Comments on: “The Day the Music Died”: A Passing Glance at Air Safety and Celebrity Air Accidents

By: Al Weidlich

Al Weidlich — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:24:38 +0000

Interesting info. I remember the sadness of the disappearance of Glen Miller during WW II. Yes, in hindsight some of these crashes may have been preventable. However, I trust we have learned from them to be more thorough in preparations for commercial type flights and equipment.

By: Show Time

Show Time — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:25:55 +0000

Buddy Holly Bonanza crash: for years there has been an urban legend that the plane was named “American Pie.”

JFK Jr. Saratoga crash: he had recently sold his Cessna 182 with good downward visibility and easy-too-engage wing-leveling autopilot and obtained a Saratoga with a low wing and complicated autopilot.

By: Matthew Boisjolie

Matthew Boisjolie — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:35:33 +0000

I think one of the most preventable was John F Kennedy Crash. He had multiple opportunities to prevent this accident. It exactly as they say, it’s a chain of bad choices that result in accidents. If he would have done maybe one of the choices below differently, this would not have happened.

Here the back choices included, having his instrument CFI offer to fly with him that very night, but him denying the offer. Him neglecting to call for a weather briefing before takeoff, or while in the air. His magazine suffering financial trouble (IM SAFE?). He was involved in a near mid air collision, in which ATC instructed an American Airlines flight to descent to avoid conflict with Kennedys aircraft. No flight plan was filed, or flight following was requested. The flight takeoff time was pushed back until after dark. He was flying over featureless open water. He had the wrong frequencies set when the NTSB examined the wreckage.

He was also flying in heavy haze. 5-8 miles visibility with haze. Although it was technically VFR conditions, flying at night, with haze, over water, can easily lead to spatial disorientation.

This is one accident i have studied, and learned from his mistakes. I take every precaution i can when i fly. If only he did the same maybe he would not just a statistic. Sad how one bad choice can spiral downward into a graveyard spiral.

By: Gary Halverson

Gary Halverson — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:39:41 +0000

All of these were so sad , and in a lot of instances , preventable , with better maintenence of the aircraft involved . The saddest was Lynard Skynard Band whose plane ran out of gas . So sad ……. SO preventable .

By: JDK

JDK — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:30:30 +0000

Interesting (if understandably morbid) theme.

A couple of notes though – I’d be wary of calling a Beech Bonanza ‘rickety’; it’s a standard production lightplane.

Also the most significant celebrity death for aviation in the USA has to be the 1931 crash of a TWA Fokker 10 trimotor killing Knute Rockne the Notre Dame football coach. The intense public interest in the crash, as a direct result of the passenger’s fame, changed transport regulation and investigation in the US, with legacies still in place today. Not a musician, but if we are looking at celebrity death and aviation influence…