The last thing you want as a successful southern rock band… Throughout history, some of the most tragic and untimely deaths in music have come via plane crashes. Of course, you have your highest-profile deaths such as Buddy Holly, along with Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson, all passing away in 1959 on a day often referred to as “The Day The Music Died,” as well as Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd tragically losing their lives in 1977. This doesn’t even mention the likes of legends such as John Denver, Patsy Cline, Jim Croce, Otis Redding, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Glen Miller and more, all of whom died in either airplane or helicopter accidents. Reba McEntire tragically lost a number of band members and her tour manager in 1991, Troy Gentry was killed in a helicopter crash, and most recently, legendary country songwriter Brett James passed away in a plane accident. The Skynyrd crash, in particular, is one that has always remained in the back of the minds of many country and southern rock fans, and something similar and equally as terrifying almost happened to The Red Clay Strays on their way to the 61st annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas over the weekend. In an interview with Yahoo on the ACM’s red carpet, the red-hot Alabama band was asked a fairly innocuous, light-hearted question: “What is the most country thing you did this week?” @yahooentertainment @theredclaystrays ♬ original sound – Yahoo Entertainment Bassist, Andrew Bishop, would simply reply that he drove his F-250 Super Duty to their private jet to fly to the ceremony. The Strays’ guitarist, Zach Rishel, however, would reveal the terrifying complications the jet suffered in the air while they were flying from Mobile, Alabama, to Las Vegas over the weekend. As Rishel described, a part of the jet’s engine cowling, the part of the plane that covers the engine, flew off during takeoff, presumably detaching while the band was in the air. Bluntly, he’d say: “We almost died in that private jet.” After joking that the entire situation was “pretty country” and referencing the aforementioned Skynyrd crash, Bishop would then note that they were forced to circle Mobile for upwards of two hours in order to lose enough fuel to land safely back at the runway. “We had to circle Mobile for about two hours to lose enough fuel to land again, to then get some more planes.” Hall would then pull up a photo of the jet on his phone, which confirmed that the cowling did, in fact, fly off and left the engine completely exposed. Thankfully for Red Clay, they landed safely, switched planes and made a smooth trip to Vegas. As we know, the trip proved to be worth the risk as they won their first-ever ACM Group of the Year Award, finally dethroning Old Dominion as they did at the CMAs last November and subsequently snapping their eight-year winning streak. Additionally, they delivered a stellar performance of their new single, “Demons In Your Choir,” which you can watch below. Grateful Tour Dates July 30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart August 1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart August 5 – Laval, CA – Place Bell with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart August 7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb August 9 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden with The Revivalist & Brent Cobb August 16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk August 18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk August 19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk August 21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse with Sweet Talk August 22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Ceter with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk August 26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk August 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk August 29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk August 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena with Wyatt Flores & Sweet Talk September 2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheater at Caesars Republic with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 17 – Phoenix, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena with Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk September 20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk September 30 – Toronto, CA – RBC Amphitheater – with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb October 14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena with The Revivalist & Haley Reinhart October 22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell  October 23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena with Brent Cobb & Sierra Ferrell October 28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center with Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb October 31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC with Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb November 5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb November 6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb November 8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena with Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb November 13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena with Travis Tritt & Brent CobbThe post “Almost Died”: The Red Clay Strays Reveal Scary Jet Complications Travelling To The ACM Awards first appeared on Whiskey Riff.