DOOMED FLIGHT
‘Cult leader’ Gwen Shamblin Lara’s final moments heard in chilling cockpit audio before plane crash killed seven
CHURCH leader Gwen Shamblin Lara's chilling final moments were captured in newly released audio taken moments before the plane crash which killed her and six others.
The clip - first obtained by HBO documentary The Way Down - hears from air traffic control as they speak with the pilot of the doomed flight.
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Gwen, 66, was one of seven people to die when the Cessna C501 crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna, Tennessee in May last year.
The group - which included her Tarzan actor second husband Joe Lara, 58 - are thought to have been heading to a Women Fighting For America event.
Air traffic control data revealed that the plane started to drop after just 90 seconds in the air.
Diet guru Shamblin Lara founded the controversial Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999.
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That came after her The Weigh Down Diet book, "a groundbreaking approach to weight loss," according to its description.
But she has often been accused of running a cult via her books and church and faces heavy criticism from former followers and loved ones of those still in the church in the new documentary.
Chrissy Teigan - who helped to produce the program - shared the cockpit audio to her Instagram page on Wednesday.
She wrote: "We could have never imagined what would end up happening."
Robert Fowler, an aviation expert, tells the doc: "He [the pilot] was given a couple of instructions. To turn to a heading of 130.
"And he did acknowledge that, although he hesitated and there was no more radio transmissions after that."
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The program also shares an early note from Gwen's daughter Elizabeth Hannah which suggested the incident was a "controlled, quick landing."
It adds: "We do not have word yet of the outcome."
Hannah also said that the Laras were on the plane with other church leaders including her own husband, Brandon.
"More information to come, but be in prayer - and be at peace," Hannah's message continues.
The seven killed were Brandon Hannah, Gwen and Joe Lara, David L. Martin, Jennifer J. Martin, Jessica Walters and Jonathan Walters.
The Way Down: God, Greed, And Gwen Shamblin's Cult is a documentary that first aired on HBO Max back in September of 2021.
On April 28, 2022, part two of the docuseries is set to premiere on HBO Max.
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The first three episodes of the five-part docuseries follow Gwen and her work over the years.
The last two episodes will chronicle the crash and aftermath of Gwen's death.
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