Cerro Gordo County, Iowa which rock and roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, along with their pilot Roger A. Peterson, were killed on February 3, 1959. The site is in Grant Township, in the northwestern part of the county. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office is headed by Sheriff Kevin Pals. The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement, performs investigations, executes legal processes such as writs, and is responsible for operating the county jail and for inmates
The Big Bopper away their plane seats, Holly joked, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up again." Jennings jokingly replied, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." Those words haunted Jennings for the rest of his life. The Clear Lake show ended at around midnight, and Holly, Valens, and Richardson drove to the Mason City Airport, loaded their luggage, and boarded the red and white single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza. Peterson received clearance from the control tower around 1 a.m. on February 3, 1959 and they took off—but the plane remained airborne for only a few minutes. It slammed into the ground at full