The aircraft caught fire mid-flight, killing nelson and six others on board. · nelson was 45 when he and six others died during the crash -landing of his bands aircraft on. Both pilots survived. American pop singer rick nelson died during the crash -landing of his bands aircraft on. · while the two pilots of the plane would survive their attempted emergency landing in a field outside de kalb, texas, all seven passengers on board were killed, including the first pop star to. 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. Now, a new book is shedding light on the details surrounding the crash that claimed his life and those of six others. · on , ricky nelson died at age 45 when his band’s plane crashed near de kalb, texas. · gunnar nelson and matthew nelson still wonder if their father, former teen idol ricky nelson , had a premonition before his tragic demise. Forty years after the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of teen idol ricky nelson , the mystery surrounding the accident has finally been laid to rest — and its more heartbreak. The plane , a douglas dc-3, caught fire mid-flight near de kalb, texas. On new year’s eve 1985, the entertainer died in a. · ricky nelson , the iconic teen idol of the 1950s and 1960s, tragically lost his life in a plane crash on.
