The Forgetful Pilot And His Bruised Passengers
Most airline pilots have checklists that go something like this: flaps set, fuel topped, doors secured. But not Captain Earl “Forgetful” Finley. Earl had a knack for skipping one step in particular: buttoning down the rear cargo door.
The incident was first noticed in Burnt Corn, Alabama. The Hicks family boarded Earl’s plane for what they thought would be a scenic hop to Birmingham. At takeoff, the nose lifted off the runway. The rear door gave way. The Hicks family scooted right out like biscuits from a greased pan. They landed unhurt on the asphalt, dazed but alive, while their suitcases rolled to a neat stop beside them. Earl circled back, tipped his cap out the cockpit window, and hollered:
“Y’all hold on better next time!”
Word of Earl’s absent-minded ways spread, but strangely enough, passengers kept buying tickets. His next mishap was in Turkey, Texas. Earl had agreed to carry a package to Pie Town, New Mexico. He also agreed to let a fellow named Harlan Sanders (no relation to the famous chicken man) ride along. At about 1,000 feet, Harlan and the packages slid right out the back. Earl didn’t even flinch. By then, he’d become so used to it he was strapping parachute windshirts onto the parcels. Sanders walked away dusty but unharmed, grumbling about never getting frequent flyer miles.
What began as chaos somehow turned into a spectacle. Passengers developed a knack for bracing themselves near anything bolted down. Earl’s flights became less about getting somewhere. They became more about the thrill of not falling out. Photographers started gathering at small airports, cameras ready to capture people and parcels tumbling skyward. Some passengers even leaned into the fame—hollering and waving as they slid into the blue.
Captain Earl never made it big with the airlines. Yet, he sure made history as the only pilot whose passengers packed harnesses, not snacks.
When asked why he never bothered to secure the back gate, Captain Earl’s answer was as confident as it was ridiculous:
“If I close that gate, the wind can’t blow straight through, and that drag slows me down. With it open, the air just zips right on out the back and keeps me flying faster. Shut it tight, and I’d lose two hours off my daily routes!”
By Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | 2025
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