Allen Collins, who lost fellow members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd in a 1977 plane crash and was paralyzed four years . It would take awhile for news of the crash to reach the media. Ironically, Artimus Pyle said that as the band flew on the fateful craft, they decided to secure a Learjet for future flights and a "beautiful bus for the crew. ', Exactly how Van Zant spent his last minutes alive is disputed. It sort of symbolized to the band that Rudge was doing things on the cheap, and here they were, one of the biggest bands in the worldThey were not a happy bunch, and the plane was like a metaphor for them being trapped in a bad situation. [7], In 2017, surviving members of the band and family of those who died in the crash filed a lawsuit to block production and distribution of a film entitled Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. But what happened has already happened. Thus the entire band Allen Collins, Steve and Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins, Billy Powell, Artimus Pyle, Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkerson, and Van Zant boarded the plane along with eighteen other crew members, and prepared for takeoff. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. In the wake of the plane crash, grieving fans and curious music lovers turned to the ominous cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's latest album, Street Survivors. He said, 'I'm not gonna get on it because it's not right.'" But why? The band was still touring, though, and released theLynyrd Skynyrd: Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Lyve! We had decided the night before that we would definitely get rid of the plane in Baton Rouge, so we started partying to celebrate the last flight on it, Powell told Rolling Stone in 1977. Dean Kilpatrick, the bands manager, lay dead and covered in blood. Headline from a local newspaper reporting the crash. Johnny Van Zant (pictured), the younger brother of Ronnie, stepped up as lead singer. . It was unfortunate, but it happened. Houston asked McCreary to confirm that. I remember getting really upset when one of the players ripped the table out of the cabin wall, remembered tour manager Roy Eckerman. A feeling of impending doom carried over into his music, particularly the Street Survivors track That Smell. Written as a stern warning after Rossington wrapped his brand new Ford Torino around a tree during a substance-fueled joyride, the foreboding smell of death surrounds you refrain provides a glimpse into Van Zants unsettled psyche. "[7], After the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) removed, inspected, and tested the right engine's ignition magneto and found it to be operating normally, concluding, "No mechanical or electrical discrepancies were found during the examination of the right magneto. The cockpit and the tail were ripped away, and the remaining cabin bucked into a L-shaped tangle of wreckage as it skidded to a stop in the mangrove just after 6:53 p.m. local time, leaving a trail of debris and people. It was rumored that it was Ed Kings (original guitar player for Lynyrd Skynyrd) wife but it was not confirmed. Powell pulled off his t-shirt, clamped it over his nose and began trying to help. The aircraft was old; earlier that year, members of Aerosmith's flight crew had declined to use it because they felt it wasn't up to snuff. The wings were torn off along the crash path. Gary continues on the band with Ronnies brother, Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Ricky Medlocke. Courtesy of Artimus Pyle It was 44 years ago last month that a Convair CV-240 passenger plane with members of the Lynyrd. The cockpit, tail, and wings completely ripped apart and the remaining cab lay desolate, in the shape of an L. The plane was simply not built well enough to even remotely handle the impact from the pine trees at roughly 90 mph. They were in a free-fall at 4,500 feet. The documentary also features interviews with drummer Artimus Pyle, Sweet Home Alabama cowriter Ed King, producer Al Kooper, late drummer Bob Burns and Honkette backup singer JoJo Billingsley. Authorities quickly descended on the scene, transforming the desolate thicket into a hive of activity. He said, Im not gonna get on it because its not right. He claims McCreary and Gray insisted the plane was fine, but theyd call ahead for a mechanic to look things over in Baton Rouge. Wilkeson would eventually be found dead in a hotel room in 2001 at age 49. [10] Pyle suffered broken ribs but managed to leave the crash site and notify a nearby resident. [9], Keyboard player Billy Powell's nose was nearly torn off in the crash as he suffered severe facial lacerations and deep lacerations to his right leg. MCA Records, out of courtesy, withdrew the sleeve and replaced it with a cover of the band striking a similar pose against a plain black background. I woke up screaming, and my mom came running in going, Honey what is it? I said Mama, I dreamed the plane crashed! And she said, No, honey, its just a dream. And I said, No, mom, its too real!'. I dont know who you think we are but we were on a plane and the plane crashed out there on the other side of that cow pasture. And the guy realized at that point we were telling the truth., As the seriousness of the situation became apparent, Mote assembled an ad hoc convoy of pickups and four-wheelers, which he led across the difficult terrain to the crash site. Fast forward to August 2018 when Gary Rossington appeared and narrated part ofa documentary, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrowdebuted on Showtime. In a look back at the incident in 2017,Rolling Stone magazine reportedthe other 14 survivors "endured shattered bones, torn flesh, lengthy hospitalizations and grueling rehabilitations.". According to writer Jaan Uhelski, Lynyrd Skynyrd's beginnings date clear back to 1964 at a ball field in Florida, where Van Zant inadvertently smacked a ball right at Bob Burns and knocked him out. Everyone was a little uptight about it. Their latest album, Street Survivors, had gone gold upon its release three days earlier, and the first five dates of the accompanying tour had been met with rapturous crowds throughout their native Southland. The list of injuries was extensive. A clip from the juxtaposes the tragic plane accident with the bands hard-partying image. I knew that I had to keep putting one foot in front of another, the drummer later said. Gary Rossington (pictured in 2008) recalled that "Allen was real upset. Nine separate findings were listed, including statements that both engines on the plane "ceased to produce power because the aircraft's useable [sic] fuel was exhausted" and that the crew, Walter McCreary and William Gray,"failed to monitor adequately the fuel flow, en route fuel consumption, and fuel quantity gages [sic]." The will to carry on was strong, however, Pyle being a US Marine, would live out the phrase Semper Fidelis which means always faithful. Allen Collins kept moving on, eventually getting together with Gary Rossington to form the Rossington Collins Band. In 2016, Deadline reported that Cleopatra Films was planning a feature film about Lynyrd Skynyrd. The trees kept getting closer, they kept getting bigger, Powell told Rolling Stone in 1977. The musician sat on top of the airplane in shock for a few minutes, crying,before he heard people callingfor help. Tremendous physical pain overwhelmed the group as did mental exhaustion. I saw them screaming and crying, and I saw fire. Many in the bands circle believe Van Zant had a premonition of his fate. Fox, radioed Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center, Soccer Mommy Performs Career-Spanning Show for NPR's Tiny Desk, Adi Oasis Channels High Fashion and Euphoria in Video for Ovulation Anthem Multiply, Romeo Santos Announces Fourth Child in NSFW Solo Conmigo Video, Cardi B Recalls the Moment She and Offset Learned of Takeoff's Death: I Was So Scared, Taylor Swift and SZA Officially Shut Down Feud Rumors: So Much Love and Respect, Leslie Jones Asks White People in New York How They're Celebrating MLK Jr. Day, Pro-Trump Former Lawmaker Ordered to Pay $45,000 for Blocking Man on Facebook. All six were killed on impact. Dean Kilpatrick was killed on impact, as was Steve Gaines, but his sister Cassie lived a short time longer before succumbing to blood loss. Nothing was going to stop me from getting help. [16], The doomed flight of October 20, 1977, was intended to be the last Lynyrd Skynyrd would make on the Convair. All we heard was air, wind, recalled Powell. He just said that Ronnie was fine and, You just get better and rest. This man had just been to the funeral home and seen his son dead and decided to keep that to himself for these guys to heal. Their first four albums would eventually go silver, gold, and platinum. I dont know who you think we are but we were on a plane and the plane crashed out there on the other side of that cow pasture. Mote instantly connected the dots to the sound he heard earlier and the men that lay before him. Everybody was sitting down kind of praying, real silently, said Powell. Rudge chartered three planes for loved ones to identify the bodies. On numerous occasions he proclaimed that he would never reach his 30th birthday. These are the before and after photos of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane . An endless mile a bus wheel turning All reality had been broken and none of the surviving members would ever be the same or view life the same again. Ultimately, according to the Hollywood Reporter, a judge upheld the Consent Order and the movie was prevented from being released. So instead of being in his normal spot, which might have saved his life, he was up front when all the trouble developed.. Musical selections included a recording of David Allen Coes Another Pretty Country Song, as well as a version of Amazing Grace sung by Van Zants brother Donnie and Daniels. The result was the newSouthern by the Grace of God livealbum. Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. Over the next decade, the band remained in limbo even as their records continued to sell. [7] Despite their efforts, at approximately 6:52 pm[1] the plane skimmed about 100yd (90m) along the top of the tree line before smashing into a large tree and splitting into pieces near Gillsburg, Mississippi. After making the 600-mile trip from Greenville to Baton Rouge, where they were due to play the following night at Louisiana State University, Lynyrd Skynyrd planned to acquire a Learjet, the air chariot of choice for the Seventies rock elite. I just sat there for a while, going, What has happened? And I was crying. Among them were Lacy Van Zant, Ronnies Father, and .38 Specials Guitarist Dan Barnes. Artimus has had many ups and downs since then, several incarcerations, and a huge falling out with Gary. Totaled, decimated, and left for dead. Joe Manganiello on Discovering Hes Part-Black and Descended From Slaves Everyone but me was wearing a seatbelt when we crashed, yet every seat but one was ripped from the floor, and almost everyone was hurled forward into the wall panels in a pile of broken bodies that smothered the people on the bottom, writes Odom. But the cover of Street Survivors, depicting the group engulfed in flames, took on a grisly significance in the aftermath of the tragedy. Two and-a-half hours later, however, McCreary radioed the Air Traffic Control Center in Houston that "we're low on fuel and we're just about out of it.". The ambitious trek, their largest to date, would see the band achieve its dream of playing New Yorks Madison Square Garden. He would eventually succumb to paralytic pneumonia while being treated in a hospital in 1990. UCR. One local resident recalled, "I found someone on the ground alive. Lets go, man. On the original pressing of the cover of Street Survivors was a photograph of the band engulfed in flames. The Control Center next granted McCreary's request to land at McComb Airport in Mississippi. The top of the plane tore open as it glided through the trees, throwing people out and leaving a path of instruments and other items from the passenger section. A little after an hour of trudging through a creek and at one point burrowing underneath a barbed wire fence they found themselves staring at a small, dim light in the distance. Trending ", The same reporter who talked of the magnitude of the crash pondered,"Authorities still believe the plane ran out of gas. That was really the only space he could lay down and have room, and Leslie was cracking his back and all this stuff trying to relieve his issues, says Peden. The new cover featured an image from the same photography shoot, sans the flames, while the old image was moved to the back. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. New Lynyrd Skynyrd Doc Shows Plane Crash Footage, Traces Band History. The saddened musician replied, "I don't think so.". At last the aircraft slid to a stop in a swampy, wooded area. "[1] The inspection also determined that, "All of the fuel cross-feed and fuel dump valves were in the closed position. On October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-240 passenger . The one thing that I want the world to know is how bravely my band met their death, says one of the voices. [1] "Crew inattention to fuel supply" was ultimately determined to be responsible for the crash.[1]. Mote hopped into his pick-up to get back to his house, told his wife to get back in the house, then proceeded to grab his gun and stand guard. Ronnie knew that he was going to die.. When we first got down there, you could hear them whining, Mote told the Sentinel. The Honkettes vocalist had sat out the first few tour dates, but Van Zant called just prior to the Greenville gig to invite her to return to the fold when the band hit Little Rock, Arkansas, in the coming days. Nearby is a metal stand with neon lights, honoring those who died so long ago. Im walking along and Im thinking, All I need is some bull to come out here and run over my ass after going through all this,' remembers Peden. Early in the flight, witnesses recall that lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant was lying on the floor with a pillow, having been up most of the previous night and being in need of sleep. The band is currently on atour in North America that ends in Bethel, New York. Five surviving band members Allen Collins, Billy Powell, Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkerson, and Artimus Pyle suffered critical injuries, from multiple broken bones to debilitating internal injuries. ' But the bands frontman remained almost eerily calm. Every painful step I took was a drop of their blood. Identification was hindered by the fact that many had been playing poker in the final minutes of the flight, with their wallets and IDs out of their pockets and now strewn at random across the forest. Gary Rossington, one of the bands guitar players, had suffered two broken arms, a broken leg, a punctured stomach and liver. He was a good pilot, but he kind of freaked a little bit. Disturbing Details About The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. Here Are Our Sources: Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrds Deadly 1977 Plane Crash, Jordan Runtagh, The Rolling Stones, What Happened To The Surviving Members Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash?, Micheal Cristopher, Ultimate Classic Rock.com, Falling Free Bird: The Truth About The Infamous Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Is Stranger Than Fiction, Phil Gibbons, Ranker.com, The Joplin Globe Steve and Cassie Gaines to be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. [1] The report records the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as taking legal action against L & J Company in relation to the operator responsibility,[1] and the analysis section concludes by asking, "How does the system in such a case protect a lessee who is uninformed either by design, by inadvertence, or by his own carelessness? It would take hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured from the plane. His luck, however, was on the short end of the stick as he would have his throat slit while on the Lynyrd Skynyrd tour bus in the early 90s. Michael Christopher Published: October 20, 2017. A band was born. As recorded in the official accident report, even after the plane made impact with the ground, the Convair skidded another 140 feet a total of 495 feet from the time it hit the first tree on the way down. We need to get to a airport, the closest airport youve got, sir. He was given vectors to McComb-Pike County Airport in McComb, Mississippi, which was now 17 miles behind them. Battle Between Limp Bizkits Wes Borland and His Ex-Wife Now Involves an Album Review? The plane had completely disintegrated. The band that was Lynyrd Skynyrd (pictured here in 1977 before the tour)had gone from playing cards while Van Zant napped on the floor, to fearing for their lives. The service for Ronnie Van Zant took place two days later at Jacksonvilles Memory Garden. Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist and founding member Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister), assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, Captain Walter McCreary and First Officer William John Gray all died as a result of the crash, while twenty others survived. "[1], The band's record label MCA replaced the album cover of the Street Survivors album, as it showed the band surrounded by flames. Rescuers look over the wreckage of the 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. Road crew member Ken Peden next exited the plane and, along with Powell and Pyle, set out in search of help. A horrific plane crash took the lives of members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, their road crew and both the pilot and co-pilot on Oct. 20, 1977 . [12] Billingsley planned on re-joining the tour in Little Rock, Arkansas, on October 23. [17], Rescuers had to cross a 20-foot-wide (6 m), waist-deep creek and dig through an overgrown forest, while digging out rescue vehicles that got stuck in the mud. There was also a prison nearby, and Mote assumed the noise had something to do with an escape. Yelling for his wife Barbara to lock the doors, he grabbed his .243 hunting rifle and stood guard outside. Dozens of news crews flocked to the site of the crash. Upon realizing that the plane had insufficient fuel, the pilots attempted to navigate to McComb Airport, about 10mi (16km) northeast of the eventual crash site in Amite County, Mississippi, but soon realized that the plane would not make it. Lead Singer. On September 23, 1987, the group began a road tour together, starting with a show in California. Steve's sister Cassie, one of the Honkettes - Skynyrd's backing vocalists. Guitarist Gary Rossington, one of the last surviving founding members of the group and the only one still in the band, narrated most of the documentary, which was made by director Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, We Are X). CONVAIR 240, N55&x27;C-I L & J COMPANY GILLSBURG, IIZSSISSIPPI For music history buffs, the name Lynyrd Skynyrd instantly conjures up the day in 1977 when three band members, including founder Ronnie Van Zant, died in a plane crash in the woods of Mississippi. Joining them was a former guitarist for the group, Ed King. We want to hear it. It Crashed, Killing 3 Members, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Drinking, Fighting, Hell-Raising: The Classic Skynyrd Lineup In Pittsburgh, Associate Press Mississippi Road Signs For Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site, Hollywood Reporter Appeals Court Reverses Ban on Lynyrd Skynyrd Movie, Ronnie Van Zant Of Lynyrd Skynyrd Predicted His Own Death, Groove History, 1977 Missippi Convair CV-240 Plane Crash, Wikipedia, History Collection The Deadliest Plane Crash in Canada Killed 248 Soldiers in 1985, History Collection A Plane Crashed into the Empire State Building (1945). "One of them was hugging me around the neck," he said, "and telling me, 'We got to get them out. A witness, Norman Travis, shook his head as he told news reporters, "It was just terrible. The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Site - In Pictures & Maps. With the gravity of the situation clear, the passengers sat in silence, some praying. They took my watch, my wallet, my ring, and my money as I lay bleeding on the ground. Tuesday October 20, 2015 marked the 38th anniversary and drew several veterans . Photo: Pinterest. It was just beautiful, Peden says. Some elements of Powell's version of the events, however, have been disputed by both drummer Pyle and Van Zant's widow Judy Van Zant Jenness, who posted the autopsy reports on the band's web site in early 1998, while confirming other aspects of Powell's account. Together, the new band began working on new songs. Despite having refueled in Greenville, the pilots found themselves dangerously low on gas. A string of rowdy incidents on previous chartered flights including an alleged attempt to toss a roadie out from an altitude of 13,000 feet had ensured that Lynyrd Skynyrd were unwelcome on most private airlines, so it fell to the bands manager, Peter Rudge, to obtain a vehicle of their own where they could be free to misbehave. But for those who knew the band's story and their growing rise to fame, that day was one of the most tragic in rock history. [8] Guitarist Gary Rossington recalls hearing what sounded like hundreds of baseball bats hitting the plane's fuselage as it began striking trees. It was released in 2020. [13] She reported dreaming of the plane crash and begging guitarist and founding member Allen Collins by telephone not to continue using the Convair. They all looked at Lacy through stitches and swelling and he told me not to say anything about Ronnie, Barnes told Team Rock. The crew was either negligent or ignorant of the increased fuel consumption because they failed to monitor adequately the engine instruments for fuel flow and fuel quantity. Several members of Lynyrd Skynyrds entourage alleged that the pilots had been under the influence of drugs and alcohol the night before or possibly during the flight, but these claims were largely debunked by toxicology reports. But not all had the intentions of lending a helping hand. He recalled Van Zant shaking his hand as if to say goodbye. Gary Rossington, meanwhile, remained the only original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2019. It would be one of the last songs he ever wrote. The only thing left was a trail of debris and people. Contributing to the fuel exhaustion were inadequate flight planning and an engine malfunction of undetermined nature in the right engine that resulted in "torching" and higher-than-normal fuel consumption. [1] The flight crew were employed by a third party,[1] and the lease period was three weeks. Wed move one and there would be another one laying there.. People were trapped inside. Billy Powell confined to crutches, his face held together with stitches was the only bandmate able to attend his funeral. At some point the passengers became aware that something was wrong, and drummer Artimus Pyle recalls entering the flight deck and being told by the terrified captain, Walter McCreary, to go back and strap himself in. When I think of Lynyryd Skynyrd, I just think of outrageously fun times, says one of the speakers over pictures of the guys hanging out, shirtless and drinking and feeding whiskey to a monkey. When I walked to the other side of the plane, I tripped on another person. Manufactured in 1947, it was the third of its kind ever built. Aerosmith had briefly hired the very same plane earlier that year, but their assistant chief of flight operations, Zunk Buker, questioned the vehicles flight worthiness. Attempts to maneuver a soft landing in a field or stretch of highway proved fruitless as the craft sank lower and lower into the remote forest a short distance from the Mississippi/Louisiana border. Music blared and the aisles filled with increasingly rambunctious revelers dancing 12,000 feet above the earth. That were all part of everything Although at least one band member, Cassie Gaines, expressed doubts about flying on the Convair, Van Zant talked everyone into using it. Nothing like that had ever happened to him. The news was met with incredulous expressions of disbelief. Its possible Van Zant had filled Billingsley in on that days troubling flight from Lakeland, Florida. News had spread about the crash and before too long an estimated 3,000 people had swarmed to the crash site. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The two men, for a while, were the only able-bodied persons present to help pull people from the wreckage. Mote was a 22-year-old dairy farmer who lived nearby and heard the commotion caused by the plane crash. Hear the Polices Humble Beginnings on Stewart Copelands Rare Clowns Revenge Demo, Jeff Beck, Rocks Quiet Guitar Virtuoso, Dead at 78, Soccer Mommy Performs Career-Spanning Show for NPR's Tiny Desk, Adi Oasis Channels High Fashion and Euphoria in Video for Ovulation Anthem Multiply, Romeo Santos Announces Fourth Child in NSFW Solo Conmigo Video, Cardi B Recalls the Moment She and Offset Learned of Takeoff's Death: I Was So Scared, Taylor Swift and SZA Officially Shut Down Feud Rumors: So Much Love and Respect, Leslie Jones Asks White People in New York How They're Celebrating MLK Jr. Day, Pro-Trump Former Lawmaker Ordered to Pay $45,000 for Blocking Man on Facebook. Our wives, everyone were afraid for us to get on this thing, but we didnt know any better, keyboardist Billy Powell said on a 1997 episode of VH1s Behind the Music. The choppers belonged to the Coast Guard, National Guard and Forrest County General Hospital, who were doing their best to ferry people in, and illuminate the crash site. On 20 October, Van Zant, Steve Gaines, his sister and backup singer, Cassie and manager Dean Kilpatrick were killed in a plane crash en route from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is most well known as a guitarist and songwriter for southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and is the . His only help at that moment was his neighbor, Dwain Easley. Especially Artimus, who had three broken ribs and multiple large cuts. McCreary entered the cabin and made the chilling announcement to his passengers: Were out of gas put your heads between your legs and buckle up tight. Pyle, himself a trained pilot, happened to be in the cockpit when the problems began. Collins and other group members survived that crash. Categories 'Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow' premieres on Showtime August 18th. July 18, 2018 Members of Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd (L-R Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins) pose by their trailer backstage at an outdoor. The 20 survivors endured shattered bones, torn flesh, lengthy hospitalizations and grueling rehabilitations. "I remember we started clipping those pine trees," Powell said. Photo: youtube. Daniels read a poem he had written especially for the occasion. A new documentary promises to tell the full story of one of southern rocks defining bands, warts and all. Photo: obviousmag.org. At 6:42 p.m. McCreary frantically radioed Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center. I heard this snake slither up to me in the darkness and I remember saying, out loud, Snake, I will bite your head off, Pyle told Easy Reader News in 2013. It didnt matter what caused it. At this point, for Artimus Pyle, Marc Frank, and Ken Peden, the only sensible thing left to do was to leave certain death at the crash site, for uncertainty in the swamp. Lynyrd Skynyrd disbanded after the airplane tragedy. On Oct. 20, 1977, a chartered Convair CV-240 plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd in the midst of a headlining tour and having released their fifth album, Street Survivors, three days prior . In October 2019, Ronnie Van Zant's widow, Judy Van Zant-Jeness, joined others to dedicate a new monument, created with money from the Lynyrd Skynyrd Monument Project. Ordinarily Van Zant would have joined them, but back pain forced him to sprawl out on the floor with Honkettes member Leslie Hawkins acting as a temporary masseuse. And it was Steve and me and Ronnie and I was in the middle of them. Leased by Lynyrd Skynyrd.Photo: youtube.The Crash Site Was Hauntingly Surreal Marc Frank remembers seeing complete and total despair. 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