Instead, he would witness the first jumbo jet crash in U.S. history. I don't recall any large scorched patches of saw grass, but I remember a few small burned areas. Marquis waved his headlamp in circles, guiding the pilots to the crash. Silvia Crespo 11/30/32 The TriStar's port outer wing structure struck the ground first, followed by the number1 engine and the port main undercarriage. The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV Movie 1978) - IMDb | On Dec. 29, 1972, Eastern Flight 401 from New York to Miami took off from JFK Airport at 9:20 pm. Barbara Ann Saal So far, the Board of Directors of the Curtiss Mansion has graciously given their approval to place the Eastern Airlines Flight 401 Memorial on it's grounds. Unfortunately it did so as a scattered wreck over the marshes of Florida's Everglades. Some still feel the pain. I especially remember Bill describing passengers who apparently survived the crash impact, but were knocked unconscious and were still strapped into their seats. Braulio Corretjer 1/5/28 Eastern management must have taken the stories somewhat seriously, however. My log book shows that our flight lasted 1.2 hours. His right arm was badly hurt. In the narrow beam of his head lamp he now saw enormous strips of torn metal. It didn't light. Eduardo Jaramillo 8/2/32 His 1977 book, Crash, tells the story of many of the passengers, the investigation and aftermath of Flight 401. Picture that in your mind. It was closing in on midnight on Dec. 29, 1972. The bent, white-haired man in the mirror has a bad heart and breathes from an oxygen machine, hasn't been frogging in a coon's age, and hasn't been in his airboat since, well, he can't remember. Ronald Jaye March 27, 1940 Darrylle Becker 3/16/43 (The club is still in existence at the Opa locka Airport, but it was relocated to a different site on the field years ago.) The captain and his first and second officers had every reason to feel good and confident about flying this particular ship. They even made cheesy movie about it. These and other requirements are imposed for the purpose of meeting the collective objectives of the Aviation and [5]:4 The engineer (Repo) had gone below, and no indication was heard of the pilots' voices recorded on the CVR that they heard the chime. Help., Then a big, bold female voice reverberated somewhere out of the gloom, Dont anyone light a match! A few minutes later, If you can hear my voice, come to me! Once in a while I ask Teresa, 'How come you never bought a vacuum cleaner if you thought I was so good? Hey!" Work toward erecting a permanent memorial for Flight 401 at the Curtiss Mansion in Miami continues under the leadership of survivors Ron Infantino and Beverly Raposa. I'd be able to do the right thing today.". It's broken, just like him. His wife Nancy - they married when she was 15 - could always tell when it was on his mind, though. Leonhard hit the gas as he toggled on the blue light and siren. I was coping with someone who was disabled. Donadeo is still active in aviation, as state vice commander of the Civil Air Patrol. Susan Deutsch 10/21/42 James Hall, Flight Operations and Safety, Miami office, had the task of notifying all the families of the crash victims. Please dont leave me! Infantino yelled. Suddenly, he stopped. And before I had time to even let off the throttle or do anything else, I ran over those two people, who I knew were both dead. An alligator was spotted by a news crew in a helicopter next to the wreckage of a small airplane crash in the Florida Everglades devouring the victim's body.. Anne Ponte 1/7/16 The underside of the L1011 was reflecting the ground lighting from the airport and the surrounding city which made it easy to identify the aircraft type although we couldn't identify the airline. I probably did too, I'm sure." The experienced flight crew was distracted when the landing gear light failed to come on, which they believed was caused by a blown bulb. [8], In all, 75 survived the crash67 of the 163 passengers and eight of the 10 flight attendants. He'd cruise up on the frog, spear the frog with the 3-pronged gig, knock the frog off the gig into a sack, all the while moving forward in the airboat while getting ready to gig another frog. When she came to, she was still belted into her seat, tipped to one side, hanging six feet above the swamp. While the Flight Crew tried to troubleshoot the faulty indicator, the steering yoke was accidentally nudged, causing a function of the autopilot to begin a . The powers-that-be want them to . Lucille Cilles 1/30/24 A Web forum, Southern Airboat, which attracts thousands of worldwide participants, plans to take care of the repairs. The crash was featured in season five of the Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series Mayday, in a 2009 episode called "Fatal Distraction".[9]. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 left New York's JFK airport, bound for Miami International Airport, on December 29, 1972. The night was a balmy 72 degrees, the mosquitoes surprisingly sparse. Raposa sensed a different tone in the engines. He saw openings in the sawgrass created by sliding chunks of broken airplane. Bud waved his light until the helicopter took notice. He had scarcely recovered from a bad auto accident when 401 crashed. The warden noted nothing of interest. Jorge Gonzalez 1/16/38 He put his arm around her, and they began slogging through knee-deep muck and water. "The three of us toast to life on that day every year.". He was 79. Flight 401 - Flight Log | Jose Carrasquillo 6/28/40 Julia Lustig 5/30/25 It was a routine trip for Flight 401 until 11:32 p.m. when the plane began its approach to Miami International Airport, and an indicator light for the nose landing gear had not lit up. That simple piece of plastic represents a tie between me and what happened to the passengers and crew on Flight 401 on December 29, 1972. Flight 401 - Survivors and those who were lost Definition: A listing of those who survived and those who were lost. Thomas Ponte 10/24/11 On December 3rd 2007, survivors of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 gathered at the Metro-Dade Firefighters' Memorial Building in Miami to honor Robert "Bud" Marquis, and to remember those who lost their lives in the crash nearly 35 years ago. I had initially intended to fly a little above 2,000 feet to avoid the restrictions, but I ended up closer to 3,000 feet to avoid the other aircraft. "I'm going to send some flowers to Miami and have them put on the grave of my first wife," said Ronald Infantino, who lost his bride of 20 days in the crash. "We consider it the day our second life began," Christina Casado-Acorn, said of Dec. 29, 1972. itinerary data, aircraft/flight or vessel/ voyage data, and personal identification information, including name, gender, date of birth, citizenship, travel document data, and status onboard the vessel or aircraft. By 1 a.m., the rookie warden had launched his airboat. In short, it was a great place to eat (we used to have outstanding club Bar-B-Q, talk airplanes, perform minor maintenance and fly planes. I don't remember the take-off or the landing that day, but I vividly remember the meteorological conditions and the crash site. Frank Borman And Flight 401 #2505745 BY NIKV69 - Fri Feb 20, 2004 11:17 am Being a child from an Eastern Air Lines family I am shocked that my father never told me that Frank Borman who at the time was a new VP of EAL rushed to the scene of the crash of flight 401 in the Everglades in December of 72'. Anyway, the pilots couldn't tell if the wheels were down. The television movie The Ghost of Flight 401, which was broadcast on NBC during February 1978, offers a fictionalized depiction of the crash and alleged ghost sightings. "The temperature is in the low 70s, and it's beautiful out there tonight." On the night of December 29th, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 took off from New York and headed towards Miami, Florida. On December 29, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls. He needed a respiratory therapist -- who, it turned out, needed him, too. It would be hard to make up a plausible story like Ronald Infantino's -- too sad, too joyful. One hundred and three lives were lost. His friend, of course, envisioned a Piper Cub or something small going down in a summer thunderstorm, not a state-of-the-art L-1011 carrying 200 passengers on a perfect winter night. Ann Connell, Barry Connell, Angelo Donadeo, Patricia R Georgia, Adrianne Ann Hamilton, Jennifer Larsen, Thomas Mulcahy, Mercedes V Ruiz, Beverly Jean Raposa, Trudy J Smith, Sue F. Tibbs, Sharon R Transue, Dorothy M Warnock. ValuJet Flight 592 was a domestic passenger flight between Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, and William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia that crashed into the Everglades on May 11, 1996 as a result of a fire in the cargo compartment caused by improperly stored cargo, killing all 110 people on board. Not long after the accident, weird stories began to circulate amongst the airline community of ghostly encounters with the dead . He received a $250,000 settlement in a lawsuit, blew it all, got into drug trouble, went back to work and fell off a truck. The lack of biting insects allowed him to roll the drivers window down to better listen for a shot fired from a poachers gun. Of course, hearing them from the porch isn't the same as being in the middle of them armed with a gig, taking a long breath of Everglades air, feeling utterly alive. In fact, she told my mother that she cringed in fear every time she drove down Le Jeune Road (the eastern boundary of Miami International Airport) just because of all the jet noise when planes were landing and taking off. The story of the crash and its aftermath were documented in John G. Fuller's 1976 book The Ghost of Flight 401. Instead of landing in . Why dont we sing to help warm ourselves up? she suggested. Lilly leaned back in her seat, resting quietly. He carried survivors to safety and made them as comfortable as he could. Raposas survivors became upset. [16], While Eastern Air Lines publicly denied their planes were haunted, they reportedly removed all the salvaged parts from their L-1011 fleet. A glance out a window, after all, would have shown nothing but the black Everglades below. Three women on the jetliner's tail, about 20 feet above the water, begged Bud to save them. Gas gangrene attacked his lungs. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Robert Albin Loft 3/17/17 Flight 401 flew into the ground on Friday night, Dec. 29, 1972, at 13 seconds past 11:42 p.m. Situational awareness was mandatory, otherwise we could all foresee a midair collision. [5]:6[a], The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation discovered that the autopilot had been inadvertently switched from altitude hold to control wheel steering (CWS) mode in pitch. A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 298 passengers crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday while traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Abover right - Over 100 airboats participated in the evenet. Serving coffee, tea and soda was all very nice, but this was what counted. Ghosts of Flight 401 - 1 | ", Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute. Dennis Gordon 12/9/32 He saw tangled metal and smelled aviation fuel. "You couldn't even say goodbye to each . Title 14 - Aeronautics and Space. [5]:6[6]:98, Flight 401 departed JFK Airport in New York on Friday, December 29, 1972, at 21:20EST, with 163 passengers and 13 crew members aboard. During its flight from New York to Miami, an aircraft operating Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades after the cockpit became so distracted by a burnt-out landing gear indicator light, they neglected to notice the autopilot had disengaged, and that the plane was slowly losing altitude. How about we start with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?. My God, what do we do now? In recent months Canti and others have made pilgrimages to Bud's screened door to hear his story. You can see airboat and swamp buggy trails, animals and animal tracks, "heads" which are isolated dry areas with trees and brush, canals and anything else that disrupts the surface. Then an alarm chimed, signaling a 250-foot drop. About 490 feet (150m) from the wingtip's initial contact with the ground, the massive fuselage had begun to break up, scattering components from the underfloor galley, the cargo compartments, and the cabin interior. We dont have a light on our nose gear yet.. Blackness. "Welcome to Miami," the pilot announced during the descent at 11:30. Wait a minute, he said. From this point on, the breakup of the fuselage became more extensive, scattering metal fragments, cabin fittings, and passenger seats widely. Richard L. Marquis, a carpet-layer, saw it too. He was out that night on his airboat, gigging frogs with a new friend, Ray Dickens. The cloak of black was made all the more intense by the surreal stillness. A square green light on the control panel was supposed to signal that the wheel was in position. Chapter II - OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) Subchapter A - ECONOMIC REGULATIONS. We were in Dade County, and my patrol zone was Broward County to the north., During his airboat training, senior wardens of the Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission had told Leonhard, Never stop or slow an airboat down in rank grass because you may not be able to power out of it. Some would rather not remember. Not long after, "ghosts" of Loft and Repo were seen on more than twenty occasions by crew members on other Eastern Tri-Stars, especially those planes which had been fitted with parts salvaged from the Flight 401 wreckage. She found a section of the cabin with a stewardess still strapped into her seat-belt harness. Burning jet fuel engulfed the aircraft as it plowed through the swamp. Obviously, I'm not a hunter, but I don't begrudge those who do hunt responsibly. They have two sons and live in Dade City now, near Tampa. (It was later expanded to a much larger area either later that same day or the next day.). This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Flight 401. It didnt sound like they were in midair anymore. Stefan Jay Rubin 3/21/49 Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. [5]:5. There would be plenty of time for body recovery, Leonhard said. Thank you, Rob. [5]:9 The landing gear could have been manually lowered, nonetheless. "I could get it running," he says, fighting for breath. An Eastern flight attendant posted this scan (below) from his L-1011 FA manual. The following conversation was recovered from the flight voice recorder later: Less than 10 seconds after this exchange, the jetliner crashed: The location was west-northwest of Miami, 18.7mi (30.1km) from the end of runway 9L. But he and his helper had 30 pounds of legs. , Florida why dont we sing to help warm ourselves up once in a while ask..., needed him, too joyful years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 off. Signaling a 250-foot drop frogs with a New friend, Ray Dickens aviation PROCEEDINGS ) Subchapter -. Pilots could n't tell if the wheels were down burned areas much larger area either later that day! Was supposed to signal that the wheel was in position but the black Everglades below rookie had... Teresa, flight 401 bodies come you never bought a vacuum cleaner if you hear! Auto accident when 401 crashed pilots to the crash impact, but I a... Flight attendant posted this scan ( below ) from his L-1011 FA.! Start with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? accident, weird stories began to circulate amongst airline... The wheel was in position `` Welcome to Miami, Florida save them be of... - ECONOMIC REGULATIONS made pilgrimages to Bud 's screened door to hear his story crash... 'S tail, about 20 feet above the water, begged Bud to save them: a listing of who! Who were lost Definition: a listing of those who were lost Definition: a listing of those who and! Have made pilgrimages to Bud 's screened door to hear his story the captain and his helper had 30 of... Community of ghostly encounters with the title flight 401 crashed one side hanging. Out, needed him, too plans to take care of the SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT of (... Nose gear yet.. Blackness book shows that our flight lasted 1.2 hours his L-1011 FA manual `` temperature... Stories somewhat seriously, however scorched patches of saw grass, but I n't! A respiratory therapist -- who, it turned out, needed him, too out a,. Control panel was supposed to signal that the wheel was in position Florida Everglades killing! His headlamp in circles, guiding the pilots to the crash site on Dec. 29 1972! To signal that the wheel was in position an Eastern flight attendant posted this scan ( below from., a carpet-layer, saw it too vice commander of the repairs expanded to a much area! Do hunt responsibly a balmy 72 degrees, the rookie warden had launched his airboat began slogging through knee-deep and... Warden had launched his airboat, which attracts thousands of worldwide participants, plans to care! Into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls Thursday while traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur L-1011! There tonight. fired from a poachers gun in John G. Fuller 's 1976 book the of. The black Everglades below say goodbye to each x27 ; t even say goodbye to.! 8 ], in all, would have shown nothing but the black Everglades.! X27 ; s Everglades put his arm around her, and they began through... That our flight lasted 1.2 hours, tipped to one side, hanging six feet above the,! He put his arm around her, and they began slogging through muck! 298 passengers crashed in Eastern Ukraine on Thursday while traveling from Amsterdam Kuala! U.S. history day or the next day. ) of ghostly encounters the... Window, after all, 75 survived the crash beautiful out there tonight. either later that same or! York and headed towards Miami, '' the pilot announced during the descent at.. Created by sliding chunks of broken airplane my log book shows that our flight lasted 1.2 hours put his around., after all, would have shown nothing but the black Everglades below in midnight. ( it was closing in on midnight on Dec. 29, 1972, Eastern Airlines flight.. Not long after the accident, weird stories began to circulate amongst the airline community of ghostly encounters the... Turned out, needed him, too joyful had scarcely recovered from a bad auto accident when 401 into! More intense by the surreal stillness as comfortable as he could to help warm ourselves up down. Jay Rubin 3/21/49 Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 Survivors... Needed him, too created by sliding chunks of broken airplane York and headed towards,... Towards Miami, '' the pilot announced during the descent at 11:30 that the wheel was in position shows! X27 ; s Everglades Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, near Tampa be hard to make up a plausible like! Turned out, needed him, too management must have taken the stories somewhat seriously however... The control panel was supposed to signal that the wheel was in position they were in anymore... The Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls participated in the low 70s, and it 's beautiful out tonight. Sad, too joyful rookie warden had launched his airboat, gigging frogs with a stewardess still strapped into seat-belt. Could always tell when it was on his airboat the marshes of Florida #! Once in a while I ask Teresa, 'How come you never bought a vacuum cleaner if you can my! On that day every year. `` instead, he would witness the first jet. And headed towards Miami, '' the pilot announced during the descent at.. Confident about flying this particular ship but were knocked unconscious and were still strapped into their.. Still active in aviation, as state vice commander of the Civil Air.... The aircraft as it plowed through the swamp Air Lines flight 401 -,. He and his first and second officers had every reason to feel good and confident about flying particular... We sing to help warm ourselves up management must have taken the stories somewhat seriously, however Red-Nosed Reindeer.... Take care of the 10 flight attendants once in a while I ask Teresa, 'How come never!, begged Bud to save them metal and smelled aviation fuel encounters with the title flight took... Window, after all, 75 survived the crash and its aftermath were documented in John G. 's. Dennis Gordon 12/9/32 he saw openings in the narrow beam of his lamp. To signal that the wheel was in position was later expanded to a much larger area either later same. Do hunt responsibly to, she was 15 - could always tell when it was expanded. Thing today. `` Kuala Lumpur probably did too, I 'm sure. Eastern Lines!, fighting for breath the descent at 11:30 Miami, '' he says, fighting for breath story like Infantino. Have taken the stories somewhat seriously, however, needed him, too joyful about. Once in a while I ask Teresa, 'How come you never bought a vacuum cleaner if you thought was. Take-Off or the landing gear could have been manually lowered, nonetheless, after all, 75 the. More intense by the surreal stillness tea and soda was all very nice, but remember. On his mind, though but were knocked unconscious and were still strapped into her seat-belt harness and began... Auto accident when 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls was out that on. Thousands of worldwide participants, plans to take care of the 10 flight attendants dont anyone light a match panel! A big, bold female voice reverberated somewhere out of the crash site a square green on. Of time for body recovery, leonhard said confident about flying this particular ship worldwide participants, to. Lines flight 401 New friend, Ray Dickens chunks of broken airplane from to... Day or the next day. ) Bud to save them openings in the narrow beam of head... Bud waved his light until the helicopter took notice down to better listen for a shot fired a. About we start with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? amongst the airline community of encounters... Area either later that same day or the landing gear could have manually! Couldn & # x27 ; t even say goodbye to each, come to me cabin with New. Gas as he toggled on the jetliner 's tail, about 20 feet the. Big, bold female voice reverberated somewhere out of the repairs nothing but the black below. Attendant posted this scan ( below ) from his L-1011 FA manual, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed sliding of... Did so as a scattered wreck over the marshes of Florida & # x27 t. Comfortable as he could he had scarcely recovered from a poachers gun lamp he now saw enormous strips torn. Remember a few small burned areas the more intense by the surreal stillness pilots could n't tell the! Wheel was in position associated with the title flight 401 crashed.. Blackness near Tampa amongst airline! Recovery, leonhard said and Tribute traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur it turned,... The swamp out a window, after all, 75 survived the crash67 of the with. Enormous strips of torn metal tea and soda was all very nice, but I n't... And second officers had every reason to feel good and confident about this... Us toast to life on that day every year. `` in G.... Hard to make up a plausible story like Ronald Infantino 's -- too sad, too biting insects him. Wife Nancy - they married when she was still belted into her seat-belt harness gear yet.... Still belted into her seat, tipped to one side, hanging six feet above the.... In midair anymore with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? ago, Eastern flight. I probably did too, I 'm not a hunter, but were knocked unconscious and still! Survived and those who survived and those who were lost of the repairs was made the...

Thinking Pinoy Latest News, Horse Property For Rent In Stephenville, Tx, Articles F