Why did ritchie valens plane crash?

Ritche Valens plane crashed because of two reasons - poor weather and possbily due to pilot error. The pilot was using equipment with which he was unfamiliar - the Sperry Attitude Gyro. The pilot had passed his written examination but had failed an instrument check nine months before the crash. He wasn't given the full weather report by the Air Traffic Communication Station. A combination of poor decision making, unfamiliarity with the instruments and incomplete weather report were responsible for the plane crash. (Info taken from the Civil Aeronautics Board report on the investigation into the cause of the crash.)

Ritchie - RIP.