Ruckins ‘Bo’ McKneely Jr.; Amelia Earhart’s Airplane Mechanic

Ruckins “Bo” McKneely Jr., 89, airplane mechanic for flier Amelia Earhart. After McKneely and Earhart met in 1936, he became the main mechanic for her Lockheed Electra 10-E and was there when she took off from Miami on her final flight June 1, 1937. She disappeared in the Pacific while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world. McKneely discounted various theories about her disappearance, saying the plane probably crashed after running out of fuel. McKneely later worked briefly for Shell Oil and for 30 years with Lockheed Aircraft. On April 16 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.