A Haunting Photo of Roger Miller at the Site of the Plane Crash That Killed Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas

A haunting photo of Roger Miller, a fellow country musician and friend of the victims, at the site of the plane crash that killed Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and pilot Randy Hughes in Camden, Tennessee, the evening before on March 5, 1963. Miller is standing near the wreckage, looking down at some of Hawkins’ belongings, including a boot and a guitar case with the name “HAWKSHAW HAWKINS” on it.

Miller and a friend went searching for survivors in the early hours of the morning: “As fast as I could, I ran through the woods screaming their names—through the brush and the trees, and I came up over this little rise, oh, my God, there they were. It was ghastly. The plane had crashed nose down.”

Not long after the bodies were removed, scavengers came to take what they could of the stars’ personal belongings and pieces of the plane. Many of these items were later donated to The Country Music Hall of Fame.

Around 2 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 1963, the Piper Comanche, piloted by Randy Hughes, departed Fairfax Municipal Airport in Kansas City, Kansas. It was operating as an unscheduled cross-country passenger flight under visual flight rules (VFR) to its destination of Nashville, 411 nautical miles (761 km; 473 mi) to the southeast. Later that afternoon, the aircraft landed to refuel at Rogers Municipal Airport in Rogers, Arkansas, and departed 15 minutes later.

Hughes later made contact with Dyersburg Regional Airport in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and landed there at 5:05 pm, where he requested a weather briefing for the remainder of the flight to Nashville. He was informed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee Leroy Neal that local conditions were marginal for VFR flight and weather at the destination airport was below VFR minima. Hughes then asked if the Dyersburg runways were lit at night in case he had to return and Neal replied that they were. Hughes then informed Neal he would fly east towards the Tennessee River and navigate to Nashville from there, as he was familiar with the terrain in that area. He expressed concern about a 2,049-foot (625 m) high television transmitting tower north of Nashville, then stated that he would attempt the flight and return if the weather conditions worsened.

After refueling, the passengers and pilot reboarded the Piper Comanche. Hughes requested another weather briefing by radio, then taxied into position and took off at 6:07 pm. After takeoff, no further radio contact was made with N7000P. The reported weather at that time was a ceiling of 500 feet (150 m), visibility of 5 miles (8.0 km), temperature of 43 °F (6 °C), gusty and turbulent wind from the east at 20 miles per hour (17 kn), and cloudy. A short time later, an aviation-qualified witness, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Camden, heard a low-flying aircraft on a northerly course. The engine noise increased and seconds later a white light appeared from the overcast, descending in a 45° angle.

At 6:29 pm, the aircraft crashed into a wooded, swampy area 1 mile (1.6 km) north of U.S. Route 70 and 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Camden. The aircraft was destroyed on impact and all four occupants were killed. The witness described hearing a dull-sounding crash, followed by complete silence.

Investigators concluded that the primary cause of the crash was pilot error. Specifically, Randy Hughes’s decision to operate the aircraft under VFR in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) – essentially, flying by sight in weather that required instrument flying skills.

Hughes likely experienced spatial disorientation due to the low visibility, leading to a “graveyard spiral” (a disorienting descent). When the aircraft cleared the clouds, he attempted to pull up and apply full power, but it was too late to recover.

The wreckage was discovered early the following morning, March 6, 1963, after an all-night search. All four occupants were killed instantly. The tragic loss sent shockwaves through the country music community and beyond, leaving an indelible mark on the history of American music. A memorial now stands at the crash site in Camden, Tennessee, honoring the lives of these country music legends.