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Following the collision, Curtiss Adams, the radarman aboard the eastbound twin-engine F-89J Scorpion, was able to bail out of the stricken fighter jet and, despite incurring serious burns, parachuted to a landing on a garage roof in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], breaking his leg when he fell to the ground. The fighter jet's pilot, Roland E. Owen, died when the aircraft plummeted in flames into La Tuna Canyon in the [[Verdugo Mountains]].<ref name="SA-323" />
The DC-7B, with a portion of its left wing sheared off, remained airborne for a few minutes then rolled to the left and began an uncontrollable, spiraling, high-velocity dive earthward. In doing so, it began raining debris onto the Pacoima neighborhoods below as the aircraft began to break apart. Seconds later, part of the hurtling wreckage slammed onto the grounds of the Pacoima Congregational Church, killing all four Douglas crewmen aboard while the major portions fell onto the adjacent playground of [[Pacoima Middle School|Pacoima Junior High School]]. On the school playground, where 220 boys were ending their outdoor athletic activities, the wreckage broke upon impact into numerous pieces and intense fires began due to the aircraft's fuel and oil. Distinct craters were made in the playground by each of the four engines as well as the main center fuselage section. Two students were struck and killed by this wreckage and debris. A third gravely injured student died two days later in a local hospital. An estimated number
The collision was blamed on pilot error and the failure of both aircraft crews to exercise proper [[visual flight rules|“see and avoid” procedures]] regarding other aircraft while operating under [[visual flight rules]] (VFR). The crash also prompted the [[Civil Aeronautics Authority|Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) to set restrictions on all aircraft test flights, both military and civilian, requiring that they be made over open water or specifically approved sparsely populated areas.<ref name="SA-323" />
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