It was sixty years ago today that Beech Bonanza N3794N of Dwyer Flying Service took off from Mason City Airport and crashed shortly afterwards, taking with it pilot Roger Peterson, and rock n roll legends Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J. P. Richardson, aka The Big Bopper. Will be remembering you, and playing some of your wonderful music today.
By: TonyT - 11th February 2019 at 14:57
Look on the bright side, as Buddy Holly was taking his last flight, my dear old Mum was lying on her back squeezing me out 🙂
My favourite song of the era American Pie was written to mourn his loss…. the day the music died.
Can I play a note, absolutely, unfortunately all in the wrong order…..
By: wl745 - 11th February 2019 at 09:02
The musical “Buddy”is very good(if you were a fan ,I am 76 and certainly was!) I was quite emotional in the opening few minutes as were quite a few of the audience(same age group!)
By: Elmdon Boy - 5th February 2019 at 19:33
Anybody remember this record. Good record, and refers to the plane crash
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mike+berry+tribute+to+buddy+holly
By: ozplane - 5th February 2019 at 14:59
Only six verses? Always sounds more like 66 to me.
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th February 2019 at 10:02
During the ’80s I used to read Flying mainly for the delightful columns written by Gordon Baxter and Len Morgan… Nigel Moll was good too.
Once sat at Dublin Airport with various female Virgin staff members awaiting a positioning flight to Gatwick (long story!) – we got through all six verses of American Pie with hardly a mistake.
By: Bluebird Mike - 5th February 2019 at 07:33
I have been told that a wing panel from the crashed aircraft is stored in the rafters of one of the hangars at the Mason City Airport.
There have been all sorts of stories about the owner, Jerry Dwyer, having kept the wreckage…for years it was alleged he had it in storage, then, that he had had it buried…not sure if the truth is really known.
By: J Boyle - 5th February 2019 at 04:37
Long time Flying magazine columnist, Gordon Baxter, began his broadcasting career as a disc jockey and radio announcer in Beaumont, Texas.
One of his colleagues was The Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson.
Baxter was a pilot and Richardson expressed interest in the hobby.
Baxter wrote he told Richardson about pilots flying in instrument conditions and soon not knowing their attitude, eventually losing control.
Richardson, he said, didn’t see how that was possible.
On a flight, he stalled the aircraft as part of a demonstration.
“We had just rehearsed his death” Baxter wrote.
By: flitzerfalke - 4th February 2019 at 22:05
I have been told that a wing panel from the crashed aircraft is stored in the rafters of one of the hangars at the Mason City Airport.
By: trumper - 3rd February 2019 at 14:45
BBC 4 Was excellent https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08q8f1n/buddy-holly-rave-on and also the Don McClean one where he spoke about American Pie.
By: ozplane - 3rd February 2019 at 13:03
On a more cheerful note, there was a very good documentary on Buddy Holly on BBC4 the other night. Less happily the shot of the wreckage of the crash was harrowing.
By: scotavia - 3rd February 2019 at 12:33
The pressure on air charter pilots must be at times stupid, I recall 2 heli crashes in the Uk in recent years where the weather was rubbish but they flew into it. Such a sad ending for all those lives lost. all my high ground wreck visits related to weather issues but those were wartime Losses.
By: avion ancien - 3rd February 2019 at 10:05
And ten years ago ….. https://forum.keypublishing.com/forum/historic-aviation/90229-how-did-the-music-die
By: ThreeM - 3rd February 2019 at 09:50
I remember mother coming in to the bedroom that fateful day to wake me and my older brother for school and telling us that Buddy Holly had been killed in a plane crash.
By: Propstrike - 3rd February 2019 at 09:16
It did ‘take Roger Peterson’ in a literal sense, but really the 21 year old’s poor decision making was arguably the cause of the crash. He had no instrument rating, and intended to make the 1.am flight under Visual flight rules, and took off into the path of a very significant snowstorm. For unknown reasons, the Met dept at the airport, who knew the storm was incoming, did not pass this info on to Peterson. He flew straight into it, quickly ‘lost the picture’ in attempting to fly on instruments, and crashed in a spiral dive ( the inevitable flight path always seen in in such VMC to IMC crashes) . They all died barely 5 minutes after take off.
There are parallels with the recent loss of footballer Sala, essentially undertaking a hazardous flight, and quickly becoming overwhelmed by conditions beyond the capability of the pilot.
There are some differences, in that Sala had the arrangements put in place by an agent, whilst Buddy Holly personally set up the flight, having grown weary of the freezing and unreliable tour bus, and having had no clean clothes for three days.
http://data.desmoinesregister.com/holly/documents/CABreport.pdf Civil Aeronautics Board Report
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February 3, 2019 at 6:47 am