by Neumann Sennheiser » Wed Feb 03, 2010 3:05 pm
It's stunning how much information is available these days via a few quick internet searches; case in point, firedog being able to pinpoint which fallen star fell where.
In short order I was able to find a google map location showing me exactly where the plane crashed, from where it took off from the tiny Mason airport a short distance away and extensive info and pictures of the Surf Ballroom where Buddy and the rest played their final show in nearby Clear Lake, Iowa.
I was also allowed to view the FAA evaluation of the crash (pilot error. he had a medical history of vertigo and was unfamiliar with the craft's altimeter gauge) the initial medical examiner's report of the crash scene, photos of the contents of Buddy Holly's overnight bag and, even more personal in detail, the subsequent coroner's evaluation of Buddy's fatal injuries (too lurid for me to feel comfortable about relating but let's just say, at least in Buddy's case, it was mercifully quick).
"You don't know man! I was in radio man! I've seen things you wouldn't believe!"