A RECOVERY mission is underway after a private jet carrying Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband and members of her church crashed into a lake in Tennessee.
The founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church, her husband Joe, and six others on board the Cessna small jet are all "presumed dead" after the plane hit Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, police said.
The victims are also believed to include: Jennifer and David Martin, Jessica and Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, the husband of Shamblin Lara's daughter, Elizabeth Hannah.
Read our Gwen Shamblin Lara plane crash live blog for the very latest news and updates…
- Katie Balevic
WHO WAS GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA?
Gwen Shamblin Lara was a Christian diet guru who died in a small plane crash on Saturday.
Shamblin Lara founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 and is the author of The Weigh Down Diet.
Shamblin Lara's website describes her as a "pioneer of faith-based weight loss."
- Katie Balevic
GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S CHILDREN TO REMAIN ACTIVE IN CHURCH
A statement from Remnant Fellowship Church said Gwen Shamblin Lara's children will "continue the dream" that Lara had.
"As far as Remnant Fellowship Church and Weigh Down Ministries are concerned, Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah, Gwen’s two children, and the church leadership intend to continue the dream that Gwen Shamblin Lara had of helping people find a relationship with God," the church said.
The church will take "special care" of the children of the deceased, the statement said.
"We want everyone who was affected, especially the children of the passengers, to know that they are very loved and our church will be taking special care of the children’s needs in these coming years," the statement said.
- Katie Balevic
CHURCH SAYS GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S MEMORY WILL 'REMAIN' IN MINISTRY
In a statement, Remnant Fellowship Church said Gwen Shamblin Lara's memory would endure at the church.
"Her memory will definitely remain for a long time as she has a place in millions of people’s hearts around the world through her work with Weigh Down Ministries and Remnant Fellowship Church," the statement read.
The church said the other victims – Joe Lara, David and Jennifer Martin, Jonathan and Jessica Walters, and Brandon Hannah – will be "greatly missed" and were "loved by many."
- Katie Balevic
REMNANT CHURCH REMEMBERS THE DECEASED AS 'MOST LOVING PEOPLE'
Remnant Fellowship Church remembered those who passed away in the plane crash as "loving" people in a statement.
"The seven Remnant Fellowship leaders lost May 29, 2021 were some of the finest and most loving people that you would ever come across," the statement on the church website reads.
The victims are believed to be Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband William Joe Lara, her son-in-law Brandon Hannah, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, and Jonathan Walters.
"Gwen Shamblin Lara was one of the world’s most kind, gentle, and selfless mother and wife, and a loyal, caring, supportive best friend to all," the statement said. "She lived every day laying down her own life to ensure that others could find a relationship with God."
- Katie Balevic
WHO WAS ON BOARD THE JET?
“The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide,” said Rutherford County Fire Captain and Incident Commander John Ingle.
Crews are flying drones as the recovery effort continues. Teams are expected to continue searching on Monday.
TMZ first reported that Joe Lara, who starred in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, was among the dead.
"All indications are that a total of seven people were on board," a statement. from Rutherford County officials said. All are presumed dead.
The victims are believed to be Joe Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, according to the statement.
- Katie Balevic
FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSEDLY HEADED TO A MAGA RALLY IN FLORIDA
Prior to the plane crash that killed seven people, the flight was supposedly headed for a Make America Great Again rally in Florida.
Kimberly Fletcher – who was reportedly due to speak at the "We The People: Patriot's Day" rally today, according to the event flyer – said she was "heartbroken" on Saturday.
She shared an article and indicated that one of the MAGA event "sponsors" was onboard the Florida-bound jet.
"I am in Florida…for an event I'm speaking at tomorrow," Fletcher said on Facebook. "One of the sponsors was flying in on a private plane with some friends. The plane went down and…it looks there are no survivors."
- Katie Balevic
WHAT ARE THE DETAILS ABOUT THE PLANE?
The Federal Aviation Administration told WTVF that the plane departed from the Smyrna Rutherford County Airport just before 11am.
It was reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport.
The plane was registered to JL&GL Productions LP, which the diet guru and her husband owned together, according to the outlet.
- Katie Balevic
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL RECORDINGS REVEALED IN TRAGIC PLANE CRASH
Gwen Shamblin Lara’s private jet plunged 2,900 feet in seconds as it crashed in a lake, haunting air traffic control recordings have revealed.
Data shows that the Cessna C501 plane started to drop after just 90 seconds in the air.
The pilot turned the aircraft shortly after receiving advice from air traffic control.
A noise, potentially an alarm, could be heard going off from inside the cockpit, News Channel 5 reports.
The jet regained some altitude before plummeting into the water.
Credit: ATC/Twitter - Katie Balevic
GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA AND HUSBAND JOE LARA DEAD AFTER CRASH
Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband, and several others are presumed dead after their plane crashed in Tennessee.
Her husband, actor Joe Lara, was also on the flight. He starred in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.
Shamblin Lara founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 and was the author of The Weigh Down Diet.
Gwen Shamblin Lara and Joe LaraCredit: gwenshamblinlara/Instagram
- Katie Balevic
'HUMAN REMAINS' FOUND AT CRASH SITE
Human remains and plane debris were recovered at the site of a plane crash in Tennessee.
The private plane was carrying Gwen Shamblin Lara and six others when it crashed into Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna on Saturday morning.
Dive teams from local emergency agencies found human remains and pieces of the Cessna 501 plane.
“The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide,” said Rutherford County Fire Captain and Incident Commander John Ingle.
Crews are flying drones as the recovery effort continues. Teams are expected to continue searching well into Sunday night and Monday.
- Katie Balevic
THE LAST SERMON GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA PREACHED
In her last sermon uploaded to YouTube on Friday, Gwen Shamblin Lara preached about being "born again and becoming immortal."
"As risky and as tedious as the process, being born again where many things could go wrong, note you are conceived in love," she said. "And love and fear is what grows you. Love and fear is what guides you, grows you."
Her sermon concluded: "It is my prayer for you to be born again, to stop sinning so that you are born of God and remnant nation. It is worth all you have and all your time and all you are."
- Katie Balevic
GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S BLOG POST ON SATURDAY MORNING
Gwen Shamblin Lara published a post to her blog on Saturday morning, apparently before the plane departed, where she wrote that "God does not want us to worry about the food's content."
"Jesus taught us that it is not the food that defiles us, but rather the attitudes and thoughts that we have in our hearts and in our minds that will corrupt and destroy us," Lara said.
"It is the greed in our hearts that leads to overeating and overdrinking," she added. "Greed is idolatry."
- Katie Balevic
WHO WAS GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA?
Gwen Shamblin Lara was a Christian diet guru who died in a small plane crash on Saturday.
Shamblin Lara founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 and is the author of The Weigh Down Diet.
Shamblin Lara's website describes her as a "pioneer of faith-based weight loss."
- Katie Balevic
GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S CHILDREN TO REMAIN ACTIVE IN CHURCH
A statement from Remnant Fellowship Church said Gwen Shamblin Lara's children will "continue the dream" that Lara had.
"As far as Remnant Fellowship Church and Weigh Down Ministries are concerned, Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah, Gwen’s two children, and the church leadership intend to continue the dream that Gwen Shamblin Lara had of helping people find a relationship with God," the church said.
The church will take "special care" of the children of the deceased, the statement said.
"We want everyone who was affected, especially the children of the passengers, to know that they are very loved and our church will be taking special care of the children’s needs in these coming years," the statement said.
- Katie Balevic
CHURCH SAYS GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S MEMORY WILL 'REMAIN' IN MINISTRY
In a statement, Remnant Fellowship Church said Gwen Shamblin Lara's memory would endure at the church.
"Her memory will definitely remain for a long time as she has a place in millions of people’s hearts around the world through her work with Weigh Down Ministries and Remnant Fellowship Church," the statement read.
The church said the other victims – Joe Lara, David and Jennifer Martin, Jonathan and Jessica Walters, and Brandon Hannah – will be "greatly missed" and were "loved by many."
- Katie Balevic
REMNANT CHURCH REMEMBERS THE DECEASED AS 'MOST LOVING PEOPLE'
Remnant Fellowship Church remembered those who passed away in the plane crash as "loving" people in a statement.
"The seven Remnant Fellowship leaders lost May 29, 2021 were some of the finest and most loving people that you would ever come across," the statement on the church website reads.
The victims are believed to be Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband William Joe Lara, her son-in-law Brandon Hannah, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, and Jonathan Walters.
"Gwen Shamblin Lara was one of the world’s most kind, gentle, and selfless mother and wife, and a loyal, caring, supportive best friend to all," the statement said. "She lived every day laying down her own life to ensure that others could find a relationship with God."
- Katie Balevic
FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSEDLY HEADED TO A MAGA RALLY IN FLORIDA
Prior to the plane crash that killed seven people, the flight was supposedly headed for a Make America Great Again rally in Florida.
Kimberly Fletcher – who was reportedly due to speak at the "We The People: Patriot's Day" rally today, according to the event flyer – said she was "heartbroken" on Saturday.
She shared an article and indicated that one of the MAGA event "sponsors" was onboard the Florida-bound jet.
"I am in Florida…for an event I'm speaking at tomorrow," Fletcher said on Facebook. "One of the sponsors was flying in on a private plane with some friends. The plane went down and…it looks there are no survivors."
Fletcher said someone on the plan was a 'sponsor' of the MAGA eventCredit: Facebook - Julia Fields
WHERE IS THE REMNANT FELLOWSHIP CHURCH BASED?
The Remnant Fellowship Church is a religious organisation based in Brentwood, Tenessee.
The church features "an international community of people who are finding renewed hope, profound love and deep purpose by putting the undiluted teachings of Jesus Christ into practice," according to the organization's website.
"While divorce, depression, obesity and out-of-control children are increasingly the norm these days, at the Remnant we are experiencing healed marriages, increasing joy, restored health, repaired finances and children who love to follow the guidance of their parents."
- Julia Fields
WHO WAS ON BOARD THE JET?
“The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide,” said Rutherford County Fire Captain and Incident Commander John Ingle.
Crews are flying drones as the recovery effort continues. Teams are expected to continue searching on Monday.
TMZ first reported that Joe Lara, who starred in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, was among the dead.
"All indications are that a total of seven people were on board," a statement. from Rutherford County officials said. All are presumed dead.
The victims are believed to be Joe Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, according to the statement.
- Julia Fields
ELIZABETH HANNAH'S BIO ON THE REMNANT WEBSITE
Elizabeth wrote on the Remnant website that she and Brandon Hannah were married in 2003.
"Our precious children consist of Grace, Gweneth, Gloria and Charles Grantham," she wrote in her online bio.
"My family LOVES God, and my children LOVE to get on their knees and pray every morning and night with us.
"All we strive for is to DO the will of God and pass that down to our children … for nothing else has blessed us more than learning the BLESSINGS that come from obedience to God!!"
She said that they helped to oversee and direct the youth group at the church.
- Julia Fields
WHO ARE GWEN SHAMBLIN LARA'S CHILDREN?
Gwen Shamblin Lara has two children with first husband David Shamblin – Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Hannah.
Gwen was married to David Shamblin from 1978 until 2018. She would then tie the knot with Joe Lara, who was also tragically killed in the plane crash.
Gwen Shamblin Lara was a Christian diet guru who founded the Remnant Fellowship Church, based in Tennessee, in 1999.
The small plane carrying the seven people was reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.
The aircraft was registered to JL&GL Productions LP, which the Laras owned together, according to WTVF.
- Julia Fields
WHERE WAS THE JET REGISTERED?
According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, no one on board had a license to fly the plane, The Tennessean reports.
The jet was registered to JL&GL Productions LP last March and Joe was certified as a pilot just days later, News Channel 5 reports.
He reportedly hadn't updated his medical records since 2017. An update is required every two years.
Brandon Hannah, who was also reportedly on board, didn't have a license to fly the Cessna private jet, according to the FAA database.
- Julia Fields
WHEN WAS GWEN'S LAST SERMON?
In a video uploaded to her YouTube page on May 28, she preached about being "born again".
She said: "As risky and as tedious as the process, being born again where many things could go wrong, note you are conceived in love.
"And love and fear is what grows you. Love and fear is what guides you, grows you.
"It guides you through the birth canal and finally, it is love and it is fear that births you (sic).
- Julia Fields
JOE WAS CERTIFIED AS A PILOT BUT DID NOT UPDATE HIS MEDICAL RECORDS
The actor reportedly boarded the flight to Palm Beach, FL, with his wife Gwen and five others at Smyrna airport near Nashville.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, no one on board had a license to fly the plane, The Tennessean reports.
The jet was registered to JL&GL Productions LP last March and Joe was certified as a pilot just days later, News Channel 5 reports.
He reportedly hadn't updated his medical records since 2017. An update is required every two years.
- Julia Fields
OFFICIALS BELIEVE VICTIMS WERE KILLED ON IMPACT
Officials believe those on board were all killed on impact.
"All indications are that a total of seven people were on board," a statement. from Rutherford County officials said. All are presumed dead.
The victims are believed to be Joe Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, according to the statement.
A noise, potentially an alarm, could be heard going off from inside the cockpit, News Channel 5 reports.
The jet regained some altitude before plummeting into the water.
It's reported that the private jet plunged 2,900 feet in less than two minutes.
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