March 5, 1963: Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins die in a plane crash in Tennessee

[mahatmakanejeeves]

On This Day ... 1963 – Country music stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were killed when their Piper PA-24 Comanche crashed shortly after takeoff in Camden, Tennessee, U.S.

1963 Camden PA-24 crash

On March 5, 1963, country music stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were killed in an airplane crash near Camden, Tennessee, United States, along with the pilot Randy Hughes. The accident occurred as the three artists were returning home to Nashville, Tennessee, after performing in Kansas City, Missouri.

Shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop, the pilot lost control of the small Piper PA-24 Comanche while flying in low visibility conditions, and subsequently crashed into a wooded area, leaving no survivors.

Investigators concluded that the crash was caused by the non-instrument rated pilot's decision to operate under visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

[democratisphere]

1. Patsy Cline's music is some of my most favorite. What a tragic loss.

[montana_hazeleyes]

2. I just love Patsy Cline songs.

Damn, we have lost so many wonderful entertainers to these crashes.

[pressbox69]

3. Why can't I forget you and start my life anew

[Maggiemayhem]

4. I remember that day. We were visiting my parents friends when it came on radio.

You remember when adults cry like when Kennedy was shot. My parents knew Patsy Cline . Bill Peer was my Dads first cousin through my grandmother and they used to have fun going to see them play at the Brunswick Maryland Moose and other venues. My Grandfather had a car dealership and garage and Patsy and Bill had jam sessions there.Very vivid childhood memory of the day she and the others passed.

[Miles Archer]

5. I grew up in a home filled with the sounds of all three performers.

Everybody who was anybody in the Grand Ole Opry...that was the soundtrack of my youth, until I discovered my own music around age 10.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. I got a head start on the anniversary a month ago, on February 2.

Yes, you are correct. 02-03-1959 was the date of the crash. The show was the night before.

This should be right up your alley:

Now is a good time to link to those videos again.

Wait -- wait -- this!

This is my favorite Patsy Cline video:

Here's The Porter Wagoner Show Full Episode 1º (Guest Hawkshaw Hawkins) 1961. Let's start it when Porter Wagoner starts to introduce Hawkshaw Hawkins:

?t=180

[Upthevibe]

7. She has a voice that

is so special. I didn't discover her until I was around 30.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. LTTE, the Winchester Star

Letters to the editor

Mar 5, 2018 Updated 13 hrs ago

55 years and still going strong

As the years go by since she passed, Patsy Cline, who died in a plane crash 55 years ago today, is still selling records and is still known throughout the world.

Her album, “Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits,” is selling one million copies a year!

Be reminded that the Patsy Cline Museum opened in downtown Nashville last year. Daily, several hundred people go through; all are overwhelmed by the great appearance of the exhibit and the many personal items on display. (Note: Winchester is mentioned several times.)

Also, the Patsy Cline Historic House on South Kent Street is one of Winchester’s most visited homes on any local tour. At one time, the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor’s Bureau would say that the two No. 1 reasons people came to Winchester were for the Civil War and Patsy Cline.

On a great note to end this letter: Thank you, Winchester, Handley High School, Russ Potts and staff, and all concerned for the honor of naming Handley’s auditorium The Patsy Cline Theater.

Rediscover the brilliance of Patsy Cline through her recordings.

Mel Dick

Winchester

John Handley High School

John Handley High School is an endowed public high school located in the city of Winchester, Virginia. It was founded by a grant from Judge John Handley, hence the school mascot, the Judges. Construction on Handley High School started in 1922, and continues to the present day. Recently, the school completed the final phase of its multimillion-dollar renovation with the addition of an 8-lane track and a turf football field. The school is planning renovations to its tennis courts in the upcoming years, due in part to the girls' three-peat state champions. In 1998, Handley was placed on the list of the National Register of Historic Places.

The Patsy Cline Museum, Nashville

Celebrating Patsy Cline, Winchester

[Tikki]

9. My mother claimed not to know anything about Country music, but we were in the car when.....

we heard about Patsy Cline and all’s death. She pulled over in a turnout and cried.
She rarely ever cried.

I believe she must have been attached to one or two of Miss Cline’s songs she heard on the radio.

Tikki