Country singer Patsy Cline, 30, and three others killed in plane crash near Camden, Tennessee 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 5 1963)


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(Tuesday, March 5, 1963, 6:20 p.m. CST) — Country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins, along with pilot Randy Hughes (Cline’s manager), were killed tonight when their small plane crashed near Camden, Tennessee, as they were returning to Nashville following a benefit concert in Kansas City, Kansas.

Shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop, pilot Hughes 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.


Video: 'Patsy Cline Crazy Full Documentary'

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

Cline, who was 30 when she died, is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music.

She had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart. Her biggest hit on the pop Hot 100 singles chart was “Crazy,” which peaked at #9 in 1961.