South East United States

Florida, Tennessee

A small plane, taken for a joy ride, crashed into a mansion and burst into flames Friday, killing the lead guitarist of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group and two other people, police said. The plane twice buzzed the house, where the rock group was staying, and on a third pass clipped the group’s tour bus and a tree, then slammed into the two-story colonial home, officials said. Killed were guitarist Randell Rhoads, 25, pilot Andrew Aycock, 36, and Rachel Youngblood, 58, the group’s makeup artist and hairdresser, said Lake County Deputy Sheriff Mike Smalt. Osbourne - known for such stage antics as biting off the head of a live bat - was in the bus but was not hurst, Smalt said. Several other group members escaped unhurt from the mansion before it was gutted by flaming gasoline that spewed from the Beechcraft Bonanza, officials said. The group was staying at the mansion before a concert scheduled for tonight in Orlando. Members of the group quickly left the crash site and it was not known whether they would perform. Jack Barker, Atlanta regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA flew an investigator to the scene Friday. The bus - outfitted with plush chairs, video games and a stereo system - was punctured by the wing of the aircraft.

Leesburg, Florida

Randy Rhoads played a major part in the bizarre creative impulses of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group. The widely-acclaimed British guitarist, who died yesterday morning in a fiery plane crash here, was called a "musician’s musician" in Record Magazine’s March issue. Rhoads, 25, who lived in Burbank, Calif., joined the Osbourne group without even auditioning, group leader Osbourne is quoted as saying. "He was only tuning up his guitar when I said, ‘You’ve got the gig. Phenomenal!" Osbourne said, "I have a feeling about people. You could be the greatest player in the world, but if you haven’t got the feeling that I want to get, I don’t go for it. Randy (had) presence." Rhoads and two other people - Andrew Aycock, 36, of Leesburg, the plane’s pilot, and a hairdresser for the group, Rachel Youngblood, 58, of Los Angeles - were killed when the Beechcraft Bonanza they were in clipped the Osbourne tour bus, splintered a pine tree and slammed in the side of a house at Flying Baron Estates, three miles west of the city on a private airfield. Witnesses said the plane circled the airport low three times and on the third pass fell below the tree line and hit the bus. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed this weekend to determine whether the victims were killed on impact or burned to death in the resulting fire. The plush traveling bus, equipped with stereo, television and video games, received minor damage. Several broken side windows and a punctured side panel were evidence of the disaster. The two story house owned by Voncile Calhoun is considered to be a total loss. The roof, upper bedrooms and garage were completely gutted by fire. Firefighters on the scene said there was probably structural damage to the concrete block walls of the home. Two cars, an Oldsmobile and a Ford Granada, were also destroyed when the plane hit the wall and splashed gasoline over the area. The group was in the Central Florida area to play at the Tangerine Bowl’s annual event, Rock Superbowl XIV, scheduled to begin Saturday morning at 11 a.m. with such groups as Foreigner, Bryan Adams and UFO. Osbourne canceled the group’s appearance Friday evening a spokesman for the promoters, Beachclub Productions, said, adding that anyone with tickets may get a refund if they wished, though the show will go on as scheduled. At the crash site, one victim was found outside the window of the garage, just below where the plane struck the wall, while the other two were inside, one beside and one atop the burned out automobiles. Fiberglass from the explosive impact of the plane was scattered over more than an acre, with no part of the plane larger than a telephone except the one crumpled wing which hit the bus. Four persons in the bus, including John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne himself, plus two more in the house, escaped the flames, and later the group found rooms at Leesburg’s Hilco Inn, remaining in seclusion. Sheriff’s Department spokesman said they were shaken and upset. Rhoads was voted Best New Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine poll and chosen as England’s Best Heavy Metal Guitarist for 1981 by Sounds magazine. Rhoads and another band member, Rudy Sarzo, a bass player, were also veterans of Quiet Riot, a group which had two successful albums in Japan, but couldn’t get an American contract. Osbourne is well known for his bizarre stage antics and special effects; such as biting the heads from bats and doves and "hanging" a man on stage until he is "dead". Osbourne has been called "a true geek in a world of make-believe sickies...a hulking, mugging, leering parody of a devil worshiper" in magazine articles. However, beneath his gross exterior lies some creative talent, and he and Rhoads put together two cult albums, "The Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman." plus another that is scheduled to be released soon. Rhoads was instrumental in writing and arranging many of the album’s songs with Osbourne and others. Osbourne himself is a veteran Heavy-Metal performer. He was previously with Black Sabbath, with whom he broke two years ago. While Sheriff’s Department investigators work and a Federal Aviation Authority representative flew in to determine the cause of the crash, fans may well be contemplating the irony of one of Rhoads' and Osbourne’s last songs, "Flying high Again." and it’s lyrics:

"Got a crazy feeling I don’t understand - Gotta get away from here - Feeling like I shoulda kept my feet on the ground - Waiting for the sun to appear."

Orlando, Florida

The lead guitarist of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group and two members of the entourage died Friday when a single-engine plane on a joy ride clipped the band’s tour bus, struck a tree and crashed into a two-story house. Authorities said the plane was buzzing the bus when it dipped a wing into the side of the parked bus before smashing to the ground in flames. Osbourne, scheduled to appear today at the Rock Superbowl XIV in Orlando, was sleeping in the bus with two other members of the band when the plane fell. He was not injured. Concert promoters Friday said the band will be replaced at today’s Tangerine Bowl concert by guitarist Pat Travers. Ticket refunds will be available at the Gate F from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Killed were guitarist Randy Rhoads, 25; Andrew Aycock, 36, the pilot and bus driver for the band; and Rachel Youngblood, 58, a makeup and wardrobe assistant, Lake County Sheriff’s officials said. Witnesses said the Beechcraft Bonanza, flew three circles around the area, dipping below tree-top level, and then came in close over the bus, which was parked outside the white concrete block house. Two persons were standing nearby, taking pictures of the airplane. "The left wing of the plane struck the right side of the bus on the fourth flyby. The plane crashed into a pine tree by the house and crashed into the building," Lake County Sheriff’s investigator Mike Whitaker said. The three band members on the bus "thought they had been involved in a traffic accident," officials said. Witnesses at the crash site said the group recently arrived at Aycock’s private home across from the Flying Baron Ranch, where the accident occurred. "I was going for a nice peaceful ride on my horse and kept hearing this plane," said a witness who lives within sight of the ranch. "It was flying so low that when it passed over me, I could see the interior of it," she said "I was crying, I was so shocked. It was a harrowing experience. The other members of the group were just very upset and shocked," she said. The home was occupied by Jessie Herndon, 70, who escaped uninjured. Neighbors said the owner, Jerry Calhoun, used to record country and western music in Nashville, Tenn., and had leased tour buses to music groups. The house burned quickly, said David Evans, a retired photographer who learned about the crash on his police scanner. "I was there before the police even, but the whole house was gone." Osbourne, a popular shock-rocker who bit off the head of a live bat at a recent concert, had performed Thursday night in Knoxville, Tenn., and had driven all night to Leesburg. The group late Friday was in seclusion at the Hilco Inn in Leesburg and had no comment. Rhoads, of Burbank, Calif., was widely regarded as a rock musician. He was voted best new guitarist by the Guitar Player magazine and England’s best Heavy Metal guitarist in 1981 by Sounds magazine. "He was blazing a trail of fire leading the pack as a new innovator," according to a promotional brochure found on the bus. It went on to describe him as "the best new guitarist you will ever see or hear." "The victims must have died on impact," Whitaker said. When Federal Aviation Authority investigators arrived at the scene around 2 p.m., the only identifiable wreckage left from the red and white plane was a 5-foot section of wing.

Tampa, Florida

A small plane buzzing the shock-rock group Ozzy Osbourne clipped a tour bus, hit a tree and crashed in flames into a mansion Friday, killing the groups lead guitarist and two other people, police said. All three victims were on the plane, which had made two close passes over the mansion where group members were staying, and was buzzing it a third time when it crashed, authorities said. Killed were guitarist Randall Rhoads, 25, pilot Andrew Aycock, 36, and Rachel Youngblood, 58, the group’s makeup artist and hairdresser, said Lake County Deputy Sheriff Mike Smalt. Osbourne - known for such stage antics as biting off the head of a live bat more than for his music - was in the tour bus when the planes wing clipped it but was not hurt, Smalt said. Several other members of the group escaped unhurt from the huge, two-story colonial house before it was gutted by flaming gasoline that spewed from the Beechcraft Bonanza, officials said. Rhoads and Youngblood were from Los Angeles, Smalt said. He said Aycock lived at Flying Baron Estates, the wealthy, private-airport community about three miles east of Leesburg where the accident happened. The group was staying at the mansion before a concert scheduled for Orlando today. Members of the group were whisked away from the crash site. Jack Barker, Atlanta regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA flew an investigator to the scene early Friday afternoon. He said the National Transportation Safety Board also would investigate. The bus - outfitted with plush chairs, video games and a stereo system - was punctured by the wing of the aircraft. Meanwhile, officials in Orlando said Rock Superbowl XIV, featuring rock bands Foreigner and UFO, will go on as scheduled today at Orlando's Tangerine Bowl despite the death of Rhoads. The spokesman said the Pat Travers Band will replace Ozzy Osbourne. Refunds will be available at Gate F between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., he said.

Miami, Florida

Randy Rhodes, 25-year old lead guitarist for The Ozzy Osbourne Band, was killed yesterday in Leesburg, Fla. while buzzing a two story house in a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft. The plane struck the band's tour bus and a tree before crashing into the home and bursting into flames. Two other people in the plane, 36-year old Andrew Aycock, who was piloting the craft and 58-year old Rachel Youngblood, the group's hairstylist, were also killed. The Ozzy Osboutne Band was slated to appear in Miami tomorrow at the Orange Bowl with rock groups Forigner and UFO in a concert begining at 11 a.m. Jack Boyle of Cellar Door Concerts, promoter of the event, spoke with Osbourne yesterday and says "Ozzy still wanted to play the Orange Bowl date and was going to try and find a new lead guitarist in time, but that just didn't work out." Osbourne has now been replaced with The Pat Travers Band and singer/songwriter Bryan Adams. "Those people who no longer want to go to the concert because Ozzy isn't appearing can refund their tickets before the concert at the place of purchase," says Boyle. Osbourne was in the tour bus that the plane's wing hit before it struck a tree and then slammed into the two-story house where the band was staying. Osbourne was unhurt. The other band members also escaped injury by fleeing the estate before it went up in flames. Osbourne rose to fame in the early 70's as the lead singer for the British rock band Black Sabbath. He recently embarked upon a bizarre solo career, which found him biting the heads off bats and doves as well as performing his bone-crunching brand of heavy metal rock music.

Daytona Beach , Florida

A small plane crashed into a mansion and burst into flames Friday, killing the lead guitarist of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group and two other people, police said. The plane twice buzzed the house, where the rock group was staying, and on a third pass clipped the rock group's tour bus and a tree, then slammed into the two-story colonial home, officials said. Killed were guitarist Randall Rhoads, 25, pilot Andrew Aycock, 36, and Rachel Youngblood, 58, the group's makeup artist and hairdresser, said Lake County Deputy Sheriff Mike Smalt. All were aboard the plane. Osbourne - known for such stage antics as biting off the head of a live bat - was in the bus but was not hurt, Smalt said. Several other group members escaped unhurt from the mansion before it was gutted by flaming gasoline that spewed from the Beechcraft Bonanza, officials said. Rhodes and Ms. Youngblood were from Los Angeles, Smalt said. Smalt said Aycock lived at Flying Baron Estates, the wealthy, private airport community about three miles east of Leesburg where the crash occurred. The group was staying at the mansion before a concert scheduled for Orlando today. Members of the group quickly left the crash site and it was not known whether they would perform. Jack Barker, Atlanta regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the FAA flew an investigator to the scene Friday. He said the National Safety Transportation Board also would investigate. The bus - outfitted with plush chairs, video games and a stereo system - was punctured by the wing of the aircraft.

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