Speaking of TV helicopter crashes, exactly thirty years ago today, Francis Gary Powers fell from the sky for the second time. The first time was on May 1st, 1960, when the U-2 spy plane he was piloting [previously on MeFi] was shot down over Soviet Russia, a major international incident and one that many never forgave him for surviving. Years later, he was pilot/reporter of L.A. TV's "Original Telecopter", and returning from a long trip covering brush fies in Santa Barbara, the chopper ran out of fuel. Some (including me) say he might have survived if he hadn't made last-second maneuvers to avoid people on the ground. He is remembered.
posted by wendell on Aug 1, 2007 - 22 comments