of the Draw was dedicated to him. Many other artists recorded songs in remembrance of Vaughan, including Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, Buddy Guy, Steve Vai, Ezra Charles, White Lion, and Wayne Perkins. Stevie Wonder, whose "Superstition" Vaughan covered, honored him with "Stevie Ray Blues" on his 1995 live album Natural Wonder. Musicians such as Joe Bonamassa,[27] John Mayer,[27] Robert Randolph,[28] Kenny Wayne Shepherd,[29] Mark Tremonti,[30] Chris Duarte,[31] Colin James,[32] Los Lonely Boys,[27][33] Mike McCready, Eric Johnson,[34] Orianthi,[35] John Petrucci,[36] and Doyle Bramhall II[37] have cited Vaughan as an influence.

An annual motorcycle ride and concert in Dallas benefits the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund.[38] The city of Austin, Texas, erected the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Statue at Auditorium Shores on Lady Bird Lake, the site of a number of his concerts. It has become one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.[39] Since 1998, St. Louis, Missouri, has hosted an annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Concert around Thanksgiving featuring local musicians.[40] In 2000, Vaughan was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. He also became eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.[41] In 2008, residents voted to rename Industrial Boulevard in Dallas, with Vaughan's name being one of the finalists, alongside Stanley Marcus, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and César Chávez.[42] In the end, it was renamed to Riverfront Boulevard. Stevie Ray Vaughan was eventually inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 by John Mayer.

See also

[edit]

• 1991 Bill Graham Helicopter Crash
• The Day the Music Died

Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Copter crash kills guitarist Vaughan". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. August 28, 1990. p. 1A.
2. ^ "Revealed: The Truth About What Really Killed Stevie Ray Vaughan". D. August 26, 2020. Of the four Omniflight pilots flying that night, Brown was the only one not certified to fly a helicopter in instrument conditions, meaning that conditions had to be such that he could fly the aircraft using only what he could see out of its windows. In fact, not long before the flight, Brown had failed an instrument check ride.
3. ^ a b "Mourners bid tearful farewell to blues guitarist Vaughan". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. September 1, 1990. p. 1D.
4. ^ Leigh, Keri (1993). Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing.
5. ^ a b Dickerson, p. 154
6. ^ Leigh, p. 3
7. ^ In the Studio with Redbeard. June 21, 1993. The Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
8. ^ a b Everitt, p. 132
9. ^ Newman, Melinda (September 8, 1990). "Industry Mourns Stevie Ray Vaughan". Billboard. ProQuest 226991889. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
10. ^ Rogers, Tim (August 26, 2020). "Revealed: The Truth About What Really Killed Stevie Ray Vaughan". D Magazine. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
11. ^ a b c d e f "NTSB Identification: CHI90MA244". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
12. ^ a b "26 August 1990 – Eric Clapton Tour Archive". Where's Eric! Magazine. 2010. Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
13. ^ a b Gregory, p. 119
14. ^ Kitts, p. 70
15. ^ a b c d Everitt, p. 134
16. ^ a b c Dickerson, p. 155
17. ^ Joe Nick Patoski (October 1990). "Requiem in Blue". Texas Monthly. 18 (10). Austin: Emmis Communications: 210. ISSN 0148-7736. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
18. ^ Robert Hilburn (August 28, 1990). "Stevie Ray Vaughan, Guitar Great, Dies in Copter Crash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
19. ^ "Couldn't Stand the Weather". check-six.com. November 22, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
20. ^ "Stevie Ray Vaughan Autopsy". Death2UR Productions. October 24, 1990. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
21. ^ "Revealed: The Truth About What Really Killed Stevie Ray Vaughan". D. August 26, 2020. of the four Omniflight pilots flying that night, Brown was the only one not certified to fly a helicopter in instrument conditions, meaning that conditions had to be such that he could fly the aircraft using only what he could see out of its windows. In fact, not long before the flight, Brown had failed an instrument check ride.
22. ^ "Music legends and fans say farewell to Stevie Ray Vaughan". United Press International. September 1, 1990.
23. ^ Silverman, Dwight (September 1, 1990). "From the archive: Fans, friends lay Stevie Ray to rest". Houston Chronicle.
24. ^ Crossfire, pp. 263–64
25. ^ "Family, copter company settle over Vaughan's death". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. July 5, 1995. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
26. ^ "Women Receive Settlement in Vaughan's Fatal Crash". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. December 2, 1992. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
27. ^ a b c Chappell, p. 251
28. ^ "Bio – Robert Randolph". Robert Randolph and the Family Band. 2011. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
29. ^ Gregory, p. 153
30. ^ Vinnicombe, Chris (October 26, 2010). "Interview: Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti". MusicRadar. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
31. ^ Murphy, Murf (May 27, 1998). "Chris Duarte Interview – 23 May 98". The Slant: Orlando's Community Website. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
32. ^ Kitts, p. 76
33. ^ Drozdowski, Ted (January 5, 2009). "Los Lonely Boys: Wild String". Guitar World. Future US. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
34. ^ Chappell, Jon; Mark Phillips (August 3, 2009). Guitar All-in-One For Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-470-48133-2.
35. ^ "Exclusive Interview with Orianthi". GlamRock.com. Future US. July 16, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
36. ^ "John Petrucci – Biography". 2007. Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
37. ^ Gregory, p. 150
38. ^ Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride & Concert Archived December 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
39. ^ Austin Art in Public Places Tour – Central.
40. ^ "SRV Tribute". Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
41. ^ Future Rock Hall entry for Stevie Ray Vaughan Archived December 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
42. ^ "Stanley Marcus, Stevie Ray Vaughan make Industrial Boulevard list"

Bibliography

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• Dickerson, James (September 25, 2004). The fabulous Vaughan Brothers: Jimmie and Stevie Ray. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-116-9.
• Everitt, Rich (September 2004). Falling Stars: Air Crashes That Filled Rock and Roll Heaven. Atlanta, GA: Harbor House. ISBN 978-1-891799-04-4.
• Gregory, Hugh (2003). Roadhouse blues: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Texas R&B. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-747-9.
• Kitts, Jeff (1997). Guitar World Presents Stevie Ray Vaughan: ... from the pages of Guitar World magazine. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-0-7935-8080-4.
• Leigh, Keri (1993). Stevie Ray: Soul to Soul. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing.
• Patoski, Joe Nick; Bill Crawford (1993). Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-16068-1.

External links

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• NTSB report

v t e Stevie Ray Vaughan
Original 1983–1989 releases are marked in bold.
Studio albums	Texas Flood Couldn't Stand the Weather Soul to Soul In Step Family Style The Sky Is Crying
Live albums	Live Alive In the Beginning Live at Carnegie Hall In Session Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985
Compilations	Greatest Hits The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 2 Blues at Sunrise The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Official bootlegs	Live in Tokyo
Singles	"Pride and Joy"/"Rude Mood" "Love Struck Baby" "The Sky Is Crying"/"Chitlins con Carne" "Taxman"
Songs	"All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" "Come On (Part III)" "Crossfire" "Hide Away" "Lenny" "Little Wing" "Pipeline" "Say What!" "Superstition" "Testify" "Texas Flood" "The Things That I Used to Do" "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
Concert tours	Texas Flood Tour Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour Soul to Soul Tour Live Alive Tour The Fire Meets the Fury Tour In Step Tour
Video albums	Pride and Joy Live at the El Mocambo
Related articles	Discography Double Trouble David Bowie Doyle Bramhall Tommy Shannon Chris Layton Jimmie Vaughan Reese Wynans Lou Ann Barton W. C. Clark Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 (1990)
Jan 13 Aeroflot Flight 6246Jan 15 SANSA Flight 32Jan 25 Avianca Flight 052Feb 10 East River helicopter crashFeb 11 British Army Gazelle shootdownFeb 14 Indian Airlines Flight 605Apr 9 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254Apr 12 Widerøe Flight 839Apr 30 RAF Shackleton crashMay 11 Philippine Airlines Flight 143May 18 Aerolift Philippines Flight 075Jun 10 British Airways Flight 5390Aug 1 Aeroflot Flight E-35DAug 2 British Airways Flight 149Aug 27 Stevie Ray Vaughan helicopter crashSep 11 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearanceSep 14 Aeroflot Flight 8175Oct 2 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisionsNov 14 Alitalia Flight 404Nov 21 Bangkok Airways Flight 125Dec 3 Wayne County Airport runway collisionDec 6 Italian Air Force MB-326 crash
1989   ◄    ►   1991

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1990s
1990	Avianca Flight 052 (January) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 (April) Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan (August) Wayne County Airport runway collision (December)
1991	Los Angeles Airport runway collision (February 1) Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 (February 17) United Airlines Flight 585 (March) Merion air disaster (April 4) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 (April 5) L'Express Airlines Flight 508 (July) Continental Express Flight 2574 (September) Vallejo helicopter crash (October)
1992	CommutAir Flight 4821 (January) Air Transport International Flight 805 (February) USAir Flight 405 (March) American Eagle Flight 5456 (June 7)* GP Express Airlines Flight 861 (June 8) TWA Flight 843 (July)
1993	Lufthansa Flight 592 (February) Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E (March) Alan Kulwicki plane crash (April 1) China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 (April 6) American Airlines Flight 102 (April 14) American International Airways Flight 808 (August)* Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 (December)
1994	United Express Flight 6291 (January) Green Ramp disaster (March) Federal Express Flight 705 (April) Fairchild Air Force Base B-52 crash (June) USAir Flight 1016 (July) USAir Flight 427 (September) American Eagle Flight 4184 (October) TWA Flight 427 (November) Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 (December)
1995	Air Transport International Flight 782 (February) 1995 Sioux Lookout mid-air collision (May) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 (August) Alaska Boeing E-3 Sentry accident (September) American Airlines Flight 1572 (November) Tower Air Flight 41 (December)
1996	ValuJet Flight 592 (May) Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 (June) Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 (July 6) TWA Flight 800 (July 17) FedEx Express Flight 1406 (September) Delta Air Lines Flight 554 (October) Quincy Airport disaster (November) Airborne Express Flight 827 (December 22) New Hampshire Learjet 35 crash (December 24)
1997	Comair Flight 3272 (January) FedEx Express Flight 14 (July) Korean Air Flight 801 (August 6)* Fine Air Flight 101 (August 7) John Denver (October)
1998	United Airlines Flight 863 (June)
1999	American Airlines Flight 1420 (June) Martha's Vineyard plane crash (July) South Dakota Learjet 35 crash (October)
This list is incomplete.An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in either a U.S. territory or Guantanamo Bay.

v t e Bell JetRanger family
Modelnumbers	206 400 406 407 417 427 429 440 445 505
Civiliannames	GlobalRanger JetRanger Jet Ranger X LongRanger TwinRanger (I) TwinRanger (II)
Militarydesignations	HO-4 H-4 H-57 H-58 H-67 H-70 Q-8C CH-139 Hkp 6
Foreignvariants	CAC(Australia) CA-32 Cardoen(Chile) Cb 206 Eagle Copter(Canada) Eagle 407 HESA(Iran) Shahed 278 Shahed 285 PANHA(Iran) Shabaviz 2061
Modifications	Continental Copters Jet-Cat
Notableaircraft	Spirit of Texas
Topics	Accidents and incidents 1977 Encino crash 1986 Grand Canyon mid-air collision 1990 East Troy crash 1991 Vallejo crash 2000 Marlborough crash 2009 Medair crash 2019 São Paulo crash In fiction
See also Bell 47 family Bell Huey family