Safest way to travel - yeah right!

A Beech Bonanza, N 3794N, crashed at night approximately 5 miles northwest of the Mason City Municipal Airport, Mason City, Iowa, at approximately 0100, February 3, 1959. The pilot and passengers [Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper] were killed and the aircraft was demolished.

In 1963, the plane taking Patsy from Kansas City to Nashville crashed just about 90 miles away from its destination.

His plane crashed northeast of Dallas, killing all seven passengers (the pilots survived). Investigation later showed that a fire had broken out in the cabin and the pilots attempted an emergency landing.

Band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines died. The official accident report says that the crash was a combination of fuel exhaustion, engine malfunction and inadequate flight planning.

Redding and his band were headed from Cleveland to Madison, Wisconsin. They were almost there when the plane crashed into Lake Monona in Madison.

The pilot of Stevie Ray’s helicopter failed to reach the altitude necessary to clear the hill at the takeoff site and crashed into it.

Although an experienced pilot, John Denver was flying an unfamiliar plane when it crashed off the coast of California.

Aaliyah was on the way back from the Bahamas to Miami when her plane crashed.

Visibility was excellent, but for some reason the pilot didn’t get the plane high enough in the air to clear a pecan tree at the end of the runway. Reports speculate that the pilot may have had a heart attack. Everyone on board died.

Gardel was one of 17 killed when two Ford Tri-Motor airplanes collided in midair over Medellin, Columbia.

Rhoads, a make-up girl and pilot were all killed when the plane in which they were buzzing a mansion struck a van and crashed into a house.

Lots of debate on this one, was his plane below bombers when they emptied their payload over the ocean. Was his plane was shot down (quite possibly in error by the Allies). Or did his plane simply crash into France when a General ordered him to fly in bad weather?

What is certain is that he was killed in a plane!

A fire started in the restroom on Air Canada flight 797. It was forced to land in the Greater Cincinatti Airport. Rogers was one of 23 people who died of smoke inhalation.

Melanie Thornton was promoting her solo album when the Crossair jet she was travelling crashed in Switzerland. Only nine people survived out of the 33 aboard,

Graeme 'Shirley' Strachan was piloting a helicopter near Kilroy, northwest of Brisbane when it crashed into Mount Alexander.

Jane Dornacker was killed in a helicopter crash over the Hudson River while doing a live traffic report.

Jimmy King(guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (organ), Phalin Jones (saxophone), and Carl Cunningham (drums). The Bar-Kays were employed as Otis Redding's backing group on tour, and the tragic plane crash in 1967, which took his life, also claimed King, Caldwell, Jones and Cunningham.