Was scheduled to be on the return flight from Kansas City to Nashville
along with
Patsy Cline,
Cowboy Copas, and Randy Hughes (after a concert) on
March 5, 1963, but received an urgent message to return home. Hawkshaw
Hawkins gave him a ticket he had purchased for a commercial flight that
would return to Nashville earlier. Hawkshaw told him, "Just tell them
you're Hawkshaw Hawkins". The Patsy Cline flight of course crashed,
killing all four passengers, including Hawkins. Billy was both
devastated and haunted for many years afterward.