1963 Camden PA-24 crash
A Piper PA-24 Comanche, similar to the aircraft involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 5, 1963 |
| Summary | Pilot error leading to spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control |
| Site | Camden, Tennessee, United States 36°03′44″N 88°09′38″W / 36.06222°N 88.16056°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-24-250 Comanche |
| Registration | N7000P |
| Flight origin | Kansas City, Kansas |
| Destination | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Occupants | 4 |
| Passengers | 3 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On March 5, 1963, the American country music performers Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley), Harold Franklin "Hawkshaw" Hawkins, Lloyd Estel "Cowboy" Copas, and pilot Ramsey Dorris "Randy" Hughes were killed in an airplane crash near Camden, Tennessee, United States. Mr. Hughes was also Cline's manager and Copas' son-in-law. The accident occurred as the four occupants were returning home to Nashville, Tennessee, after performing in Kansas City, Kansas.
Shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop, Hughes lost control of the small Piper PA-24 Comanche while flying in low-visibility conditions, and 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 in instrument meteorological conditions.