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It is, of course, possible to conceive of a variety of occurrences by which both pilots would have been disabled at the same time. However, the only possibilities that seem to justify discussion in the light of the present record are the effects of a lightning strike, fire, sabotage, or turbulent air. These four subject matters and their relationship to the flight crew will be discussed hereinafter.
Fire
Consideration was also given to the possibility that fire might have occurred prior to impact and contributed in some way to the accident because there were evidences of fire on many parts of the airplane, pieces of burnt paper were found behind the scene of the accident, and Mrs. Jacobs testified that she saw a blue looking flame in the air. From the evidence, it is clear that immediately following the impact the fuel tanks broke open and gasoline was sprayed over a wide area. Mrs. Jacobs and Mrs. Thompson testified that at the moment of impact there was a violent flash of fire. Mrs. Thompson stated that immediately after the impact, she saw fire rolling across the alfalfa and corn fields forward of the point at which the airplane struck. No witness, other than Mrs. Jacobs and Garland Jacobs, testified that he saw fire in the air. Carrol McGaha and his son, who testified that they saw the airplane go down, noticed neither fire nor smoke.
It is conceivable that an explosion took place upon impact due to the large amount of gasoline which was being carried and the fact that fire was seen. Such an explosion might have contributed to the disintegration of the fuselage and resulted in a blast of sufficient intensity to carry pieces of the airplane high into the air. The wide dispersion of the gasoline following impact and the intensity of the rain which was falling at that time would
