MovieChat Forums > La Bamba (1987) Discussion > Could this possibly be t rue...?

Could this possibly be t rue...?

posted 15 years ago by LPurch6636
16 replies | jump to latest

I read this in another posting about La Bamba:

"Did you know that Richie was cuckoo for cocoa puffs and that the reason the plane crashed is because he got airsick and blinded the pilot when he threw up on him? True story."

The only way it could be known is if the pilot radio'd before crashing that it had happened-- or -- there was vomit on Ritchie's clothing and in the pilot's eyes.

Sounds pretty hokey to me. (What's cocoa puffs got to do with it?)

Flanagan

[–] madhouse_495 15 years ago

I don't think Cocoa Puffs were around in 1959. And even if they were around i don't think that Cocoa Puffs would make somebody airsick enough to cause a plane crash

[–] senorjuez 14 years ago

According to Wikipedia, Cocoa Puffs first hit the market in 1958, the year before the plane crash. Even if Ritchie did like the cereal, it is doubtful that he would eat it while on tour.

[–] senorjuez 15 years ago

I'm sure there are many theories on what caused the plane crash, but the official cause was pilot error. The pilot was young, had little flying experience, almost no nighttime experience and suffered from vertigo i.e. dizziness. The blizzard-like conditions involved certainly were a key factor as well.

[–] rharrigfeld124 15 years ago

LPurch, Whoever posted that is an Idiot!!!

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] savagesteve13 14 years ago

A beechcraft bonanza V-tail is a tiny plane, you don't get up and walk to the pilot, you kinda crawl up there.

[–] texasturkey 14 years ago

According to the investigation of the cause of the plane crash, the pilot was young (20 years old) and inexperienced. It was late at night, dark and snowing. There were instruments on the dashboard and in the cockpit that would have enabled the pilot to see better and better maneuver the small plane. He didn't use them and he wasn't able to see. The plane crashed immediately after take off.

[–] jnyfknblz 14 years ago

Sounds possible. I can see Risssccchheey as bob would say going kookoo for cocoa puffs big time. He might have gone into coke rage on the plane and bam. The rest of you thinking of cereal.. Wtf is wrong with you.

[–] Benihanahasnofunflare 13 years ago

Youth is not an excuse!

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 8 years ago

Thank you, I don't have any info on the investigation of the crash.

[–] magic8ball2112 14 years ago

The pilot couldn't fly using only his dashboard instruments. You figure if you're flying a plane you only need to look out a window & see ground, sky, etc. However, in the dark, particularly in bad weather, you see NADA! Not a thing! Total darkness.
Toss in going a couple of hundred miles an hour and at X elevation above the ground, and if you don't know where you are, you & the ground will soon meet at a high velocity.

The accident report heavily leaned towards 'pilot error' b/c a) the pilot was inexperienced & was not qualified to fly on instruments alone; b) weather conditions while attempting to fly at night; and c) the proximity of the wreckage to the airstrip.
That they hit the ground at a high velocity was evident from the degree of injuries on both Richie (the worse) and Buddy.
Put another way: Richie didn't get an open casket funeral.

[–] jefgg 12 years ago

Cocoa Puffs were introduced by General Mills in 1958.

[–] lostinthes81 12 years ago

i think "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" is speaking metaphorically for ritchie's fear of flying. meaning maybe he freaked out which scared the pilot and caused the crash. although i'm 100% positive that isn't the case.

[–] vicky_lc2001 (1907) 8 years ago

LOL, I really doubt that!

[–] Mustang (5571) 3 years ago

Looked like a shitty airplane in really bad weather to me. Disaster waiting to happen.