Musicians Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens , and J.P. " The Big Bopper " Richardson , along with pilot Roger Peterson , died in a plane crash after taking off from Mason City Municipal Airport in the early morning hours of February 3 , 1959 , after a concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake . This event is not commemorated anywhere on the airport grounds ; a private monument is near the crash site
died in a plane crash
The Day the Music Died
Mason City Municipal Airport