Editing Howard Hughes (section)

=====Near-fatal crash of the XF-11=====
[[File:1946-07-11 Hughes Plane Crash.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|1946 newsreel]]
Hughes was almost killed on July 7, 1946, while performing the first flight of the XF-11 near Hughes Airfield at [[Culver City, California]]. Hughes extended the test flight well beyond the 45-minute limit decreed by the USAAF, possibly distracted by [[landing gear]] retraction problems.{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=75–76}} An oil leak caused one of the contra-rotating propellers to reverse pitch, causing the aircraft to [[Yaw angle|yaw]] sharply and lose altitude rapidly. Hughes attempted to save the aircraft by landing it at the [[Los Angeles Country Club]] golf course, but just seconds before reaching the course, the XF-11 started to drop dramatically and crashed in the [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] neighborhood surrounding the country club.<ref>[http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/XF-11_crash_site.htm "Crash of the XF-11."] ''check-six.com''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref><ref>Parker 2013, pp. 50–51.</ref>

When the XF-11 finally came to a halt after destroying three houses, the fuel tanks exploded, setting fire to the aircraft and a nearby home at 808 Whittier Drive owned by Charles E. Meyer.<ref>Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 140.</ref> Hughes managed to pull himself out of the flaming wreckage but lay beside the aircraft until he was rescued by [[USMC|U.S. Marine Corps]] [[Master sergeant#United States|Master Sergeant]] William L. Durkin,<!--Do NOT wikilink Durkin – name has a redirect to this particular section.--> who happened to be in the area visiting friends.<ref>[http://www.sunjournal.com/node/127134 "William Durkin, Howard Hughes crash rescuer, dies."] ''Nation SunJournal'', May 1, 2006. Retrieved: July 4, 2013.</ref> Hughes sustained significant injuries in the crash, including a crushed [[collar bone]], multiple cracked ribs,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090216001747/http://theaviatorhh.com/xf-11.htm "Howard Hughes: XF-11."]}} ''UNLV Libraries' Howard Hughes Collection''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> crushed chest with collapsed left lung, shifting his heart to the right side of the chest cavity, and numerous third-degree [[burn (injury)|burns]].<ref name=oxupff>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NDBLAAAAIBAJ&pg=1594%2C4326272 |work= Oxnard Press-Courier |location=California |agency=United Press |title=Howard Hughes, millionaire airplane designer, fights for life |date=July 8, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=huinjc>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HlkVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3888%2C1974120 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Hughes injured in plane crash |date=July 8, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=ffflch>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZixWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4543%2C2174506 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Howard Hughes given "50–50" life chance |date=July 9, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=lipbyac>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NTBLAAAAIBAJ&pg=5713%2C4358206 |work=Oxnard Press-Courier |location=California |agency=United Press |title= Hughes puts life in peril by activity |date=July 9, 1946 |page=1}}</ref> An oft-told story said that Hughes sent a check to the Marine weekly for the remainder of his life as a sign of gratitude. Noah Dietrich asserted that Hughes did send Durkin $200 a month, but Durkin's daughter denied knowing that he received any money from Hughes.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|197}}<ref>[http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/05/02/william_durkin_rescued_howard_hughes_in_crash/ "William Durkin; rescued Howard Hughes in crash."]  ''Boston.com,'' May 2, 2006. Retrieved: January 17, 2012.</ref>

Despite his physical injuries, Hughes took pride that his mind was still working. As he lay in his hospital bed, he decided that he did not like the bed's design. He called in plant engineers to design a customized bed, equipped with hot and cold running water, built in six sections, and operated by 30 electric motors, with push-button adjustments.<ref>"Hughes Designs Hospital Bed." ''Associated Press'' wire article, August 14, 1946.</ref> Hughes designed the hospital bed specifically to alleviate the pain caused by moving with severe burn injuries. He never used the bed that he designed.<ref name="Barlett and Steele p. 143">Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 143.</ref> Hughes' doctors considered his recovery almost miraculous.

Many attribute his long-term dependence on [[opioid|opiates]] to his use of [[codeine]] as a painkiller during his convalescence.<ref name=PPM.Tennant>{{cite journal |first=Forest |last=Tennant |date=July–August 2007 |title= Howard Hughes & Pseudoaddiction |url=http://pain-topics.org/pdf/HowardHughesPseudoaddict.pdf |journal= Practical Pain Management |publisher= PPM Communications, Inc. |location=Montclair, New Jersey |volume=6 |issue=7 |pages=12–29 |access-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925191015/http://pain-topics.org/pdf/HowardHughesPseudoaddict.pdf |archive-date=September 25, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Yet Dietrich asserts that Hughes recovered the "hard way—no sleeping pills, no opiates of any kind".<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|195}} The trademark mustache he wore afterward hid a [[scar]] on his upper lip resulting from the accident.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Bill Schwartz (director) |title=Howard Hughes – The Real Aviator |medium=DVD |location=Los Angeles, California |publisher=[[Shout! Factory]] |date=2004}}</ref>