Reba McEntire is a country legend, but longtime fans will be familiar with her tragic life story. In 1991, McEntire played what turned out to be her final show with all the members of her band present. They were entertaining fans in San Diego on March 16, and McEntire’s tour manager, along with seven band members, were set to depart via airplane to Fort Wayne. McEntire and her husband at the time, Narvel Blackstock, spent the night in San Diego but were awakened by shocking news in the early hours of the morning — the plane transporting McEntire’s manager and her band members had crashed. “When we were notified, Narvel went and met with our pilot, and he told us what had happened,” she recalled during an interview with Oprah Winfrey years later (via Taste of Country).
The singer was desperate to believe that everyone would be all right, but her husband admitted that their chances weren’t great. The celebrity couple spent most of the night on the phone, trying to figure out what happened, and eventually got the devastating news that there were no survivors. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff, and an investigation subsequently revealed that the crash was caused by the plane’s wing grazing Otay Mountain. Investigators determined that the impact sent the aircraft spinning out of control, leading to the eventual crash.
The pilot didn’t know the area well and was unaware the mountain was even in his flight path, something the flight service specialist notably failed to convey prior to takeoff. Roger Woolsey, who co-owned the company that chartered the plane, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times, “[Don] Holms [the pilot] asked the guy if he could take off eastbound and stay at 3,000 feet.” And, as Woolsey elaborated, “It’s up to that guy to say, ‘No, there’s a mountain there.’ But he said it was OK. Holms did exactly what he told the flight service [specialist] he was going to do. So he hit the mountain.”
The country star continues to mourn the deaths
Many might not know this about Reba McEntire, but she still honors the anniversary of the plane crash that killed her band and tour manager each year. Following the devastating plane crash, McEntire was completely inconsolable, with her rep telling the Los Angeles Times, “She was very close to all of them. Some of them had been with her for years.” As they pointed out, “It’s like losing part of your family.” While speaking to People in 2022, the “Does He Love You” hitmaker opened up about the immediate aftermath of the accident, acknowledging that she was at a complete loss about what to do next.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue,” the singer confessed. “But it showed me how precious life is, and by the grace of God and my faith, I realized that they went on to a better place.” McEntire has undergone quite the stunning transformation over the years, and she noted that her impressive growth as a musician was, in part, due to enduring the tragedy, opining, “I learned that you need to take it one day at a time and be very grateful for the things that you have.” The Grammy winner added, “Tell folks in your life how much you love and appreciate them.”
In 2024, McEntire took to Instagram to honor the 33rd anniversary of the plane crash. She posted a snap of the eight names alongside the lyrics “I guess the world ain’t gonna stop… for my broken heart,” taken from her song “For My Broken Heart,” a heartfelt ballad she penned following their deaths. As the singer-songwriter sweetly wrote in the caption: “33 years today since Heaven gained some great angels. Rest in peace, my friends.”
