Roger Peterson (pilot)
Encyclopedia
Roger Arthur Peterson was a 21-year-old pilot of the aircraft whose crash took the lives of rock and roll
musicians Buddy Holly
, Ritchie Valens
and J.P. "The Big Bopper
" Richardson as well as himself. The event came to be known as "The Day the Music Died
".
http://www.wa1lmc.com/wa1lmc/rogerpeterson.html
Peterson was born and raised in Alta, Iowa
, the eldest of four children born to Arthur and Pearl Peterson. According to the Civil Aeronautics Board's accident report, by 1959, Peterson had been flying for over four years, receiving his private pilot's certificate in October 1954 and commercial pilot's certificate in April 1958; a short time later he was hired as a pilot for Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa
.
On September 14, 1958, Peterson married Deanne Lenz, whom he had been dating since their junior year of High School; the couple resided in Clear Lake, Iowa
, a short drive to Mason City where both worked. In January 1959, Peterson received certification as a limited Flight Instructor, though he was still working on his instrument rating
, having accumulated only 52 hours as such and was not rated for night-time flying commercially. Peterson's total flying time was listed in said report as 711 hours' experience; 128 hours were in the type which claimed his life, accumulated while performing local charter flights.
On the evening of February 2, 1959, the manager of the Surf Ballroom
in Clear Lake contacted Peterson to arrange a charter flight from Mason City to Fargo, North Dakota
. The Ballroom was hosting the Winter Dance Party that evening and one of the tour's performers, Buddy Holly, wanted to fly ahead of the rest of the tour members, who were traveling by bus. Peterson agreed to take the flight, and when the performers arrived at the airport, he learned that in addition to Holly, his other two passengers would be Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.
The plane, a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza
(registration number
N3794N), took off in light snow from Mason City Airport
around 1:00 on the morning of February 3, 1959. The plane turned 180 degrees to the left and aimed north, achieving an altitude of 2000 feet MSL, cleared the airport, turned towards the northwest and faded from view. Moments later the Beechcraft crashed in a cornfield five miles northwest of the airfield, killing Peterson and his three passengers.
The Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error due to Peterson's inability to accurately interpret the plane's Sperry F3 attitude indicator which he was forced to rely upon in the prevailing weather conditions. The theory is that Peterson may have read the unusual gyroscope
as though it was a conventional gyro and thought that the plane was gaining altitude when it was actually descending; resultingly, he encountered spatial disorientation while airborne. Peterson was not certificated to fly solely by reference to instruments
. A secondary factor was that the pilot had not been informed of adverse flash weather forecasts.
A memorial service for Roger Peterson was held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Ventura, Iowa
on February 5. A funeral was held the next day at St. Paul Lutheran Church in his hometown of Alta; Peterson was buried in Buena Vista Memorial Cemetery in nearby Storm Lake
. Peterson's grave site is located at coordinates N 42 39.189 W 095 13.996. Peterson's parents would later receive condolence letters from the families of Holly and Valens.
In June 1988, a 4-foot-tall granite memorial bearing the names of Peterson and the three entertainers was dedicated outside The Surf Ballroom with Peterson's widow, parents and sister in attendance; the event marked the first time that the families of Holly, Richardson, Valens, and Peterson had gathered together.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
musicians Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
and J.P. "The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
" Richardson as well as himself. The event came to be known as "The Day the Music Died
The Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, as well as the pilot, Roger Peterson. The day was later called The Day the Music Died by Don McLean, in his song...
".
http://www.wa1lmc.com/wa1lmc/rogerpeterson.html
Peterson was born and raised in Alta, Iowa
Alta, Iowa
Alta is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,865 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Alta is located at . It is located 6 miles from the city of Storm Lake...
, the eldest of four children born to Arthur and Pearl Peterson. According to the Civil Aeronautics Board's accident report, by 1959, Peterson had been flying for over four years, receiving his private pilot's certificate in October 1954 and commercial pilot's certificate in April 1958; a short time later he was hired as a pilot for Dwyer Flying Service in Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
.
On September 14, 1958, Peterson married Deanne Lenz, whom he had been dating since their junior year of High School; the couple resided in Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake, Iowa
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,161 at the 2000 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate...
, a short drive to Mason City where both worked. In January 1959, Peterson received certification as a limited Flight Instructor, though he was still working on his instrument rating
Instrument rating
Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under IFR . It requires additional training and instruction beyond what is required for a Private Pilot certificate or Commercial Pilot certificate, including rules and procedures specific to instrument flying,...
, having accumulated only 52 hours as such and was not rated for night-time flying commercially. Peterson's total flying time was listed in said report as 711 hours' experience; 128 hours were in the type which claimed his life, accumulated while performing local charter flights.
On the evening of February 2, 1959, the manager of the Surf Ballroom
Surf Ballroom
The Surf Ballroom is a Historic Rock and Roll Landmark at 460 North Shore Drive, Clear Lake, Iowa. The Surf is closely associated with The Day the Music Died - early rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson gave their last performances at the Surf on...
in Clear Lake contacted Peterson to arrange a charter flight from Mason City to Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. The Ballroom was hosting the Winter Dance Party that evening and one of the tour's performers, Buddy Holly, wanted to fly ahead of the rest of the tour members, who were traveling by bus. Peterson agreed to take the flight, and when the performers arrived at the airport, he learned that in addition to Holly, his other two passengers would be Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.
The plane, a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza
Beechcraft Bonanza
The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by The Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. , it is still being produced by Hawker Beechcraft, and has been in continuous production longer than any other airplane in history...
(registration number
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
N3794N), took off in light snow from Mason City Airport
Mason City Municipal Airport
Mason City Municipal Airport is a public airport located in the northern part of Lake Township, five miles west of the central business district of Mason City and just northeast of Clear Lake, both cities in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA. The airport covers and has two runways...
around 1:00 on the morning of February 3, 1959. The plane turned 180 degrees to the left and aimed north, achieving an altitude of 2000 feet MSL, cleared the airport, turned towards the northwest and faded from view. Moments later the Beechcraft crashed in a cornfield five miles northwest of the airfield, killing Peterson and his three passengers.
The Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error due to Peterson's inability to accurately interpret the plane's Sperry F3 attitude indicator which he was forced to rely upon in the prevailing weather conditions. The theory is that Peterson may have read the unusual gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
as though it was a conventional gyro and thought that the plane was gaining altitude when it was actually descending; resultingly, he encountered spatial disorientation while airborne. Peterson was not certificated to fly solely by reference to instruments
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
. A secondary factor was that the pilot had not been informed of adverse flash weather forecasts.
A memorial service for Roger Peterson was held at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Ventura, Iowa
Ventura, Iowa
Ventura is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 670 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Ventura is located at ....
on February 5. A funeral was held the next day at St. Paul Lutheran Church in his hometown of Alta; Peterson was buried in Buena Vista Memorial Cemetery in nearby Storm Lake
Storm Lake, Iowa
Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,600 in the 2010 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista University, originally Buena Vista College...
. Peterson's grave site is located at coordinates N 42 39.189 W 095 13.996. Peterson's parents would later receive condolence letters from the families of Holly and Valens.
In June 1988, a 4-foot-tall granite memorial bearing the names of Peterson and the three entertainers was dedicated outside The Surf Ballroom with Peterson's widow, parents and sister in attendance; the event marked the first time that the families of Holly, Richardson, Valens, and Peterson had gathered together.