Buddy Holly's crash site

This is Buddy Holly's crash site.

It is located near the corner of Gully Avenue and 315th Street in Clear Lake, Iowa.

In the early hours of February 3rd, 1959, Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and Ritchie Valens chartered a private plane to fly them to Moorhead, Minnesota.

At the time, they had just finished performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.

Holly, who had performed at eleven locations in eleven days, was reportedly tired of traveling by bus.

By that stage, the musicians had been forced to swap vehicles multiple times due to mechanical issues. Furthermore, the Midwest was freezing cold at that time of year, and none of the buses seemed to have a functioning heating system.

When faced with the prospect of having to take a five-hour drive to Moorhead, Holly decided to hire a private plane instead.

After booking a flight with a company called Dwyer Flying Service, the three musicians flew out of Mason City Municipal Airport on a small Beechcraft 35 Bonanza aircraft. Their pilot was a 21-year-old local man named Roger Peterson.

Although Peterson had more than 700 hours of flight time, he was only certified to operate in conditions that allowed him to see the ground. Furthermore, the gyroscope on the plane was different than the one he typically used.

That night, he had to fly over a dark rural area that had very little ground lighting. To complicate matters even further, the clouds were low that night, and Peterson's weather briefing failed to warn him about the worsening flying conditions.

Within minutes of taking off, the plane struck the ground at a high speed before cartwheeling through this field beside Gully Avenue.

The coroner's report stated that Holly, Richardson, Valens, and Peterson were all killed on impact, as the four men suffered extensive brain injuries and multiple fractures that were incompatible with life.

The crash site wasn't discovered until the next day, when the owner of Dwyer Flying Service became worried about Peterson's radio silence. By that stage, hours had passed, and the young pilot still hadn't contacted him.

Sensing that something was wrong, he decided to take a plane up into the sky and retrace the pilot's route.

It wasn't long before his worst fears were realized. Shortly after takeoff, he spotted the wreckage in this field outside of Clear Lake.

Photos

Photos of the site and other related images.

The Day the Music Died

February 3rd, 1959, became known as "The Day the Music Died" after singer Don McLean referenced it as such in his song "American Pie".

Initially, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens weren't supposed to be on the flight. Instead, it was supposed to be Buddy Holly, Tommy Allsup, and Waylon Jennings.

However, Richardson had come down with the flu and was reportedly complaining that the bus was too cold. As a result, Jennings allowed him to take his seat on the plane.

Meanwhile, Valens, who had also been experiencing flu-like symptoms, asked Allsup if he could have his seat. In response, Allsup agreed to gamble his place in a coin toss.

When Valens won the coin toss, he allegedly quipped that it was the first time he had ever won anything in his life.

By early February, the musicians were tired of their grueling and poorly managed "Winter Dance Party" tour, which had zigzagged back and forth across the Midwest instead of circling it in an organized fashion.

Not only did the flight spare them from having to take another long bus journey in the freezing cold, it also offered them the chance to wash their clothes and get some much-needed rest.

Sadly, their pilot, Roger Peterson, was not experienced enough to handle the wintry flying conditions. His weather briefing also lacked important information.

Consequently, he lost control of the aircraft shortly after take-off.

The plane hit the ground at such a speed that all of the occupants sustained multiple fractures and skull injuries.

None of them survived the initial impact.