"John Keeney" wrote:

Some of the details in this don't exactly gel together:
"plane crashed about 10 miles from [where]... parachute landed",
"plowing a quarter mile [from the crash site]",
"watched the pilot come down",
"just got there when the pilot walked over to me."

OK, the pilot ejects and comes down ten miles from the crash
site but is watched coming down by someone a quarter mile
from the crash site. This person, a quarter mile from the crash,
runs to the site and meets the pilot who gets there at about the
same time or even a little before. Granted running through
swamps is slow business but don't you suspect the parachute
came down a tad closer to the plane than ten miles?

Several radio (and maybe television?) also reported that the
pilot (e.g: Dad) was killed. What can I say...it's just an old press
clipping written by some ink-stained wretch back in the 50's.
I can tell ya without a doubt that the the chute (and the helmet/mask
he was wearing when he ejected) was always a big hit with my
young friends around the neighborhood. Dangerous, too. When
that huge orange and white nylon canopy opened up in a stiff breeze
whichever kid happened to be attached to the shroud lines at
the other end was in for the ride/flight of his life!