William Durkin, 90; Rescued Howard Hughes in Air Wreck
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William Durkin, the Marine who pulled Howard Hughes from the wreckage of a plane he had been test-piloting over Beverly Hills, died Saturday in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 89.
Durkin was on his way to meet a date on July 7, 1946, when he saw the fiery wreckage of Hughes’ XF-11 reconnaissance plane and rescued the eccentric billionaire. Hughes was burned on 78% of his body and mangled from his forehead to below his knees. He hovered near death days later, but rallied to fly again.
Less than a year later, Hughes climbed back into an XF-11 cockpit, a “twin” of the crashed plane, for a successful test flight.
Despite rumors that Durkin received a generous reward from the aviation giant, his daughter said he refused to take any money from Hughes, who died in 1976.
William Lloyd Durkin was born on April 30, 1916, in Oil City, Pa. He retired with the rank of captain, his daughter said.
After serving in the Marines, Durkin worked in the food and beverage industry, his daughter said.
He retired in Palm Springs, Calif.
