Posted on 03/07/2015 8:34:46 AM PST by Impala64ssa
... be hailed a hero for trying to avert disaster'
An investigation into the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and three others could now be reopened after a respected pilot brought forward new factors as to how the aircraft may have gone down.
At the time of the crash, the Civil Aeronautics Board ruled the probable cause of the crash was error by the pilot, Roger Peterson, who took off from Mason City to Moorhead, Minnesota, in inclement weather, even though he was qualified.
The chartered plane crashed in Iowa not long after takeoff, killing Holly, Peterson, and musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson.
Now L.J. Coon, an experienced pilot from New England, says a variety of other factors - such as weight and balance calculations, the rate of the plane's climb and descent, fuel gauge readings and the passenger-side rudder - should have been considered, according to The Globe Gazette.
The National Transportation Safety Board has agreed to consider reopening the investigation.
Coon's motivation was to 'the heroic effort that took place in those 4.9 miles' by the pilot, Peterson, before the plane crashed.
The plane had been in the air less than four minutes.
Coon received a letter from the NTSB saying they had received his call for a reinvestigation.
'You have gotten our attention. Let us do our due diligence in order to give you a proper answer,' the letter stated.
The NTSB will now determine whether or not the submission meets the requirements of a Petition for Reconsideration.
History and many other people believe that Peterson was the direct cause of the February 3, 1959 crash.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Yeah, no pilot error there. A 21 year old pilot, taking off into snow and 30 mph gusting winds, at 1am, for a cross country flight over featureless terrain, without an instrument rating, carrying 3 young rock stars.
Who could ever call that pilot error?
Personally, I consider the record company responsible for insisting the musicians go on a tour in the middle of winter with an unheated bus. The only reason they chartered the plane was due to freezing conditions on the tour bus.
The pilot is responsible for everything that happens to the airplane he is flying.
It may not be fair that a small mistake can carry a death sentence to the pilot but also to all who may be aboard, but that is reality.
He certainly is responsible for what happened.
And he certainly wasn’t a hero. A hero would have looked at everyone and said sorry, we’ll leave in the morning, let’s go find a warm place to hang out till then.
Surprisingly they aren’t blaming climate change.
Yeah, cold snaps and blizzards in Iowa in February? That’s unheard of! /s
In an odd and perverse way, that crash was the best thing that ever happened to Don McClean...
He’s the one who ultimately decided if the plane will fly.
And it’s a cheery Saturday morning. The pilot was probably a great kid. Only 21 and had his license, working on his instrument rating. Pulled that off in a small town in the 50s. And it was just a different era in aviation. That’s why we lost so many well known people top such crashes back then.
I remember reading once that there was the possibility he was star struck and threw caution to the wind to impress which seems to have been responsible for killing a lot of rock stars in the past, like Stevie Ray Vaughn, helicopter taking off in heavy fog and they have to fly over a 1000 foot mountain, uh.. hello. You just know before that chopper took off they were questioning if it was a good idea. “But you can’t see anything!” “Don’t worry it’s cool man!”
Was a boost to Waylon Jennings' career, too. Or at least his longevity.
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One of my students, an 11 year old boy with severe Attention Deficit, has discovered Buddy Holly. And He Loves the music!
https://www.surfballroom.com <—— This is where Buddy Holly’s last performance was in Mason Iowa, they even have the phone he last called his wife on there and keep it preserved.
I’ve read books on him, what happened. One book called “The day the music died”.
Here was a tribute song that was written weeks after the accident, it’s a moving song. Whomever made the video messed up some in the Richie Valens pictures but that doesn’t change the original moving message of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwO8bsMKuyI
In hindsight, it is too bad they put faith in a 20, 21 year old pilot in a snow storm. That much can be said.
He did create some good music.
Patsy Cline was to die in a similar manner, four years later.
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