Talk:American Airpower Heritage Museum/@comment-173.224.9.44-20160802040616

Would anyone know if there are any photos of a crash site south of Kingsville on Hwy 77 and north of Raymondville but closer to Kingsville than Raymondville whre Llyod Nolan crashed his Bearcat on the west side of Highway 77 after running out of fuel. He tried to land on the highway, as we saw him come across from the east and head south over a rise in the landscape as we traveled south and disappear. We saw a car heading our way but saw no plane. We knew he was there somewhere, so we slowed down and started looking off the highwaya for him. Then we saw a wheel strut sticking up out of the grass where an old railroad used to be long since removed. We pulled over, and started running for the upside down plane. Having awoken more than once in a nightmare as a young boy, I ran back to my van to get my tire tool which I did in my dreams to break the pilot our of a plane's cockpit. When we got to the site about 200 feet off the highway, we could hear something whinining. Llyod was able to answer when we asked him what that was. It was the fuel pump, and he turned if off. One wing was broken off on landing and his cockpit was buried in the sand. There was no fuel in the air, so we were releived at that. We started digging under the cockpit while some of us started figuring a way to tilt the plane up, so we could lower him out of the cockpit and get him out of there. A number of cars were stopping on the highway, and many ran to see what was going on. I organized a large group of them to help lift the intact wing, so I could place an old railroad tie underneath. We did that, and by then, with the help of the tire tool, got Llyod out of the plane. It was probably 20 min from the time we got there to the time we removed him. He was upside down all that time. While we were working on the plane lifting it, a passerby was running around taking photos of the whole thing with a 35 MM camera. I sure wish I could see those pictures. If anyone knows of them, please contact me at 830-278-4121 in Uvalde, Texas. It was very fortunate we saw Llyod fly across the sky in front of us, or the plane was so well covered where it landed upside down, it is doubtful anyone may have seen him. I am thankful to this day we were where we were when we say the plane over the horizon. I guess it was fate, because in the late 50's, I was playing out in the yard when a beautiful Hellcat flew over out of no where and then a Bearcat (same one probably), and then I think another Bearcat, and a P51 Mustang as well. I am not certain, but to this day, I can clearly see a Corsiar as well having flown over my house on the way to land at Corpus Christi airport back in the day when TTA, the later day Continental Airlines,flew into Corpus Christi. I think it was my destiny to meet Llyod Nolan in person in the seventies to halp get him out of that upside down plane. I am sure he was in one of those planes that flew over my house in late 50s or early 60s.