Rick Nelson and his band were on their way to a New Year’s Eve
sock-hop in Dallas, Texas when a fire broke out aboard their 
plane, a Douglas DC-3. The pilots were forced to make a crash  
landing northeast of Dallas. Nelson and his fiancee were killed   
along with five members of his band. Both pilots were able to 
escape through the cockpit windows and survived. After an 
investigation into the crash, the cause was found to be a 
mechanical problem with the cabin heater. 

   
                               The crash site in De Kalb, Texas

 
Nelson’s grave marker at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, Cal.