It’s a mystery: What happened to Jerrold Potter?
A co-owner of a
"Jerry was an extremely nice person," said
As the plane was flying over
Schaive was the last person to see Potter alive, and his disappearance attracted news coverage from across the nation.
"The evidence overwhelmingly shows that
The evidence suggests that
Schaive told The Pantagraph at the time there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
The exit door also was near the plane's tail section and folded out into a flight of stairs for passengers to get on and off the plane. There was a latch handle on the door. An
It's assumed that Potter opened the door -- either voluntarily, believing it was the door to the restroom, or by leaning against it when the plane hit turbulence. It opened and he fell to his death.
Witnesses on board the plane reported the plane "shuddered" as if caught by a sudden wind gust. It caused no concern among the other passengers, according to Pantagraph news coverage at the time.
According to the
Bacus noticed the exit door was open and the pilots speculated that Potter may have been thrown against the door as the aircraft lurched, and when the safety chain broke, he fell out.
Potter's widow, who died in 1991 at the age of 81, told The Pantagraph weeks later that it took her some time to realize what had happened. She tried to go back to the open door, but the crew stopped her.
"There was nothing I could have gained from it," she said. "From the look in the stewardesses eyes, I knew he was gone."
A stewardess joined her as the plane headed for an emergency landing at the
Police and volunteers searched for Potter over thousands of rugged acres of forests and brush, but his body was never found.
In
"I happened to be in
"We were all wondering just what the hell happened," said
Indeed, a search on Google shows that many, including UFO conspiracy enthusiasts, have offered thoughts on what might have happened. Some wondered if Potter opened the door intentionally and jumped out, but there was no evidence to suggest his life was troubled.
A memorial service was held on
"I guess we are never going to know the answer of what happened," Cole said. "It's a fascinating mystery."
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