Beechcraft 35 Bonanza near Clear Lake, IA — 1959-02-03
- Date
- 1959-02-03
- Location
- Clear Lake, IA, USA
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 35 Bonanza
Probable cause
NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.
NTSB narrative
On February 3, 1959, a 1947 Beechcraft 35 Bonanza V-tail departed Clear Lake, Iowa, just before 1:00 a.m. carrying pilot Roger Peterson and three passengers, including Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. The night flight encountered deteriorating weather with snow, low ceilings, and no visible horizon. The pilot, who had failed his instrument checkride nine months earlier and had trained on a standard attitude indicator, was forced to rely on an unfamiliar Sperry F3 gyro with reversed display logic. The aircraft was found the next morning in a steep right bank descent approximately six miles from the airport. All four occupants were killed. The day became known as The Day the Music Died.