US considers new Buddy Holly plane crash probe

By The Newsroom
Published 5th Mar 2015, 08:48 BST
A group of men view the wreckage of the light aircraft. Picture: GettyA group of men view the wreckage of the light aircraft. Picture: Getty
A group of men view the wreckage of the light aircraft. Picture: Getty
SAFETY investigators in the United States say they are reviewing a request to reopen a probe into the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly.

The crash in Iowa on February 3, 1959 claimed the lives of the 22-year-old rock and roll musician, and fellow musicians Ritchie Valens, 17, and 28-year-old JP ‘The Big Bopper’ Richardson.

The aicraft’s pilot, 21-year-old Roger Peterson also died in the crash, just hours after the musicians had performed a gig in Clear Lake.

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They opted to charter a small plane to reach the next tour date in Minnesota after experiencing bus trouble.

Buddy Holly in a picture taken some time in 1959. Picture: APBuddy Holly in a picture taken some time in 1959. Picture: AP
Buddy Holly in a picture taken some time in 1959. Picture: AP

Holly’s backing musicians, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup along with Dion DeMucci of Dion and the Belmonts, who were also performing on the tour, all avoided the crash by chance.

Jennings reportedly swapped places with the flu-stricken Richardson while Allsup lost his place on the plane to Valens after the pair tossed a coin. DeMucci decided not to pay the $36 fee (about $291 today) to board the aircraft.

The original investigation conducted by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) determined that the crash had been caused by Peterson’s decision to embark on an instrument-guided flight he was not certified for, and on poor weather.