James T. Chitwood saved Paul W. Saunders from burning, Jefferson City, Missouri, October 23, 1967. When his single-engine monoplane made a crash-landing in a plowed field, Saunders, 55, sales manager, was badly injured, but he moved to the rear of the cabin and tried without success to open its only door as flames broke out at the front of the aircraft. Chitwood, 48, road foreman of engines, ran to the airplane, where flames rose above the engine and also burned inside the cabin. He saw Saunders at a window alongside the door. Climbing onto the wing, which housed the fuel tanks, Chitwood found that the door was jammed. He secured a hold on the twisted edge of the door and pulled on it while Saunders pushed from inside. The door opened. Chitwood thrust his head and shoulders into the cabin, where heat was intense. Taking hold of Saunders, Chitwood pulled him out of the cabin and took him away from the burning airplane. Neither Saunders nor Chitwood sustained burns, and the former recovered from his injuries. 49902-5435
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