Just Eight Miles Short of the Landing Strip
The pilots would have to make an emergency landing. As it turns out, McCreary and Gray were fully aware of the fuel shortage before taking off. There is speculation as to why the second engine ultimately failed. Some blame it on the age and poor design of the plane. However, it’s believed that the two possibly inebriated pilots were trying to transfer oil from one engine to the next when they accidentally dumped the fuel instead.
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This costly mistake at 9,000ft above the earth was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Losing daylight, the pilots desperately searched for an open field or something that could be their saving grace. Just a few hundred yards short of the airstrip, as the treetops were approaching fast, the plane was headed for a Mississippi swamp.