Ronald L. Diehl, Jr.

Ronald L. Diehl, Jr. rescued Philip McPherson from burning, Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania, September 28, 2022. McPherson, 34, a flight instructor, and his trainee, 49, were inside a small plane which had crashed into a tree on private property next to a house shortly after takeoff from a nearby airport. The plane fell to the ground and ignited. One of the wings broke off on impact with the tree and remained stuck in its branches, while its ruptured fuel tank dripped fuel onto the burning wreck below, feeding the flames. Diehl, 47, carpenter, had just arrived to work at a house nearby and saw the crash from the driveway. He ran to the burning plane and, seeing McPherson’s foot sticking out of the mangled passenger compartment, pulled on it and freed McPherson from the wreckage. Diehl was not aware that a second person was in the plane. After dragging McPherson a few feet, the plane exploded, sending a fireball into the sky and hurling burning debris in all directions. One piece of sheet metal hit McPherson and burned him. Diehl kicked it away, then dragged McPherson about 60 feet to safety near the driveway of the home. Fearing his van might explode because of its proximity to the flames, he ran over and moved it out of the way. He then ran back to McPherson, who told him to save his student, who unbeknownst to Diehl, remained inside the plane. Diehl again moved to the cockpit of the wrecked plane and saw a body on fire strapped into a seat, but the heat was too intense and he had to back away. An ambulance arrived and took McPherson to the hospital. The coroner later determined the trainee had died upon impact with the tree. Diehl was not injured