The Patsy Cline Plane Crash
March 6, 1963 :  Camden Tennessee
* News Reports *
4 OPRY STARS DIE IN CRASH
Plane Debris Yields Bodies At Camden
Camden - The remains of four country music personalities,
including three nationally known Grand Ole Opry stars, were found
this morning in the scattered bits of a private plane which crashed
in rugges woodlands near here. The victims were Patsy Cline,
Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Randy Hughes,
believed to be the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft.
The wreckage was discovered about 6 a.m. after a night-long
search by Highway Patrol, Civil Defense and local officers.
Parts of the yellow plane and bits of human flesh were scattered
over a 60-yard area a mile off Highway 70 about three miles west
of Camden. The wreckage was between the highway and a ranger
tower, which had served as a base of operations for searchers.
Civil Defense official Dean Brewer, asked whether all four bodies
had been located, replied:
"There's not enough to count . . . They're all in small pieces."The
plane left Dyersburg about 6 p.m. Tuesday for a flight to Nashville.
The entertainers had been in Kansas City for a benefit
performance for the late Cactus Jack Call, a disc jockey.
Sam Webb, whose farm is near the dense woodlands said he saw
a plane circling his home about 7 p.m. and that it was "revving up
its motor. . . going fast and then slow, like it was attempting to
climb." Webb said the plane left his sight and then he heard
something "like it struck the top of some trees."
The weather in the area at the time of the accident was termed
"extremely turbulent." Investigators of the Civil Aeronautics Board
were enroute to the crash scene to make a detailed probe of the
wreckage in an effort to learn the cause of the smashup.
Meanwhile in another phase of the investigation, Dr. J.S.
Butterworth, CAB medical examiner, and Dr. A. T. Hix, Benton
County Medical Examiner were examining the remains of the four
victims. The wreckage was located by searchers using field glasses
in the fire tower and almost simultaneously by ground searchers
Lewis and Claude Bradford, brothers who farm near the scene,
and W. J. Hollingsworth of Sandy River Road.
The plane apparently struck a large tree before hitting the ground.
Pieces of the aircraft were hanging in the tree and a three-foot hole
marked the spot where the main part of the fuselage struck the
ground. The terrain in the area is so rugged that some searchers
returning during the night were covered with bruises, scratches and
blood and according to one observer, "looked like they had been in
a bear fight." The wreck scene is about five miles west of the
Tennessee River. After the wreckage was located, about a 100
cars lined Old Stage Road, about 150 yards from the scene.
Benton County Sheriff Loye Furr described the area as "full of
woods, hills, hollows and swamps.
Refueling Stop The single-engine plane stopped at Dyersburg
to refuel and the Dyersburg Airport manager, Bill Braese, said
the occupants "had a cup of coffee."
*  Patsy Cline  *  Hawkshaw Hawkins * Cowboy Copas *   Randy Hughes *
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Website by Pat Adams. pat@tennesseeconcerts.com
Editor: Pat Adams - Nashville TN
Email: pat@tennesseeconcerts.com
crash Tuesday night near
Camdem represented a
multi-million dollars worth
of show business talent:
Patsy Cline, 29, has been
described as one of the finest
girl singers in the world.
Cowboy Copas, 49, was a
popular performers in his field.
Hawkshaw Hawkins, 43,
was known for his versatility.
He functioned as a manager
of talent (one of his talents
was Patsy Cline). He was
an able guitarist, and as a
sideline, sold stocks and
bonds for Jack M. Bass and
Sons, Nashville brokerage
firm.Governor Frank Clement
commented: "With the deaths
of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas,
Hawkshaw Hawkins and
Randy Hughes the
entertainment world suffers a
great professional loss and
Tennessee suffers a great
personal loss. They were
typical of the serious-minded,
hard working professional
people dedicated to country
music artistry. I counted them
among my close friends and
extend my deep and sincere
sympathy to their families."
All were regular member
of WSM's Grand Ole Opry.
Says Billy Walker
"God was on my side,"
Billy Walker said today.
"Else how can you explain my
being here -- and Patsy, Copas
and Hawk and Randy gone."
Walker, a Columbia recording
artist and member of the Grand
Ole Opry, was one of the
entertainers who appeared on
the benefit show the past said
the tall, hefty Texan. "I was not
scheduled to ride in the plane.
room for me in the four-seater.
So I went out and back on a
commercial flight. There was
some kidding about my size
and how I weighed too much
to get in the small ship. Ironic
isn't it that the final
appearances of Patsy, Hawk,
Copas and Randy would be for
commented Walker who lives
on Jasperson Drive in Madison
(a suburb of Nashville). Walker's
recent recent record hits have
been "Charlie's Shoes," "Willie
the Weeper" and "Funny How
Time Slips Away". "Sorta
prophetic titles, aren't they?"
he asked. Tday I'm fortunate
just to be Billy Walker.
"This terrible tragedy - and
my nearness to it - will haunt
me a long, long time."
The Tennessee House Of
Representatives stood for a
moment of silent tribute today
to the four Grand Ole Opry
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Southern Tribute
pages including
the plane crash
Patsy Cline's Plane Crash Memorial - Walkin After Midnight
Patsy Cline's Plane Crash Memorial outside Camden Tennessee.On this site March
5,1963 Patsy Cline,Cowboy Copas,Hawkshaw Hawkins and Randy Hughes lost their
lives in a plane crash.Walking After Midnight.
Patsy Cline's plane crash was on March 5, 1963. Cline's friend, Dottie West, offered a
ride to Cline. They were to travel from Kansas City, Kansas, to Nashville. West tried to
persuade Cline to ride in the car, believing it was safer. Cline was eager to return
home to her children and wanted to take her flight. She refused to ride with West.
Cline allegedly told West she was ready if it was her time to leave.
Patsy Cline's last call to her family member was to her mother. Cline went on a Piper
Comanche. Her manager, Randy Hughes, was the pilot. Two other performers were
on board. Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins were passengers on the plane.
Randy Hughes made a stopover in Dyersburg, Tennessee, to refuel the light plane.
winds and bad weather conditions. Hughes refused. Hughes said they were near their
destination.
The Piper Comanche flew into bad weather and crashed. Patsy Cline's plane crashed
at 6:20 pm as her broken watch indicated the time it was destroyed on impact. Cline's
plane crashed in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee. There were no survivors in
Patsy Cline's plane crash.
Patsy Cline
(born Virginia Patterson Hensley
in 1932 -- d. 1963) was a Country
enjoyed Pop music cross-over
Nashville Sound in the early
1960's. She became one of the in
1932 -- d. 1963) was a Country first
1932 -- d. 1963) was a Country
music/Pop music singer, who
enjoyed Pop music cross-over
success on the Pop charts. Since
success during the era of the her
death at the age of 30 in a 1963
plane crash during the height of
her fame, she has been
considered one of the most
influential and successful female
vocalists of the 20th Century. Her
life and career has been the
subject of numerous books,
movies, documentaries, articles
and stage plays. Influenced by
stars such as Judy Garland or Kay
Starr, Cline was best known for her
voice. Many artists over the years
have tried to re-create Cline's
sound. Her signature songs
include "Crazy", "I Fall to Pieces",
"She's Got You", "So Wrong" and
"Walkin' After Midnight". She has
sold millions of albums over the
past 50 years, which gave Patsy
Cline an iconic fan status, similar
to that of country artists like Johnny
Cash and Dolly Parton. In 1992,
the U.S. Postal Service honored
her, along with Hank Williams, on
a U.S. postage stamp. In 1995,
she was honored with a Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award, along
with Barbra Streisand and Peggy
Lee. And, in 1999, Patsy Cline was
honored with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Enjoy Patsy's great style!

Presents Live on Stage

Patsy Cline
Hank Williams
Loretta Lynn
Marty Robbins
Johnny Horton
Hank Thompson

Ryman Auditorium Nashville Tennessee
January 1, 1953 7:00 P.M. - Midnight
Admission $2.00 Free Parking


A New Years Day show at the Grand Ole Opry
Check out our Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash pages
www.SouthernTribute.com
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All this and more on the Tennessee Concerts website

www.TennesseeConcerts.com
Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins,
Randy Hughes remembered, 50 years after plane crash
See this article by Peter Cooper in the Tennessean Newspaper from March 3, 2013

http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2013/03/02/patsy-cline-cowboy-copas-
hawkshaw-hawkins-randy-hughes-remembered-50-years-after-plane-crash/