The crash and investigation...

The crash site….

Unfortunately the Beechcraft with Buddy Holly and three others had not gone far.

In less than five minutes and traveling under six miles, the aircraft impacted the terrain

at high speed, descending into a steep bank, hitting the right tip of the wing and leaving

a trail of debris 450 feet long, the remainder of the fuselage rolling into a ball and stopping

at a fence line. Here was an eerie scene for those who arrived the next morning. Four young men with great potential lying around a shattered airplane in a field.

There were no witnesses to the crash. Upon exam, the instruments in the plane read as follows: fuel pressure, oil temperature and pressure gauges were stuck in the green or normal range.

The attitude gyro indicator was stopped in a reading indicating a 90 degree angle.

Also, the rate of climb indicator was stopped at 3,000 feet per minute descent.

The airspeed indicator was stopped showing between 165-170 mph. (At this speed

and rate of descent from 800 feet…it would only take about 15 seconds to impact)

The seat belts had all suffered failures either in their attachment points or buckles.

The violent force of the crash itself resulted in Holly, Richardson and Valens all being

thrown from the aircraft. The bodies of Holly and Valens were within twenty feet of the

fuselage, Richardson’s body was thrown across the fence line some forty feet and onto the

property of Oscar Moffitt. The pilot Peterson’s body was trapped in the cockpit. The deceased were all covered in light snow which had accumulated overnight. The aircraft did

 not catch fire,(with 39 gallons of fuel supposedly on board, it’s kind of unusual that

there was no fire, or even mention of any fuel residue being noticed at the site during

the investigation) the landing gear was retracted at the time of the crash. The propeller hub gave evidence that the engine was under power when hitting the ground. County coroner Ralph Smiley certified that all victims died instantly, cause of death ‘gross trauma to brain’ for the

three recording artists and brain damage for pilot Peterson. The bodies were removed

from the site that morning. The only autopsy performed was that on the pilot

Peterson. Only macroscopic physical exams noting injuries to substantiate cause of death were

performed on Holly, Richardson and Valens.  

The investigation:

Before the NTSB, there was the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB).  They were the official

agency in charge of investigating the who, what and why of the Holly plane crash.

The post crash investigation at the scene came to no immediate conclusions. The

instrumentation all appeared normal with gauges and readings in their acceptable

parameters.  The engine gave no clues to mechanical failure or loss of power, the

propeller hub upon inspection proved the engine was performing normally at the

point of impact.

There was no part of parts of the wing, or moveable control surfaces

 found far away from the aircraft that might indicate an early departure from the fuselage  before the crash. Upon reviewing the autopsy report of pilot Roger Peterson, nothing remarkable was found that would indicate a medical emergency that would affect his flying senses or motor functions.

His injuries as the other victims were of mass trauma including the head and brain.

The young pilot Peterson was certified to operate under visual flight rules; i.e.

you need to be able to SEE where you are going. On that particular night, the lack of

a good horizon, low clouds, minimal amount of ground lights in the little populated area

would all make for poor visual flying.  To my knowledge the CAB never attempted

 to calculate the final weight of the aircraft with its’ passengers,

fuel and luggage.. if the aircraft was overloaded and the center of gravity was

compromised the plane would be severely challenged to fly correctly.

The CAB in Sept. of 1959 said the following about the crash, quote:

‘At night, with an overcast sky, snow falling, no definite horizon and a proposed

flight over a sparsely settled area with an absence of ground lights, a requirement

for control of the aircraft solely by reference to flight instruments can be

predicted with virtual certainty. The board concludes that Pilot Peterson was

confronted with this situation. Because of fluctuation of the rate instruments

caused by gusty winds he would have been forced to concentrate and rely

greatly on the attitude gyro, an instrument with which he was not completely

familiar. The pitch display of this instrument is the reverse of the instrument

he was accustomed to; therefore, he could have been confused and thought

that he was making a climbing turn when in reality he was making a

descending turn. The weather briefing supplied to the pilot was seriously

inadequate in that it failed to even mention adverse flying conditions which

should have been highlighted.’

 In 2015, the NTSB, who succeeded the CAB had considered re-opening the crash investigation. That was proposed by a pilot L.J. Coon, who felt the first conclusions were not correct.

He thought a possible right rudder failure, fuel readings and that improper weight

distribution as mentioned above could be involved. Coon also thought that Peterson

may have tried to land the aircraft, a distinct possibility, and that his efforts should

be noted in the official record. The NTSB in 2016 considered re-opening the

investigation into the crash, but it never happened. And there you have it.

 There are rumors the plane still exists…..and that the Dwyer family has at

least part of it hidden away. (Jerry and Barb Dwyer, were the owners of the airplane.)

Jerry Dwyer passed away in Clear Lake in January 2016. He was writing a book

about the whole affair…his wife has stated she will continue and eventually

finish the book in his memory and honor.

The take off....

 This is part two of the five part series. It was early morning in Mason City as
Pilot Peterson and his precious cargo headed for Fargo, North Dakota:

The take off, the short flight.. the crash

At 12:55 a.m. on Tues. Feb. 3rd, pilot Roger Peterson eased the nose of the Beechcraft

Bonanza airplane out on runway 17 at the Mason City Airport. On board, Buddy Holly,

J.P. Richardson and Richie Valens. (Yes, Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to the Big

Bopper…Richardson was feeling ill with a cold or worse, so Jennings gave up his seat

to the Big Bopper. The actual famous ‘coin flip’ for one seat was between Tommy Allsup

and Richie Valens..the physical flip was made by local D.J. and M.C. Bob Hale.. and

Valens won the seat so he would be on board.)

 The weather had down-graded a bit, but not significantly since the last weather check by Peterson and his boss Hubert Dwyer. The ceiling was now down to 3,000 feet from 6,000 feet, and a front was approaching with light snow, winds were 20 to 30 mph and visibility was 6 miles, the temperature was a frigid 18 degrees.

Unfortunately a ‘flash’ weather advisory issued a few minutes before 1:00 a.m. was

never received or passed on to the pilot.  A large mass of snow was moving in their

flight path from the Northwest, and visibility had been lowered to two miles. This would

be significant upon the post crash investigation later on. Remember, Peterson was flying VISUALLY, with no instrument ratings. The flight, only 311 miles would take about one

 and one half hours.

Hubert Dwyer watched as the airplane lifted off the runway, made an initial left turn

onto a northwesterly heading and started climbing to its’ designated flight level of 800 feet.

Dwyer watched the tail light of the aircraft as it disappeared out of view…. that was

just after 1:00 a.m. Peterson had planned to file a flight plan once in the air, and was

to radio Dwyer once settled in for the flight.  When Peterson had failed to make

contact, several attempts to communicate with the aircraft were made and all were

unsuccessful.

At daylight, Dwyer in another airplane, went to trace the route of Holly’s

plane…… and the wreckage was found less than 6 miles from the airport. It hadn’t gotten

far. Had there been a structure failure? Did Peterson quickly discover the weather was

worse than he thought and was he turning to go back? Did the plane have too much

weight with passengers and luggage? Was there an engine problem that

could have caused loss of power? All good questions which would eventually be

confronted.

Next up: the crash site and the investigation. 

below, part one, Pilot Peterson and the aircraft.

Pilot Peterson....

This is part one of my series of the Buddy Holly plane crash. All
information has been taken from public records that have been
accumulated over the five-plus decades since the incident.
There are numerous discrepancies, and contradictions, but over time
the story or facts of the story change, witnesses forget or simply
pass away over time. The important thing is, we need to remember
these four young men, and their individual contributions.

 The pilot, Roger Peterson.  Age age 21, was young, having been licensed in 1954, Roger had accumulated 711 hours of flying experience, 128 of those hours in the Beechcraft  Bonanza, an aircraft with a strange v shaped tail assembly.  It was known as the ‘Dr. killer’ because it had many crashes involving amateur pilots, many of them physicians. The aircraft’s top speed

was 165-175 miles per hour, and this version of the aircraft seated the pilot, three passengers

and their luggage. (As I side note, I have flown in this aircraft configuration a couple of times

years ago. We used to fly from the old Palmyra airport to Syracuse and back. I remember

the cockpit being quite tight with not a lot of room.)

Roger’s boss Hubert Dwyer was owner of Dwyer’ flying service, owner of the aircraft which

was designated N3794N. On the evening of the incident, Monday Feb. 2^nd, both Dwyer and

Peterson had made several stops at the weather control center at the Mason City

airport.  The weather was wintry, light snow, winds from the south at 20 mph, ceiling

of 6,000 feet. Dwyer I’m sure was a bit concerned for the flight because of the three famous

people being transported later that night. But it’s quite evident he had confidence in Peterson who had accumulated his hours on charter flights. The flight was going to be 311 miles as the

‘crow flies’, from Mason City to Fargo, N.D.  Fargo’s airport was the closest to their next

gig to be held the following day in Moorhead, Minnesota.

And so it was that evening that pilot Peterson and his passengers of Holly, J.P. Richardson

and Ritchie Valens started on their fateful journey.

As a note; pilot Peterson only had his visual flight rules certification. He had taken 9 months

before, his instrument rating exam and had failed it. So what did this mean? Well,

he would be flying by sight only, landmarks, horizon, lights. Using a compass and the onboard

Sperry attitude gyro. Now that was another challenge. Peterson was used to flying with the

traditional horizontal horizon gyro….and not the Sperry gyro. This is a bit complicated, but

basically, incorrect readings can be taken if not totally familiar with the instrument.

The aircraft was loaded with the luggage and personals and Buddy Holly took the seat

in the front next to pilot Peterson, with Valens and Richardson sitting behind. A last check

and it was off to Fargo and then to Moorhead for more rock and roll.

In a couple of days; the takeoff, the short flight, the crash.

And mark your calendar; Thur. Feb 1st, 9:55 a.m., I'll be in studio with
Brother Wease, FM 95.1 in Rochester to talk about this unforgettable day.
You can Google Brother Wease, get the link and listen to it live on your
computer, no matter where you might be!

My gut feeling..

When the Beechcraft Bonanza with Buddy Holly and
others rotated off runway 17 at the Mason City Iowa
airport, it was 18 degrees.  Their flight to the Northwest
and destination Fargo, North Dakota would take about
an hour and one half.

Within five to six miles, the flight was in trouble.

A flash weather advisory sent at 12:55 p.m. was
never received by the pilot before his 1:05 a.m.
lift off.

We all know what happened next.

My gut feeling tells me that Buddy Holly in the
front seat probably insisted to pilot Roger
Peterson that they should get back to Mason
City immediately. But it didn't happen.

In the next 10 days or so I'll be presenting the
story here. It's chilling, even without the
18 degree temp.

Save the date: Thurs. Feb 1st, 9:55 a.m. eastern time
I'll be in studio with Brother Wease, fm 95.1 in
Rochester to talk about that crash of '59.
You can google Brother Wease for the link to
jump on and listen to it live!

Sketches for the new book...

So here it is mid January...this month has been brutal all ready..
and more winter yet to come!  My Tales Unleashed short story
book continues to take up some of the drab, depressing weather,
and I'm working on seven sketches that will accompany some of the
appropriate 27 stories that the book will contain. A couple of the
sketches are shown here. It will be a pocket/purse size book
that you can put in your pocket, under your pillow...on the
night stand etc.
We grew up with these little books...oh how fun they were!
All of the info. should be going to my publisher pretty
shortly, and I'll be sharing a list of the stories, release date
etc. as the weeks click off here..so stop back soon.

Starting here next week I'll start my five part series of the
Buddy Holly crash of Feb. 3rd, 1959. It's quite a story...
and if you didn't catch it last year...you're in for a detailed
report about the event and the aftermath. 59 years ago,
in '59...something most eerie about that indeed.

The series starts next week, till then, stay well. SS

A great voice lost...

This was a great shocker today...Dolores was a great entertainer and a superb voice.
Her fans and family have suffered a huge loss....her song "Linger" was a big time
success. R.I.P. Dolores.


from the associated press:

LONDON (AP) — Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of Irish rock band The Cranberries, died suddenly on Monday. She was 46.

O'Riordan died in London, where she was recording, publicist Lindsey Holmes said. 

"No further details are available at this time," Holmes said, adding that the singer's family was "devastated" by the news.

Formed in Limerick, Ireland at the end of the 1980s, The Cranberries became international stars in the 90s with hits including "Zombie" and "Linger" that fused the alternative rock edge with Celtic-infused pop tunefulness.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins said O'Riordan and the band "had an immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally."

"To all those who follow and support Irish music, Irish musicians and the performing arts, her death will be a big loss," he said in a statement.

O'Riordan was The Cranberries' chief lyricist and co-songwriter, and her powerful, sometimes wailing, voice was key to the band's distinctive sound.

The group's 1993 debut album "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?" sold millions of copies and produced the hit single "Linger."

The follow-up, "No Need to Argue," sold in even greater numbers and contained "Zombie," a howl against Northern Ireland's violent Troubles that topped singles charts in several countries.

The band released three more studio albums before splitting up in 2003. O'Riordan released a solo album, "Are You Listening," in 2007, and another, "No Baggage," in 2009.

The members of The Cranberries reunited that year, releasing the album "Roses" in 2012.

The Cranberries released the acoustic album "Something Else" in 2017 and had been due to tour Europe and North America. The tour was cut short because O'Riordan was suffering from back problems

Cremated remains left at Goodwill...

Police in Washington State say they’re trying to find the rightful owner of an urn "with cremated remains" that was donated to a Goodwill location.

In a tweet the Vancouver Police Department sent on Wednesday, authorities said they were "seeking assistance to locate anyone associated with an urn with cremated remains inside that was donated at a local Goodwill.”

Authorities told KIRO 7 that the urn was brought to the store and found by an employee on Sunday as they were sifting through donated items. Police reportedly think that the donation was accidental.

In photos provided in the police’s tweet, the urn appears to be a wooden box with a handle. Two letter M’s with the name “Michelle Miller” are seen on the front.

As an add on here.... it shouldn't be too difficult to find out where these came from.
A search by authorities in Washington should review who this lady was, where
she died and to what funeral home was entrusted with her remains,and who
actually signed for the cremains when they were picked up. There will be on
the death certificate the name of the person who authorized her disposition. It
most certainly was an accidental donation.. although the container is so elaborate,
it's hard to think someone mistook it for a 'cd rack' or knitting box.

Trusting your instincts....

You were about to cross the street, and you had the right of way,
but all of a sudden, something told you to stop...to stop quickly,
and perhaps even step back a bit.

It was like a magical force holding you in place as your body
stiffened to the silent message that pierced your brain...and
as you stopped in your tracks a delivery truck entered your
vision and zoomed past you just one foot from where
you stood.

The concussion of the passing air chilled you to the bone as
you suddenly realized that you had just escaped being crushed
by this two ton mass of rolling steel.

Your silent instinct, your intuition, messaged you that there
was danger before you.....and thank goodness you listened.

Did you ever experience something like this in your life?

Perhaps maybe an event or situation not quite so dramatic,
yet possibly life changing?

Your instinct, or intuition, I believe is a God given sense,
much like hearing, speaking, smelling, touching. Your
instinct or 'gut' feeling is always correct. But in order
to use it effectively, you must trust it, embrace it..
nurture it.

I knew a lady years ago who had experienced an event as
the one I just wrote about above. She actually believed it
was her instinct, or guardian angel as she suggested,
that saved her life. She still talks about it to this day.

So whether it's picking out the right check out lane at
the grocery store...or getting into the more
comfortable lane of driving... or heading out on the
road before a coming storm....  follow your instinct.

Your intuition will serve you well. Some may call
you superstitious, weird, paranoid, etc. Don't let
them bother you. You can always come back with,
"I knew you were going to call me that."

That is your instinct....it's a gift.

Have an experience like this?  If so...comment below,
I'd love to hear about it.  SS

oh...as an add on here...and this is more of a
'strange' as I call it....a few months ago I had
an email from a clairvoyant in California..who had
heard me on the national radio show Coast to Coast
A.M.....she told me that in 2018... I would be
publishing a 2nd book....one not of undertaking, but
it might contain or story or two about such.. and
it would be of short stories. She was spot on.
The second book Tales Unleashed is going to
the publisher soon., it's kind of like Ripley's
Believe it or not.

In 8 to 10 weeks...