The Day The Music Died

Tomorrow (2-3-2019) is the 60th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper.

I've always been a huge Buddy Holly fan, I think he was one of the best American rockers ever. His music is still popular today.

There's a gathering of people every year on this day in Clear Lake Iowa, I'm sure many will be there.

 

The story of the final minutes of Emiliano Sala last week reminds me a little bit of the movie depictions of the scene when those guys got on the airplane. It must be absolutely awful being that scared, getting on board anyway, and realizing that things are indeed turning just as bad as you imagined.

 

Plane crashes must be just about the worst way to go. No matter how direct the path to the ground, it takes a LONG DAMN TIME to fall 35000 feet.

 

Drowning. Drowning has to be the worst. At least with a plane crash you can have some hope until impact.

 

The one that inspired this thread didn't fall from very high. But still...

 

Nope. Marriage is the slowest most painful death.

Nah, I agree, I think that drowning would be, even though it could be much quicker than going down in a plane. The thing about a plane, like crashing a bike, up until you are on the ground, there's still a chance / hope you can save it.

I think that time really seems to slow down because of heightened senses.

When I could not breathe after a crash, I felt panic for a few seconds trying to get a breath (all vision was black). But then I realized that I was going to die, and I became calm. When I woke up, I saw the EMT (lady) talking to me, then I saw Kurt K. in his hat, looking skeptical.

Always liked Richie V.

 

Unless they CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain). Then its maybe a quick "oh shit" flash the brain, before impact. Pilots have been flying planes into "Cumulo-Granite" for over a hundred years. This one caused the FAA to require airliners to always be on IFR flight planes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_International_Airlines_Flight_655

 

I don't know, man. Look up the 747 (I think) cargo flight that stalled after taking off from Baghdad when cargo shifted, if I remember correctly. It was caught on video. That might be the most terrifying airplane crash I have ever seen. Those guys knew that they were going to die, and they had time to think about it. Just terrifying.

 

Yeah, that one sucked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Airlines_Flight_102

 

Bagram. And yeah just looked that up that really sucked..

 

I think I'd take that over cancer.

 

Damn.

I wish I hadn't watched that.

Aircraft comes into view at 0:05. I'm no pilot, but it looks way nose-up.

Tips left at 0:11... tips right at 0:15 ... ground at 0:23.

Again, not a pilot, but I'd guess "I can save it... I can save it" turned off and the inevitability set in at about 0:15. Maybe earlier... I don't know.

8 seconds is a long damn time.

 

Well yeah, and probably take getting shot in the head over both. But still that sucked..

 

That's fair!

 

Fire.

 

Well this is a cheery f*@king thread ain't it?

 

Didn't the crash with Holly involve a fire onboard the aircraft? Maybe I'm confusing it with another famous crash but I recall something about an onboard Janitrol heater catching fire.

Edit. Ricky Nelson is the one I was thinking of.

 

Yeah. The guy flying Buddy, Bopper and Ritchie wasnt rated to fly in IMC weather, unable to reference the ground or horizon. He had training but had failed a check rider months earlier. The investigation concluded he got disoriented and lost control. They hit the ground at high speed.

 

Yeah, what a misleading thread title!

 

Well, this thread has put me into a tail spin.

Hit up the ole Wiki pages of these guys and the crash page to read more about what happened. I thought to myself, well, if I'm reading this, why not listen to some music from these guys, so I loaded YouTube and pulled up some of their songs.

Next thing I know, there is a 3 part series called "The Day", about Feb. 18, 2001 when Dale Sr. was killed on the last lap of the race. Ended up watching that.....thanks a bunch WERA!