ON March 5, 1963, a horrible plane crash killed country superstar Patsy Cline and fellow artists Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas.
Cline was just 30 years old at the time of her untimely passing.
Who was Patsy Cline?
Born on September 8, 1932, in Winchester, Virginia, Virginia Patterson Hensley, more popularly known as Patsy Cline, was an American singer dubbed as the most popular female country singer in recording history.
She was also the first solo female artist to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Her hits include Crazy, I Fall to Pieces, and Sweet Dreams (Of You).
Cline was married twice, first to Gerard Cline and then to Charlie Dick. She and Dick share two children together: Julie and Randy.
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Before her tragic death, Cline, along with her brother Sam Hensley, Jr., were involved in a car accident that nearly ended her career.
She sustained multiple injuries, including a broken wrist, a dislocated hip, and a huge laceration across her face.
Many thought that she was not going to survive, but just six weeks after the accident, she returned on stage at the Cimarron Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Who was on the plane when it crashed?
Cline was with her fellow country artists Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas, as well as pilot Randy Hughes during the crash.
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Hughes was also Cline's manager.
He was reportedly a new pilot who bought his own aircraft to transport his clients.
They were bound for Nashville, Tennesee from from Kansas City, Kansas, where the trio performed at a benefit event.
The plane ended up crashing in a forest outside of Camden, Tennessee.
There were no survivors.
What caused the plane to crash?
According to reports, the plane transporting Cline crashed because of the pilot's inexperience.
The plane made a pit stop in Dyersburg, Tennessee before it crashed to refuel, and at the time, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) informed Hughes that there was low visibility on their way to Nashville due to inclement weather.
Hughes, who did not have an instrument rating and therefore could not fly during low visibility situations, decided to continue anyway and told the FAA that he would turn the plane around if the weather got worse.
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A little over 20 minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed.
The FAA concluded that the pilot lost control of the aircraft because of the weather conditions, resulting in the tragedy.
