William Lloyd Durkin was a United States Marine master sergeant who was noted for rescuing Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...

 when the aviation pioneer's XF-11 reconnaissance plane crashed on July 7, 1946.

Personal life

William Durkin was born on April 30, 1916 in Oil City, Pennsylvania

Oil City, Pennsylvania

Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...

. After suffering a heart attack

Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...

, Durkin died in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...

 on April 29, 2006, the day before his 90th birthday.

Howard Hughes plane crash

Durkin rescued Howard Hughes who crashed on 7 July 1946 while piloting the experimental U.S. Army reconnaissance XF-11 over Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. An oil leak caused one of the counter-rotating propellers to stop, which made the aircraft yaw sharply. Hughes tried to land on the Los Angeles Country Club

Los Angeles Country Club

The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club in Los Angeles, California.- History :In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Angelenos organized a voluntary association to further the cause of one of Southern California's newest sports...

 golf course, but the plane dropped and crashed in the Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills, California

Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 neighborhood surrounding the country club.

The XF-11 hit three houses, before the fuel tanks exploded, setting fire to the aircraft and the third house. Hughes lay seriously injured beside the burning XF-11 until he was rescued by Durkin, who was in the area visiting James Guston, the son of Gosta B. Guston, a Swedish industrialist. Hughes sustained significant injuries in the crash; including a crushed collar bone, 24 broken ribs and numerous third-degree burns

Burn (injury)

A burn is a type of injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation or friction. Most burns affect only the skin . Rarely, deeper tissues, such as muscle, bone, and blood vessels can also be injured...

.