Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Some More Of Your Mid-Week Comments and Announcements


Kent,
 
Thank You for all of your continued support, and the extensive Forgotten 
Hits coverage.

Going forward, I will keep you and Forgotten Hits in The Loop as developments take place with The FBI or NTSB Investigations into the 'The Mason City Iowa Accident February 3, 1959' (The 'Tragic Airplane Crash' that will forever be remembered as 'The Day The Music Died') 
Buddy Holly - Ritchie Valens - JP Richardson 'The Big Bopper' - The Pilot, Roger Peterson  

Dear Forgotten Hit's - Buddy Holly Fans,

The following are a few questions that we received from Fans World Wide regarding the events of February 3,1959:

1. Why would they knowingly allow a pilot (Peterson) to fly the plane without certified instrument training'(night flying)?
Pilot Roger Peterson was IFR trained ... However He / The Pilot did not need to be Instrument Rated as The Dwyer Flying Service was ONLY certified by The FAA to conduct passenger transport under VFR conditions ONLY.  
On February 3, 1959, at 0055Z (departure), the visibility was 6 miles and the ceiling was 6,000 feet, which was well within the VFR / FAA certification that Dwyer Flying Service operated under.
Pilot Roger Peterson leveled the Plane off at 800 feet, heading Northwest bound on a 315 heading. (The Pilot began a witnessed Slow Normal Descent)
a). The landing light was turned back on
b). The landing gear was left in the up position
c). The Power switch (The Magneto Switch) was found in The OFF position (3- keyed notched positions from ON to OFF)
d). With the nose lowered slightly, the right wing tip touched the frozen farm field first. (The rest of the sliding motion was 588 feet until a Tail First Stop against a 9- strand barb wire fencing.)  A normal landing is 580 feet.
e). The on-site Coroner's report and the historic documented photos show that  'just a dusting of snow fell from 0055Z until 0930Z '.

2. What about the imbalance of weight distribution on the plane?  The two heaviest passengers (Valens and Richardson) were seated at the rear along with an undetermined amount of luggage stacked at the rear, which may well have caused the planes control to be affected.
Unfortunately, there was never any documentation of fuel or fueling.
N3794N, a 1947 Beech Bonanza-35 V-Tail, was equipped with a weight on its front  nose wheel area to compensate for any rear passengers and luggage loading.  That being said, depending on the amount of fueling (after only 3.5 minutes of flight), there was no mention of fuel, fueling, danger, fuel remaining in the wings, etc.  It would appear that N3794N was around 125 pounds in excess of its useful load.

3. This may be corroborated by the statement made by Dwyer to the authorities, on whose statement he placed Holly in the rear of the plane, knowing that he was, in fact, at the front with the pilot which would, of course, make a significant difference. 
N3794N departed, climbed to 800 feet, leveled off, flew for 3.5 minutes (which included a 'Slow Normal Descent.')  Both propellers were reported to have broken  off at their hubs (indicating that the engine was operating until that point.)  However, the Power Switch (The Magneto Switch) was reported to have been found in The OFF position.  This switch is a 3-keyed notched positions from ON to OFF, perhaps causing the propellers to be breaking off at their hubs.

4. The weather reports were sketchy.
There was no “Hollywood Snow Storm” ... There were six adult witnesses at the airport during loading, taxi, departure and the aircraft flying back Northwest bound.  (ALL six witnesses offered that it was not snowing and never did.)
FAA reported visibility of six miles and a ceiling of 6,000 feet - FAA report that only a dusting fell from 0055Z until 0930Z confirmed by The Coroner's report the following morning.  Historic photos would depict snow on the frozen field but no snow on the surface of the wreckage, until the following 0930Z historic photos.

5. The Dwyer's have had plenty of years to offer another explanation, but have not done so.
This is an extremely good point ... and this is why we have asked for an FBI investigation.
a). The Dwyers were not allowed to speak during the 1959 hearings
b). The Dwyers have concealed information that will prove what really happened in this accident.
The Dwyers have said:  “This is gonna stir things up … and some folks are not gonna like what I have to say.  But you have to remember: I was the only one there and I kept some of the wreckage.  There’s a reason I still have it.  It backs up what really caused this crash."

In Closing:  Thank You so much. 
I look forward to your continued leadership at 'Forgotten Hits'. 
Kindest Regards,
L J
L J Coon

Hey Kent,
This one is more like an all week sucker ... lol ... great job, my friend.
Being a pilot, and an A&P mechanic, I sadly understand most of LJ's comments.
I think he's done an incredible job trying to sort it all out. It can't be and easy task, even with a fresh accident. I'm glad you ran that blog.
On another note, Kobe's heli, from what I've heard, was in excellent shape ...
I heard the pilot had a special clearance to fly.  The news said LAPD grounded all their birds because the fog was so bad.
In both cases, it's a terrible shame that lives were lost. They will all be missed greatly.
Partner, try to catch a breath and rest up.  I'll be waiting for the next one.
Take care, Bro -
Barry

Hi Kent,
Enclosed is a song written by a gentleman from England named Geoff Goddard that ended up being recorded by a group call Chad Allan & The Reflections from Winnipeg, Manitoba.  I remember hearing it on CKY-Radio 58 when I was a kid.  The song was "Tribute To Buddy Holly" and was a regional hit for the group.  The band would later be named "The Guess Who." and if you look closely at the photos you will see a very young Randy Bachman, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson three years before they invited Burton Cummings to join the group.  This song was recorded four years after the flight that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson 61 years ago. 
I thought you, Burton Cummings, Sam Boyd, and others would enjoy the song, the memories, and photos of Winnipeg back in the day when the city was buzzing with a bevy of bands!
Also enclosed is a video that a friend sent to me yesterday about the infamous flight on "The day the music died!"
Peace,
Tim Kiley

While Don McLean’s “American Pie” is always the song cited for commemorating “The Day The Music Died,” that didn’t come about until 1972.
Just a few weeks after the plane crash in 1959, Tommy Dee hit the charts with “Three Stars,” a song mentioning each of the dearly departed by name.  Dee was a DJ at KFXM in San Bernadino at the time and says he wrote the song right after hearing about the crash.  He took the song to Crest Records, who paired his narration with the vocals of Carol Kay and the Teen-Aires.
Dee’s record went to #11 in Billboard.  Early Rocker Eddie Cochran also recorded the song but it wasn’t released until 1966.  (Eddie had a tough time holding it together, having been close friends with both Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.)  Sadly, Cochran himself would also die tragically a year later in a car crash that also injured fellow rocker Gene Vincent.

And, while we’re on the subject of plane crashes (Please, God, let’s not linger here too long!), Cleopatra Entertainment has just announced a brand new film promising to tell the true story of the plane crash that took Lynyrd Skynyrd from us. 

Cleopatra Entertainment's STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH Gets Official Film Festival Selection and National Release Date
Long awaited biopic about the iconic band’s place crash premieres February 16th at Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and releases nationwide this June 30th   

Cleopatra Entertainment’s feature film STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH has officially been selected for inclusion in the upcoming Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival taking place at the Staples Center / LA Live in Los Angeles from February 12th thru February 27th, 2020. The film will premier there on Sunday, February 16th at 7:30 pm, and will also have a nationwide theatrical release starting this Spring.
 
STREET SURVIVORS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH was scripted and directed by Jared Cohn (DEVIL’S REVENGE, DEVIL’S DOMAIN), produced by Brian Perera and co-produced by Tim Yasui for Cleopatra Entertainment. The biopic recreates the story about the ill-fated flight through the eyes of former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle (who narrates the film), who not only survived the plane crash that claimed the life of the band’s founder and front man Ronnie Van Zant amongst others, but who also physically pulled the remaining survivors out of the plane wreckage before staggering towards the nearest farmhouse in rural Louisiana to seek help. Pyle also contributes original music to the film’s soundtrack.
 
Says Pyle: “This film’s story – MY story – is not just about the plane crash but also about my personal relationship with the genius that was Ronnie Van Zant – whom I loved like a brother and still miss to this day.”
 
Cleopatra Entertainment’s plans for the roll-out include an international festival run followed by a domestic theatrical run, including personal appearances by Artimus Pyle, who will introduce the film an participate in Q&A’s with the audience. In select markets, Pyle will perform a live music concert with the Artimus Pyle Band that will feature the hit songs by LYNYRD SKYNYRD. A worldwide VOD and Home Entertainment release, which will include a stand-alone Official Soundtrack album, are scheduled for June 30th, 2020.

Plane crashes took two of my favorite artists of all time.  Rick Nelson died on New Year’s Eve, on the way to a show, in De Kalb, Texas.  Nelson, of course, was quite the hit maker in the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s, rivaling Elvis Presley with the teenage audience of early rock and roll.  He scored a major comeback hit in 1972 with “Garden Party” and toured incessantly from that point on.

Jim Croce’s star, on the other hand, was just rising when his plane went down in Natchitoches, Louisiana, when it crashed into a tree on take off.  (Ironically, also on his way to a concert in Texas.)

I found the news of both crashes absolutely devastating and still miss both of these artists immensely.

Over the years, a number of artists have met their fate this way.  (Patsy Cline immediately comes to mind, also cut down in the prime of her career.)  As far back as 1944, band leader Glenn Miller was taken from us this same way.  And how about Otis Redding and up and coming star Aaliyah?  John Denver (who ironically wrote the hit “Leaving On A Jet Plane”) crashed his own plane when it ran out of fuel.  While some will argue that it would be inevitable that we would lose a few famous people this way simply because of the volume of travel required by each of them in their profession, plane crashes in general still make up a fairly small percentage of actual deaths.  In nearly all of the cases mentioned above, these seem to be the result of much smaller, private airfare on equipment that was typically older and not as well maintained as they should have been.

Let’s take a moment to remember ALL of the artists we’ve lost over the years and embrace the joy they brought us through song.  (kk) 


In other music news, Brian Wilson is asking his fans (and the fans of his music) to try and help stop a concert that is supposed to go on tonight at The Safari Club International Convention in Reno, NV.

Wilson tweeted "It has been brought to my attention that on Wednesday, February 5th, the Beach Boys touring group, licensed by Mike Love, headlining at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada.  This organization supports trophy hunting, which both Al [Jardine] and I are emphatically opposed to. There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition."

The goal was to obtain 75,000 signatures.  The petition states that The Safari Club International Convention will feature "870 companies ... selling trophy hunting holidays and wildlife body parts, including animal heads, this year." It also notes that an estimated 20,000 animals from protected species will be killed in 2020, and that "benches made from elephant skin, paintings on elephant ears, a hippo skull table and shark skin belts" have been sold at other Safari Club International conventions.  It concludes with a letter to Beach Boys manager Elliott Lott pointing out a pledge to stop purchasing the group's music, concert tickets and other merchandise if it doesn't pull out of out of the concert and "publicly state their opposition to this sick ‘sport’ of killing animals for ‘fun.'"  (Certainly not the kind of fun, fun, fun we expect from The Beach Boys … but I guess at this point a gig’s a gig, right? Right and wrong have nothing to do with it.  While I find it highly unlikely that the band would pull out of this performance this late in the game, at least Brian has managed to get the word out about his feelings on this matter and his total disdain of these proceedings.)  

And speaking of Al Jardine, he’s coming back to The City Winery here in Chicago for another solo show on March 31st.

We had a GREAT time at his concert a couple of years ago and strongly recommend this show.