Black, Earl G., AEC

MESA AIR CRASH KILLS SIX. Mesa, Ariz. (AP) -- Investigators were attempting today to determine the cause of a crash of a four-engine plane enroute to Canada which crashed killing all six men aboard. The lockheed constellation crashed about 8 miles after takeoff from Mesa , all four engines failed due to overheating and seized .
The green-striped aircraft barely missed a playground, hit a tree with a tree-house where children had just been playing at Sunshine Acres Children’s Home and belly-landed in open, rocky desert.

Witnesses said it exploded 4 or 5 times after it hit the ground. The Super Connie had been converted by Helitec Corp/Aircraft Specialties into a crop duster/fire fighter. It was fully loaded with 3,500 gallons of fuel for a ferry flight to Canada via Kansas City. The plane was seen trailing black smoke as it took off. The pilot declared an emergency and attempted to circle back to Falcon Field for an emergency landing on the same runway he had taken off from following (first) the failure of the left inboard engine (the prop was feathered already at this point), but he was too low. He lost power on all four engines. The airplane was engulfed in flames when it impacted and the fire extended far out in front of the ship. It is believed the pilot deliberately attempted to avoid going down in a large trailer park east of the airport.

A witness stated, “…I could see the plane clearly. It was about 75 feet up. I could see a man in the cockpit working and the motor on the left was on fire. The pilot kept the nose up and the tail hit the ground first then the whole plane exploded.”

Firemen at the scene stated that all 6 crewmen appeared to have survived the crash landing. At least one made it out of the wreck but could not escape the flames. Others died trying to get out of the front of the plane. The pilot was the only one still strapped into his seat, burned beyond recognition. One crewmember was curled up in a ball behind the melted cockpit after being unable to face the intense heat all around him.

Killed on board were the following crew members:
Alan Moseley, pilot, of Litchfield Park, Arizona
Harold Julien, co-pilot, of Tempe, Arizona
Charles Lynn Jr., flight engineer, of Long Beach, California
Basil Baker, mechanic, of Peoria, Arizona
***Earl Black, mechanic, of Chandler, Arizona***
Sam Frasier, alternate co-pilot, of Glendale, Arizona