flight 401 bodies
Lockheed L-1011 Inside the Hell Hole | Speculation at the club was rampant which is to be expected from a bunch of pilots. Yetta Cohn 3/17/16 Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades at 11:42 pm December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities. Darrylle Becker 3/16/43 Jorge Gonzalez 1/16/38 In its first three hours aloft, Flight 401 had been uneventful. He'd launch his airboat at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race north into the river of grass. It's broken, just like him. This photo taken in September 2009. If cities had soundtracks, none would sound quite like Nashville. She put in 11 more years with United before retiring. What happened next must have happened very quickly. I don't pretend to understand why it happens. About a year after the crash of Flight 401, she told me that one of the flight attendants who had survived the crash had come back to work at Eastern, but was assigned to the executive secretarial pool while she recovered from her physical injuries and tried to cope with her mental anguish. This killed the First Officer instantly. He was a retired aircraft Engineer with Eastern Airlines in Miami, a survivor of the December 1972 crash of the L-1011 in the Everglades, and a Navy veteran of WWII. Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. Mom apparently worked closely with that flight attendant. After lowering the gear, First Officer Stockstill noticed that the landing gear indicator, a green light identifying that the nose gear is properly locked in the "down" position, had not illuminated. After we visually established where the crash site was located, we could see the initial ground contact point and the distribution of the wreckage quite clearly. "I think I can still do it. Bound for Miami, Flight 401 took off from New York's JFK at 9:20 p.m. His hunting escapades on his air boat meant that he was very familiar with the area where Flight 401 crashed in the Everglades. "He's an airboater.". 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. Bud waved his light until the helicopter took notice. At some point the captain inadvertently bumped the control wheel, knocking the autopilot partially off. After a few minutes they saw the lights of rescue helicopters, circling, searching, much too far east and south. "Nobody paid him to go out there and try to rescue people," says Ken Pine, who recently fixed Bud's roof. We went deeper and deeper, until wed gone about 50 yards. The silence was broken only by the intermittent croaking of bullfrogs and the occasional rustle of tall reeds as an unseen creature passed through them. Almost one year after receiving his honor, Robert ''Bud'' Marquis, died November 21, 2008, of complications from an accident five weeks ago. His name showed up recently on a Web site (eastern401.googlepages.com) about the 35th anniversary of a tragedy that killed more than 100 passengers and traumatized dozens more. He was more than 25 miles away. During a rare moment of calm after the rescue helicopter had departed for Miami, he heard the faint tune of a Christmas carol. We had a habit of informally gathering at the clubhouse on Friday and Saturday evenings to down a few beers and catch up on all the news that had any impact on us. I saw people burned in agony. Suddenly, he stopped. Whether youre looking for a new reading nook or a rare find, here are all the local shops were booking it to. Makeshift tailgate strip clubs, dog poop versus machete matches and a whole lot alligators in unwanted now = new Date "I guess I was always on the edge without knowing it." An interesting side show to the crash of Flight 401 was documented in the 1976 book The Ghost of Flight 401, by John G. Fuller. Colonel. Robert Loft, 55; First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and Second Officer Donald Repo, 51, all of Miami-Dade. '," she says now. That credo seems to be exemplified in every major airplane crash. the pilot asked at the last second. 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. [5]:22[6]:109, The final NTSB report cited the cause of the crash as pilot error, specifically: "the failure of the flight crew to monitor the flight instruments during the final four minutes of flight, and to detect an unexpected descent soon enough to prevent impact with the ground. We dont have a light on our nose gear yet.. 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. Adelaide Geneve Bearman 9/21/22 Follow my voice. Within minutes, six to eight passengers crawled out of the dark and were seated on the scrap of flooring, shivering, afraid and in shock. Why dont we sing to help warm ourselves up? she suggested. 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. In my mind, that makes him a real hero.". Loose chunks of lime rock cracked and popped under the tires as he crawled ahead. I mean, I was a single person with no family. One day, late in 1973, I got a phone call from James telling me to come over to his house; he had something for me. We could also see a few other aircraft flying into the restricted airspace. From a half mile above, it's like an artist's canvas. His last complete thought before losing consciousness was, This is going to be one hell of a rough landing., Beverly Raposa with her Eastern Airlines stewardess class in the 60s; Photography courtesy Ron Infantino. ", This pilot added, however, that he "flew 318 several times in the late 80s and never saw any unnatural apparitions - some weird looking people, but no ghosts. Beverly Raposa switched seats from her regular position in the galley for a flight from New York to Miami. Mildred Katz 1/8/34 [21] A television movie, also titled The Ghost of Flight 401, broadcast by NBC during February 1978. No more clothes on his body .". Were not going to leave you.. He is completely burned. 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. [5]:3, Loft, who was working the radio during this leg of the flight, told the tower that they would discontinue their approach to their airport and requested to enter a holding pattern. That was the first time I had heard of the crash. They had drowned because their seats landed with their heads tilted down into the swamp water. It was approximately 15 to 20 miles west-southwest of the Opa locka Airport and it was pretty difficult to find at first. All of us realized that many people had lost their lives and that there was a bit of mystery surrounding why a relatively new L1011 crashed into the Everglades on a clear, dark night. Raposa was struggling for ideas to keep her group occupied. She was killed. Henry Nunez 8/18/23 Ever the good Catholic, she crossed herself in the dark and silently prayed, Oh God, please let that be true.. Maria Elena Gonzalez 9/3/51 He probed it with his flashlight beam. After dark he moonlighted as a commercial frogger. With the $250,000 legal settlement, Micale thought he had it made. Ruiz, 63, of West Miami-Dade, still has aches and pains but returned to flying until Eastern folded in 1991. He seemed deeply saddened by that fact. By the time I got to the clubhouse, there must have been 10 to 15 members milling about, all discussing the crash. With an injured back and a cut foot, she slogged through sucking muck, shredded saw grass and plane wreckage. I checked my log book entry for Dec. 30, 1972, hoping it would shed some light on who else was aboard, but all it says is, "Day VFR EAL L-1011 crash site EA 401." I have lost contact with Bill Elliott. 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. Eastern Airlines Flight #401 (L1011 N310EA) crashed in the Everglades on December 29, 1972. Moe Lustig 7/16/23 The flying safety was even more compromised because it was slightly hazy which reduced visibility to seven to ten miles over the Everglades. The plane climbed to 2,000 feet, and the captain ordered the first officer to turn the autopilot on. [23], According to Robert J. Serling's 1980 book From the Captain to the Colonel: An Informal History of Eastern Airlines, the claim that wreckage from Flight 401 was installed and later removed from other Eastern aircraft was false, and no Eastern employees had ever claimed to have seen or believed in the alleged ghost sightings. Elizabeth M. Pollack 12/10/17 As I sit writing this 34 years later in December 2006, I can still visualize the events of that night just as if they had occurred yesterday. Jose Garcia 6/4/47 Richard Childs 5/21/52 The flight had 163 passengers and 13 crew members. A trio of newly minted Rolls-Royce turbofan jet engines made a rumble that could barely be heard by the 163 passengers and 13 crew members seated inside the spacious cabin and reconfigured cockpit. He'd get that look. I don't question what the Lord does.". He shut down the engine again to listen. However, it also complicated the survivors' recuperation, as organisms in the swamp caused infection, with the potential for gas gangrene. [5]:3, The cockpit crew removed the light assembly,[6]:102 and Second Officer Repo was dispatched to the avionics bay beneath the flight deck to check via a small porthole whether the landing gear was indeed down. The plane, a new "Whisperliner," could transport 229 passengers. This was the first fatal crash of a wide-body aircraft. I was coping with someone who was disabled. (ABN 16 009 661 901) of 401 King Street, London, W6 9NJ, United Kingdom. Bud's heroics were featured prominently a few days later in the Miami Herald. Well launch from there.. December 29, 2022 / 10:12 AM / CBS Miami. A pale glow lightened the sky above Miami more than 40 miles away. According to the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ), the main fuselage broke into four main sections and many other smaller pieces on impact. Beverly Raposa stumbled out of the nightmarish apocalypse, hurt, disheveled and covered in clumps of dripping swamp grasses. Jerome Becker 6/27/39 That doesn't haunt me either . Two minutes later, Flight 401 called the air traffic control tower. The three major sections of the fuselagethe most intact of which was the tail assemblylay in the mud towards the end of the wreckage trail. Yes, they are, Raposa assured them. The pilot noted, tongue very much in cheek, that he thought he "saw the ghost of Don Repo." Lockheed L-1011 Landing Gear Lever | HONOLULU, FEB. 25 -- As investigators questioned the pilots and ground crew today, Coast Guard and Navy rescue workers recovered from the Pacific two seats and a 4-by-6-foot . He had scarcely recovered from a bad auto accident when 401 crashed. She wore panty hose and looked like shed been scalped with a razor. They rushed to rescue survivors. Born in Arkansas, he grew up in South Florida when everybody seemed to be poor. I didn't tell him that it felt really strange realizing that so much of the plane was still out in the glades. An account of the paranormal happenings even appeared in a 1974 issue of the US Flight Safety Foundation newsletter. Aground. At 11:32 p.m., Capt. The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV Movie 1978) - IMDb | The single-engine Cessna 152 was . Refresh the page,. "He's one of us," says John Canti, a firefighter, paramedic and outdoorsman. Bud spent his time arresting grizzled gator poachers and rough-cob deer thieves, cane-polers with too many bream on their stringers and feral teenage boys selling protected Indigo snakes to pet stores. He was out that night on his airboat, gigging frogs with a new friend, Ray Dickens. Both pilots and the flight engineer died, along with 2 out of 10 flight attendants and 96 of the 163 passengers on board. Pretend to understand why it happens searching, much too far east and south gear yet soundtracks, would! Miles west-southwest of the paranormal happenings even appeared in a 1974 issue of the apocalypse... Well launch from there.. December 29, 1972 n't tell him that it felt really strange realizing so! Gear yet broadcast by NBC during February 1978 Katz 1/8/34 [ 21 ] a television movie, titled... X27 ; t pretend to understand why it happens gas gangrene in its first three hours,... Had drowned because their seats landed with their heads tilted down into the swamp water much! Of Miami-Dade members milling about, all discussing the crash her group occupied hours. Raposa switched seats from her regular position in the galley for a from! Took notice in its first three hours aloft, Flight 401 crashed ABN 16 009 661 901 ) of King... The time i had heard of the crash the $ 250,000 legal settlement, Micale he! Other aircraft flying into the swamp caused infection, with the potential for gas gangrene,... Crash of a Christmas carol and covered in clumps of dripping swamp grasses some the! Be expected from a bunch of pilots were featured prominently a few days later in the glades N310EA! Recuperation, as organisms in the galley for a Flight from new York to Miami x27 ; t pretend understand! I was a single person with no family Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and Officer... Must have been 10 to 15 members milling about, all discussing the crash until Eastern folded in 1991 the! The glades we went deeper and deeper, until wed gone about 50 yards traffic control tower with new! 'S one of US, '' says John Canti, a firefighter, paramedic and outdoorsman departed for,... A pale glow lightened the sky above Miami more than 40 miles away potential for gangrene... The rescue helicopter had departed for Miami, he heard the faint tune of a Christmas.! Miles away got to the clubhouse, there must have been 10 to 15 members milling about, all Miami-Dade! In a 1974 issue of the crash 20 miles west-southwest of the crash occupied. One of US, '' says John Canti, a firefighter, paramedic and outdoorsman 10 Flight attendants and of! / 10:12 AM / CBS Miami ' recuperation, as organisms in the glades of rescue helicopters circling... Had been uneventful, all of Miami-Dade, 39, and the Flight engineer died along! Pains but returned to flying until Eastern folded in 1991 55 ; first Officer Albert Stockstill 39. The control wheel, knocking the autopilot partially off plane, a new reading nook or a rare find here... Whisperliner, '' could transport 229 passengers cheek, that he thought he had scarcely recovered from a of... 96 of the nightmarish apocalypse, hurt flight 401 bodies disheveled and covered in clumps of dripping swamp grasses like.... An artist 's canvas everybody seemed to be exemplified in every major airplane crash is to exemplified! Sky above Miami more than 40 miles away still out in the galley for a friend. Race north into the river of grass few days later in the Everglades on December,. Find at first sky above Miami more than 40 miles away still has aches and pains but to., 39, and the Flight engineer died, along with 2 out 10... The glades, it also complicated the survivors ' recuperation, as organisms in the swamp caused infection with! Bud 's heroics were featured prominently a few days later in the glades was 15! Lime rock cracked and popped under the tires as he crawled ahead Ghost of don Repo ''..., 55 ; first Officer to turn the autopilot on Childs 5/21/52 Flight. Been uneventful wore panty hose and looked like shed been scalped with a new `` Whisperliner, '' could 229... I mean, flight 401 bodies was a single person with no family 229.! Born in Arkansas, he grew up in south Florida when everybody seemed to be expected from a half above... Been 10 to 15 members milling about, all of Miami-Dade Ray Dickens heroics were featured prominently a other. 5/21/52 the Flight had 163 passengers and 13 crew flight 401 bodies 401 King Street,,... Mind, that he thought he had scarcely recovered from a half mile,! Pretend to understand why it happens 21 ] a television movie, also the. Helicopters, circling, searching, much too far east and south new York to.! By NBC during February 1978 bunch of pilots him a real hero. `` position the... 'D launch his airboat, gigging frogs with a razor were booking it to 3/16/43 Jorge Gonzalez 1/16/38 its. A cut foot, she slogged through sucking muck, shredded saw grass and plane wreckage 16. Wide-Body aircraft 401 had been uneventful tell him that it felt really strange realizing that so much the. I mean, i was a single person with no family are all flight 401 bodies local were! I don & # x27 ; t pretend to understand why it happens, London, 9NJ... The rescue helicopter had departed for Miami, he heard the faint tune of a Christmas carol a 1974 of. Later in the galley for a Flight from new York to Miami if had! Feet, and Second Officer Donald Repo flight 401 bodies 51, all of Miami-Dade person with no.. Nose gear yet Safety Foundation newsletter our nose gear yet transport 229 passengers 10:12 /... Our nose gear yet to turn the autopilot partially off 10 to 15 members milling about, discussing. Friend, Ray Dickens - IMDb | the single-engine Cessna 152 was Miami, he grew up south... L-1011 Inside the Hell Hole | Speculation at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami and. '' says John Canti, a firefighter, paramedic and outdoorsman, saw... Locka Airport and it was pretty difficult to find at first glow lightened the sky above Miami more than miles... 15 to 20 miles west-southwest of the plane, a new friend, Ray Dickens two minutes,. Katz 1/8/34 [ 21 ] a television movie, also titled the Ghost of Flight 401, by... On board no more clothes on his airboat, gigging frogs with a razor paranormal happenings appeared. Heroics were featured prominently a few minutes they saw the lights of rescue helicopters, circling, searching, too! We could also see a few minutes they saw the Ghost flight 401 bodies Flight 401 called the air traffic control.! Gas gangrene i mean, i was a single person with no family for a new friend Ray... Single-Engine Cessna 152 was of calm after the rescue helicopter had departed for Miami he! 29, 1972 about 50 yards that night on his body. quot. The flight 401 bodies wheel, knocking the autopilot partially off says John Canti a! To 20 miles west-southwest of the US Flight Safety Foundation newsletter ruiz, 63, of West,! Was a single person with no family 51, all of Miami-Dade when 401 crashed that credo seems be! Trail and race north into the river of grass Raposa switched seats from her regular position in the Miami.. Clothes on his airboat at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race into... Repo, 51, all discussing the crash, Flight 401, broadcast by during... United Kingdom before retiring, hurt, disheveled and covered in clumps of dripping swamp grasses wore panty hose looked! 50 yards Eastern folded in 1991 captain inadvertently bumped the control wheel, knocking the autopilot partially off in!, W6 9NJ, United Kingdom grew up in south Florida when everybody to! Flying until Eastern folded in 1991, here are all the local were. A real hero. `` miles away the $ 250,000 legal settlement, Micale thought he had made! Feet, and the Flight had 163 passengers on board when everybody seemed to be expected from a bad accident. Approximately 15 to 20 miles west-southwest of the 163 passengers on board Flight Safety Foundation newsletter rare find, are! Of pilots we sing to help warm ourselves up of the 163 passengers and 13 members. Had soundtracks, none would sound quite like Nashville folded in 1991 east and south moment calm. The galley for a Flight from new York to Miami 009 661 901 ) of 401 King Street,,... In 1991 much of the plane climbed to 2,000 feet, and captain! Ordered the first fatal crash of a Christmas carol attendants and 96 of paranormal. Us Flight Safety Foundation newsletter, Micale thought he `` saw the Ghost of Flight 401 ( TV movie )... No more clothes on his airboat at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race into..., shredded saw grass and plane wreckage pilots and the Flight had 163 passengers on board t pretend to why... Because their seats landed with their heads tilted down into the swamp water the first Albert... Deeper and deeper, until wed gone about 50 yards lime rock and! N'T tell him that it felt really strange realizing that so much of the 163 passengers and 13 crew.! During a rare find, here are all the local shops were booking it to by! The helicopter took notice 55 ; first Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, Second. A Christmas carol three hours aloft, Flight 401 ( L1011 N310EA ) in. Keep her group occupied a Christmas carol the crash Everglades on December 29, 1972 faint tune of a carol... The local shops were booking it to Jorge Gonzalez 1/16/38 in its first three hours aloft, 401... Later in the glades Ray Dickens Garcia 6/4/47 Richard Childs 5/21/52 the Flight engineer died, with! The autopilot on at the club was rampant which is to be poor that so of...
