Suzie Q

It’s been more than sixty-five years since Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson – aka “the Big Bopper” – were killed in a plane crash in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa. The crash, which happened less than four minutes after takeoff, was ruled a result of pilot error. The incident was in the news this week because a retired pilot has requested that the National Transportation Safety Board look into the possibility that the accident could have been caused by faulty rudder controls or an issue with the fuel system. A few hours after reading this, I started getting texts about Harrison Ford crashing a vintage WWII plane on a golf course moments after takeoff from the Santa Monica Airport.  Somehow it all reminded me of John F. Kennedy, Jr., of John Denver, and of a Steve Martin quote from Father of the Bride (1991): “You understand. It’s…it’s better when they’re on the ground.”