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I was in the Navy in 1953 stationed in Alameda California. It was a major air base at the time. There was a lagoon (man made) off of San Francisco Bay, where we had the Martin Mars based. Larges sea planes in the world. 185 ft long, 200 ft wingspan, and two stories high inside. Upper deck was deluxe passenger seating for VIPS and lower level part cargo and part passengers. I was Air Terminal Chief of the Port Section (port and starboard sections, alternating 24 hour duty). I was in charge of the terminal including all cargo, and passengers, plus in charge of the Orderlies (flight stewards) when they were not flying. I got to go to Hawaii as route check on the orderlies once a month. Fly over one night, and fly back the next night. As soon as had the passengers settled down, I had a full size bunk so I could sleep all night and only get up to watch the orderlies serving breakfast. This way I got flight skins (1/2 my regular pay), as a bonus for doing the job I did.
One night we had a full passenger load of new Airforce pilots on the way to Korea. I woke up and need to use the head (bathroom) and as I was passing by the passengers, one young pilot stopped me and asked, "How long before we crash?".
The plane had shut down one engine and he was scarred to death. Knew we could get to our destination on 3 engines so I was not worried. As I passed by the opening to the wing, a mechanic that was crawling out, and he signaled the pilot to restart the engine, which he did. He handed me the spark plug when I asked for it, and I took out and gave that hot plug to that young pilot as a souvenir and told him it was just a fouled plug and the mechanic had gone out and changed it. By the next morning as I entered that compartment I heard him showing the spark plug to the other pilots. They were looking out and saw a safety line on the top of the wing to keep a mechanic that was servicing the plane from sliding off the wing. That young pilot was telling them he watched that mechanic out there crawling along that line and how he changed the plug while the plane was flying. Some of the most respectful pilots for admiring Navy mechanics and all saying none of the air force pilots would do anything like that. I was not about to tell them, that there was a big tunnel in the wing the mechanic had crawled out to the engine, changed the plug inside the wing, and crawled back. I let another branch rivalry won by the Navy take form that night. Those young pilots were really frightened when that engine shut down, and were ready to believe anything.
This is the plane. It is the single tail plane, and when it was painted red and white, was after the navy sold it to use in Canada as water bombers. They would land on the lake, open the scoop fill it up while they taxied back up to speed to take off.
This passenger plane had to do an emergency landing after a big "boom" and flames coming out of it.
I think I would have had a heart attack right then and there. I hate flying. I witnessed a small plane crash as a child. Unfortunately, I have to do it for work.
Your comment reminds me of a time when as a child, I was flying on a C-118 (DC-6). We were out of Asmara (then in Ethiopia), flying back to home, when the inboard starboard engine started misbehaving in a most massive way. Misfiring, vibration, lots of black smoke.
The General went to the cockpit to find out what was wrong and came back to the cabin to announce we were returning to Asmara. Almost all of us were military and brats, so all was taken in stride and I was glad to have more time off from school.
Almost all of us.......there was a civilian on board (maybe more than one, I don't recall) and I overheard later people talking, saying that someone should have talked to him.....because he was having a real panic attack about the incident.
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