It’s a mystery: What happened to Jerrold Potter?

June 28--PONTIAC -- After 50 years, no one knows exactly what happened to Jerrold Potter, a Pontiac native who seemed to have everything going for him on June 28, 1968.

A co-owner of a Pontiac insurance business with his brother, George, Jerrold Potter was a five-year member of the Pontiac City Council and was traveling with his wife, Carrie, and several friends to a national Lion's Club convention in Dallas.

"Jerry was an extremely nice person," said Pontiac businessman Frank Panno, who retired last year after serving on the council for 56 years, which coincided with Potter's term. "He had a great personality and was great to work with."

As the plane was flying over Rolla, Mo., Potter excused himself to go to the restroom toward the tail section of the DC-3. On his way, he talked with James Schaive, president of the Lion's Club in Ottawa.

Schaive was the last person to see Potter alive, and his disappearance attracted news coverage from across the nation.

"The evidence overwhelmingly shows that Mr. Potter is dead," The Pantagraph wrote nine years later. "The only evidence lacking is Mr. Potter," whose body was never found.

The evidence suggests that June 28 was a beautiful day for flying. The DC-3, owned by Purdue Aviation Corp. of Lafayette, Ind., left Kankakee that morning with 23 passengers and was cruising at about 8,000 feet over a heavily wooded section of southwest Missouri.

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 FAA investigation revealed a chain that is supposed to hold the door shut, even if the handle was turned, was found broken on the floor.

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.

Carrie Potter grew nervous when her husband didn't return to his seat. A stewardess checked the restroom. The pilot, Miguel Cabeza, noticed that one of the red "Door Open" warning signs was flashing. Co-pilot Roy Bacus checked the emergency doors and talked with a stewardess.

According to the FAA investigation, the stewardess appeared frightened and told the pilot, "I think a passenger is missing. A Mr. Potter. He isn't there now. No one has seen him."

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 Springfield, Mo., airport, where the plane made a crippled, but successful landing. FAA officials immediately secured the plane.

Police and volunteers searched for Potter over thousands of rugged acres of forests and brush, but his body was never found. Carrie Potter asked the search to be called off after four days because it was putting others in danger.

In Pontiac, word spread quickly.

"I happened to be in Springfield when I got a phone call," said Panno. "It was quite a shock. It was strange to go to a council meeting and see his seat vacant. You expected him to just show up."

"We were all wondering just what the hell happened," said Bill Cole, another longtime Pontiac resident. "It seemed like it was an accident. But they never found any pieces of him and that just added to the mystery."

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 July 8, 1968, and Carrie Potter later sued Purdue Aviation Corp for $800,000, eventually settling for $80,000, much of which went toward attorney fees and other expenses.

"I guess we are never going to know the answer of what happened," Cole said. "It's a fascinating mystery."

Contact Kevin Barlow at (309) 820-3238. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_barlow

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