All three stars helped shape the future of early rock. All were young. Ritchie Valens, the youngest, was only 17, but in a short 8 month career had already posted 3 hit singles, including La Bamba and Come On Let's Go.
The cause of the plane crash, which happened at night under winter conditions, were attributed to a combination of bad weather and pilot error. You can read the original report of the Civil Aeronautics Board by clicking HERE.
The CAB's final report, however, didn't make sense to fellow pilot L. J. Coon, who suspected there were other factors in the plane crash. He thought a weight imbalance in the cargo and passengers, along with instrument failure, may have played a role. In addition, he knew that the pilot, Roger Peterson, had 4 years and 700 hours of flight experience and was very familiar with the terrain around the Mason City airport.
In early 2015, Coon placed a formal request with the National Transportation Safety Board to reopen the case as to the cause of the crash. After presenting his evidence Coon received a letter from the board which said, in part, "You have gotten our attention. Let us do our due diligence in order to give you a proper answer..."
However, a month later, Coon's hopes were dashed when he was informed that NTSB would not reopen the case. According to the Des Moines Register, "In a letter dated April 21, the agency said the evidence presented in a request from pilot L.J. Coon wasn't sufficient to merit the reconsideration of the findings of the original investigation."
We may never know if Coon was right, but we do know two things:
We may never know if Coon was right, but we do know two things:
1) Three stars of Rock 'n' Roll left us far too soon.
2) We still have their music.
2) We still have their music.
