Ritchie valens plane crash photos in color

Ritchie valens funeral

Ritchie valens death certificate.

The Day the Music Died

1959 American plane crash

This article is about the plane crash. For other uses, see The Day the Music Died (disambiguation).

The wreckage of the Bonanza at the crash site

DateFebruary 3, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-02-03)
SummaryCrashed following loss of control in poor weather at night
SiteGrant Township, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, U.S.


43°13′13.3″N93°22′53.1″W / 43.220361°N 93.381417°W / 43.220361; -93.381417

Aircraft typeBeechcraft Bonanza
OperatorDwyer Flying Service, Mason City, Iowa, U.S.
RegistrationN3794N
Flight originMason City Municipal Airport, Iowa, U.S.
DestinationHector Airport, North Dakota, U.S.
Occupants4
Passengers3
Crew1
Fatalities4
Survivors0

On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J.

P. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, to