# American Pie...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 10, 2000, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867 "2000-08-10T18:40:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BawitaBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BawitaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BawitaBob)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867/1 "2000-08-10T18:40:42Z")

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Was “American Pie” the name of the airplane which crashed and killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper, and, thus, became the title of Don McLean’s song?

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**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867/2 "2000-08-10T19:32:01Z")

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Cecil wrote a column on American Pie: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_398b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_398b.html)

In it I see no reference to the name of the plane. So I wouls so the answer to your question is no. Cecil doesn’t miss details that important.

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867/3 "2000-08-10T20:40:38Z")

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Believe it or not, this too is an Urban Legend that seems to have slipped past most people’s radar screen undetected. The plane was NOT named the “American Pie”, in fact it was not named anything. Like most planes it simply had a tail number. Its only identification was a Beech Bonanza, model 35, S/N-1019, identification N3794N, that was manufactured October 17, 1947.

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-pie/28867/4 "2000-08-11T00:58:07Z")

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Try Snopes ([www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com)) for answers to any and all questions like this. Bookmark and return regularly. One of the most invaluable resources on the web. (Second only to Cecil, of course.)

Specifically, their page on this: [http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/amerpie.htm](http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/amerpie.htm)