Just wondering if anyone knows what actually happend to the plane that carried Buddy after the crash? I have heard from folks in Clearlake that Jim Dwyer (the original owner) has it in storage, also that it was scrapped, etc. Nothing ever really materialized about its whereabouts after the crash, and was curious as to where is might be if it still exists. Thank you.

It's true that when the flight inspectors wrote off what remained of the plane as scrap metal, it was Jerry Dwyer that stepped up to the plate and offered to buy it. Guess he didn't want to see something like that stripped for souvenirs, which is a good thing. Bill Griggs makes the note that although Jerry Dwyer bought it, don't bother asking him about it, cause that's the one thing he won't talk about. Rumour has it that Mr. Dwyer buried it somewhere, maybe it's just in an old flight hangar. Whatever the case, Buddy's, Ritchie's, the Bopper's, and Roger's final resting place is resting in peace. It is very interesting that he has kept it around all these years though.
There are people on the Bill Griggs board that have claimed to find pieces of the plane, still with some red paint (?) on it, after all these years, but that's your call. They claim it doesn't rust cause it's aluminium, but again, it's been 46 years, and as it's been seen, Iowa doesn't get mild winters. Just like almost anything that remains of Buddy Holly (beside his music) it's nearly impossible to prove and there are people that are going to try and take advantage of that.