Despite the enormous quantities and that there was a error counting the passengers, the manifest was meticulously detailed. And never go out of the house angry. In the days following the crash, Infantinos mother brought him a pile of mail. In a small box tucked under her seat was her constant companion, her white poodle, Tina. Eastern Flight 401 Introduced New Safety Measures And Books, Movies and Ghost Stories. In it, the crew pranked two of the flight attendants: one with devil horn fingers coming from her head and another jokingly grabbed by the neck. "Eastern 401 'll go ah, out west just a little further if we can here and, ah, see if we can get this light to come on here. The idea for a memorial for Eastern Flight 401 first popped up at the 35th anniversary gathering in the Everglades. Once on the runway, Stockstill released the brakes, applied thrust and aircraft 310 rolled forward, gathering speed down the runway for more than a mile. The memorial monument will be accessible by foot and car, with parking and benches located nearby. "Miami tower, Eastern 401, just turned on final." 
"Always something - we could have made schedule." He is survived by his daughter in law Lynn Johnson and grandsons Kurtis and Kyle Johnson, all of Florida. I ask you to please keep my sister Judy in your prayers. The cockpit crew, scrambling to identify the problem, got permission from air traffic control to circle the Everglades. For over thirty years Charlie worked with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller. This was for two additional men who would occupy the flight deck jump seats during this flight. The monument will be located on the grassy median of the 700 block of Curtis Parkway in Miami Springs, Florida, just opposite the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club driving range. He radioed the Whisperliner again: "And, ah, eastern 401, are you requesting the equipment?" This photo was taken by Al Diaz for The Miami Herald special section on the 35th anniversary of the crash. "I don't see it down there. Three of the 4 cockpit crew members, two of the 10 flight attendants, and 96 of the 163 passengers were killed; there were 75 survivors. After selecting gear down, the nosegear light didn't indicate 'down and locked'. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Several people found themselves trapped under wreckage. At the airport, the approach controller looked at the altitude block listed next to the little blip representing Eastern 401 on his radar screen. She came across a woman who found an 11-month-old baby as she scouted the wreckage for her son. And I realized: If I'm not dreaming, the plane has crashed. And the light was still off. He was a devoted husband of sixty-two years to his first wife Martha (nee Regan) and beloved husband of his second wife Sue Johnson.Charlie was a loving son to the late Junius and Rachel Johnson, much loved father of the late Tracy Johnson and dear brother to the late Jeane Johnson Stanfield. Edward E. Ulrich died at home on May 25, 2021. Flight 401 had crashed in the Everglades at 227 miles per hour, cartwheeling into the swampy water after the left wingtip hit the ground first. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. She thanked him and Eskow put the envelop in his jacket pocket for later delivery. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401, operated by a four-month-old Lockheed L-1011, registration N310EA, carrying 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers, departed New York-JFK at 21.20h EST for a flight to Miami. The Everglades were dark without the lights of the big city. On the back of an envelope he wrote the following letter to Samuel L. Higginbottom, who was then the president and COO of Eastern Airlines. The day was especially for the families of the 101 loved ones who perished that night. Then came the final and fatal mistake. "All of the sudden I felt like I was suffocating. Ed Ulrich and Sandra Burt, sitting together in first class, were separated by fifty yards. "I love my profession so I overcame that part of my life. They will never be forgotten! "I always knew retailing was what I wanted. The plane was a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Edward moved to Scarborough, Maine to expand Winchesters presence in Northern New England and the Maritime provinces. One hundred and one lives were lost that late December evening, with 75 passengers and crew surviving. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. WebThe men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. He and his first wife traveled extensively in their RV throughout the United States and Canada. Flight 26 arrived into JFK late and Adrianne and her crew had only twenty-three minutes to get from one plane to the other. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. "The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway," Stockstill offered, referring to Repo's test a few moments earlier. The plane plunged into the Everglades after taking off from the Miami airport. Please enter valid email address to continue. Trudy Jean Smith, age 73, of Dallas, Georgia, formerly of Deport, Texas, died November 29, 2020. She was wet. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. There was no plane around us, survivor Jan Coviello said. Right: Beverly celebrates her 26th birthday in Mercy Hospital, January 4th 1973, with fellow surviving flight attendants Trudy Smith and Sharon Transue (Photo: Roy Bartley, Miami Herald). Now, on December 29th, it had been flying for only four months, one week and two days. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. He turned to Loft as Repo was entering the hell hole. Leave the goddamn gear down until we find out what we got." ""I'll talk to 'em," Loft said. Was the light bulb burnt out or was the landing gear stuck? He and Sandra boarded the plane early and sat near the front in seats 4A and 4B. But what was inside was the real prize: a Kodak Instamatic camera and rolls of film. Evelyn de Salazar landed fifty feet from the cockpit, her seat still intact, and dies from multiple injuries. December 29, 2022 / 10:12 AM Zetlin looked up. Fatal Distraction: Directed by Su Rynard. Raposa said a turning point came when supporter Shannon DeWitt offered to help coordinate fundraising and construction efforts for a monument, a pivot from the original idea of a tribute. He was a buyer for Gimbels. He noticed that while the first touchdown was light, the second was a hard, grinding impact. Irene may have been lucky to have been bumped from the ill fated flight, though she would later die in an auto accident in 1987 at the age of 38. "I'm sure it's down, there is no way it couldn't help but be.". There was a certain irony in Jerry's reviving that thought; always before he had laughed at her concern. Yet, Ed and Sandra were very much alone. He was so weak that doctors opted to operate without anesthesia. In the midst of all this holiday traffic, National Airlines Flight 607 - the one with the gear problem - landed without incident. Repo's test failed to illuminate the small, square light. He had purchased a non-smoking ticket, but while on board found a seat in the last row reserved for smokers. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. Loft acknowledges the controller, and then began a series of practiced, terse, checklist exchanges with the rest of the flight crew: Repo: Engine crossbleeds are open. When youve stared death in the face just as I have, she said, you dont take things for granted anymore.. The monument, Ruiz said, represents the thoughts, the prayers, and all the efforts involved in refusing to forget each and every one of the victims. The names of each person who perished on Flight 401 will be engraved on the granite monument. Three days after the crash, Lilly Infantinos body was found. One of the envelopes was a letter from Eastern requesting an interview. Photo: Jon Proctor Collection. Some were killed instantly, while others were buffered by the marshy ground and barely suffered a scratch. For balancing purposes, it was assumed that each passenger weighed an average of 170 pounds, which figured out to be a total payload, with luggage and freight, of not quite 35,000 pounds. But after speaking to her family in Miami and hearing the account of the planned New Year's Eve festivities, they decided to catch flight 401 to Miami. Even though the flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:42, in Little Havana that was not considered a late hour. She was the first victim, along with her unborn son, discovered by the search team at 12:30 pm, December 30th), Patricia Renee Shackelford 12/9/52 (Pictured below). One passenger saw "bright flashes like sparks. Together they slashed three trails through the saw grass, each five feet wide and more than 100 feet long. To their right were more empty seats. "This wont come out, Bob. ", Loft told him, "You can't see the indices - for the nose wheel, ah, there's a place in there you can look and see if they're lined up. Eastern employees visited Infantino for a two-hour interview. Amazingly, 75 of the 176 passengers and crew aboard Flight 401 survived. The plane was supposed to be at two thousand feet, but the crisp, green phosphorescent numerals read nine hundred. "Eastern 401, left heading 1003 from the marker, cleared to ILS Nine Left approach, tower 118.3, good morning. Ruiz said that the public should understand that the job of a flight attendant is highly professional before emphasizing that we are highly trained and our main focus when we are hired and trained is safety. Ruiz and Raposa both emphasized their confidence in the safety of air travel. "What frequency did he want us on?". Johnathan Kaminer, a two year old child dressed in a red-and-blue outfit, was hurled three hundred feet north of the cockpit. Had we had flashlights that night, Ruiz continued, every person that was ambulatory could have helped. Flashlights eventually came to flight attendant crew stations ten years after the crash. The flooring of the plane crumbled. Loft, a tall and trim 55 year old had been flying for Eastern Airlines since the days of Eddie Rickenbacker. DALLAS December 29, 2022, will mark a half-century since the fatal crash of Eastern Air Lines (EA) Flight 401. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. A native of Louisiana who now lived in Miami, Stockstill had even more flying time in the new L-1011 than Loft. However, the high point was the couple became engaged on the plane before takeoff. She was thirty-two and as slight as he was large. All I wanted was a chain, and she said 'I bought this star. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. Tomorrow is not a given, she said. Raposa explained that over many years, we worked, trying to put something together, emphasizing the development of a tribute for Flight 401. Now he and the same crew would fly back to Florida as flight 401.At 7:43 that evening, operating as flight 164, the Whisperliner N310EA touched down at JFK after flying in from Tampa. May Albury, Verena Bieri, Carl Bolufe, Rigoberto Bolufe, Sandra Burt, Gustavo Cassado, Mrs Xeimara Casado, Miss Christina Casado, Ann Connell, Barry Connell, Mariel Diegeriez, Gerald W Eskow, Sylvia Fisher, Ms. F. Frankin, Herbert Fresko, Molly Fresko, Alicia Garcia, Julia Garcia, Kathryn F.Gaudiello, George Gaudiello, Kenneth Glassman, Kuniko Goldfuss, Milton Hoffman, Ronald Infantino, Miguel Angel Junco Jr., David Kaplan, Franklin Kent, Anita Kent, Helen Kupiec, Jessie LaRusso, James Laurie, Mrs. Leone Levine, Cornelia Leya, Thomas McAvoy, Joseph Mazur, Rose Mazur, Luis Mejia, Richard N. Micale, Albert J Morris, Janice Minguzzi, Christina Ochoa, Allen Okanawsky, Oneida Pares, Aristides Pares, Martha Pares, Carlos Polanco, Lucino Polanco, Joseph Popson, Richard Pragluski, Goldez Quinico, Evelyn Ragalia, Marie Rego, Glen Remkus*, Francoise Riette, Thomas Rothenberg. The plane had dropped below one thousand feet, homing in on runway Nine Left. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. She smelled aircraft fuel and was seized by the fear of fire. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. ", Jerry Eskow, still nursing his double scotch in first class, awakened to "a lot of noise and a lot of vibrations." 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. They both lived in Seymour, Connecticut, where he was a salesman for a copper company and she was a secretary in a bank. Before the air conditioning could even be turned on, the flight engineer had to make sure the flight deck is equipped with spare light bulbs, first aid kit, rain repellent, smoke goggles, a hand axe and so on. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401, operated by a four-month-old Lockheed L-1011, registration N310EA, carrying 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers, departed New York-JFK at 21.20h EST for a flight to Miami. He called the airline from his hospital room and explained that he had survived the recent crash and was still recovering. Midway along the path, the plane slewed around until it was sliding backward. She was twenty seven years old. When she returned they exchanged places. So much tragedy in one eveningbut dont you think it also highlights the resilience, bravery, and compassion that defines the American spirit? Forty seconds later, Stockstill commented, "We're up to two thousand. And then it was like being in a tornado, I was in the tail and we were rotating, said Beverly Raposa, a flight attendant. Loft acknowledged, "One eighty." One of Eastern Air Lines inaugural L-1011 routes was flight 401, a regular service from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. Organizers are still seeking donations to cover the cost of the memorial, a bill that stands at about $20,000. Stockstill complied. If you want to hold it for your children, fine.' I got right into it out of school, and I was pretty successful and I got a nice salary." "No nose gear," he said. As the airplane broke up, the same apparently random pattern of survival and slaughter was repeated, time and time again. Repo was 51 years old and had been employed by Eastern Airlines for 25 years, just short of half of his lifetime. While attempting to confirm that the gear was down, the flight crew did not realize that the autopilot had been inadvertently turned off and the plane was gradually losing altitude, eventually crashing into the Everglades. The Eastern Airlines flight 401 crash: the deadliest disaster in U.S. civil aviation history. For a brief time until a friend got promoted, he was the youngest buyer at Gimbels. Jerry's business, Yale Express Systems, was in the throes of bankruptcy and legal trouble. The former flight attendants described one gathering in the Everglades where airboats from around Florida turned up to help commemorate crash victims. Thanks to Jim Kalafus for the corrected names of Flight 401 victims drawn from Dade Country death certificate files and his continued research and participation in this effort. She was one of the surviving crew members of Eastern Airlines Flight #401 that crashed in the Florida Everglades shortly before landing in Miami on Dec. 29, 1972. But evidently some people had made last minute plans and even with one hundred and sixty passengers on board, when the doors closed, sixty-eight empty seats remained. In the extreme rear of the aircraft, sitting in the coach lounge, Beverly Raposa felt the plane bank to the left. Not shown, Sharon Transue (she was taking the photo). The men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. She looked up at Mercy and said: 'Oh, Mercy, stop complaining. "Okay, going up to two thousand, 128.6," Loft replied. The first officer and copilot, Bert Stockstill, flew the plan. The baby was floating face up, cradled by wreckage. As frog hunters who witnessed the crash helped rescue survivors, Raposa led those remaining in renditions of Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. The last group was rescued at 3:30 a.m. Dec. 30, almost four hours after the crash. Donadeo glanced across the flight deck and saw Repo examining the fixture. Ruiz also described the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost in the crash. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, 50 Years On, Aviation journalist and Daily Caller contributor who counts playing and teaching golf among his many hobbies, follow him on Twitter @realBrentFoster. The L-1011 began a gradual left turn. Once the plane was out of the New York area, the weather was good and Stockstill put the aircraft on auto pilot and dimmed the cockpit lights to provide better visibility of the night sky outside. Barry Connell threw his arm around his wife. Loft referred to a one-inch square light on the lower right side of the center instrument panel that indicates that the nose gear is down and locked in position for landing. Suddenly the noise stopped. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. This flight had been booked solid. An altitude alert sounded its C-Chord chime for one second and stopped. After selecting gear down, the nosegear light didn't indicate 'down and locked'. The airline still wanted to interview him for an opening that he could start after his health improved. All rights reserved, Check Your Change! He said, " remember the pact you wanted us to make about flying separately?" With thirty-two years of seniority, he was ranked fiftieth among the airlines four thousand pilots. He had spent the morning working in his yard, which adjoined a golf course in Plantation, Florida. After a moment, Loft repeats his message. There was, however, a complication. Was it a burned-out $12 bulb or a faulty landing gear? WebThe men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. The white jet inched upward toward a night of stars. She went on to praise the efforts of Raposa, who sang Christmas carols to maintain morale among survivors as they waited for rescue. Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute. What a perfect forever home for our Memorial Monument! Burt bought the tickets anyway. It is now known that "Mrs. McAvoy" was Donna Smith, Thomas McAvoy's traveling companion. ", Grad student Joseph Popson was reading his book. This particular bulb was supposed to let the pilots know that their landing gear was down. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades on the night of December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities (77 initial crash survivors, two died shortly afterward). 300 people joined together on December 29th to dedicate the memorial!!! "We can tell if that son of a bitch is down by looking at the indices," he said. "I gotta .I gotta raise it back up," Loft said. He held out hope that his wife had survived another patient with their last name was admitted to a hospital in Florida. Airboats represent a certain degree of sentimental value for survivors of Flight 401. Robert Bud Marquis, a former wildlife officer, was first on the scene because hed been frog hunting nearby. Ruiz continued her career as a flight attendant, flying for both EA and United (UA) in the years following Flight 401. Lilly Infantino drowned. The tragedy would never have occurred but for a single, burnt-out light bulb. Unlike Terry, Donadeo chose to stay in the cockpit. On this day in 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashes in the Everglades. Marc Leshay, twenty one, a University of Miami student headed back to class after the holidays. Ea401.png 1,620 1,220; 887 KB Eastern 401 wreckage.jpg 1,000 433; 155 KB Eastern Flight 401 wreckage 1.jpg 280 165; 28 KB Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. Renee Shackelford was thrown from the plane; she landed on her side in saw grass two hundred and ten feet from the cockpit. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Behind Stockstill sat Donald Repo, the flight engineer. Ruiz said this began many, many years back with efforts to commemorate the victims from us, the surviving crew members, people close to the victims, and all of the people from our community who really wanted to join us.. We're trying to build a memorial out there to try to honor that not only the survivals but the ones who died, ron His right arm was nearly severed, his left knee broken, his chest crushed. The flight would have normally passed east of Jacksonville, Florida, at a point 155 miles out to sea and passing a latitude along which lay, on the other side of the world, Cairo and Shanghai. What's your altitude now? Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. Among the passengers, the very size of the L-1011 imposed anonymity. This time, Donadeo followed him. And so they sat, strangers, some alone, some in pairs: A woman with salt-and-pepper hair wore a knit dress with gold frogs on her belt. Rose Kashman, 57, of New York, sporting a mink coat. I ripped off my shirt and jacket. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Medley Welding Business Owner Arrested for Manslaughter in Explosion That Killed 2, Police Investigating After Body Found Floating in Fort Lauderdale Canal, Kid Rock Fires Gun at Cases of Bud Light Amid Company's Partnership With Dylan Mulvaney, I Don't Need to Get Beat Up to Sell a Record': Tekashi 6ix9ine Breaks Silence on South Florida Gym Attack. He settled in for the journey, digging into his paperback of the Exorcist. Tell people you love them. Raposa emphasized that those who died that fateful day are gone but never, ever forgotten., The developmental process of the monument represented both a commemoration of the Flight 401 victims and decades of collaboration among survivors. The undertaking of getting the memorial monument done in 11 months was very time consuming but my sister told me to do it as she knew about my promise and how important it was to me! He woke up in a puddle near an engine, missing some clothes but generally OK. "The next thing I remember was struggling to breathe. in fact, we've just reached two thousand feet and we've got to get a green light on our nose gear." Each section was like its own little group [of survivors], detached from the others. With the emergency equipment rolling onto the field near runway Nine Right in anticipation of National 607, Eastern 401 was assigned the other parallel runway, Nine Left. "Welcome to sunny Miami. While the fleet was being built by the Lockheed-California Company, Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engines, faltered under the weight of the development costs and went bankrupt. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. His goal in life, he would say later, was "to be successful financially and live a nice, easy, comfortable life." It's pitch dark, and I throw the little light, I get, ah, nothing. She explained that she would be happy to help any passengers with re-ticketing for return trips. They were Stanich and Ghyssels, the two flight attendants who died in the crash. Mercy's camera would later survive the crash and this remarkable photo was developed. This threw the entire L-1011 project behind schedule and into financial disarray.When the new airplanes finally started being delivered to Eastern during the spring of 1972, the new planes were full of bugs, particularly the advanced new engines. While the plane was on the ground at JFK, the tail skid accumulator was serviced and the oxygen bottle replaced. Why them two?. All rights reserved. Through five decades, lessons stick with the survivors of 401. Amid the confusion, the distracted crew didnt notice the auto pilot button was switched off. At 11:19p.m., the north arrival radar operator in Miami's air traffic control tower gave Flight 607 its final approach course. "Eastern 401 heavy, continue approach to runway Nine Left.". He began to doze as the seat belt sign was lighted and a voice came from the cockpit. Above: (L) Luis Mejia recovering from the crash in Palmetto Hospital in 1973 and (R) Carlos Polanco in 2004. As the crew crossed over the Florida Everglades, they were trying to lower the landing gear. Infantino started a commuter airline of his own, which later folded, and got married to his respiratory therapist, who also experienced heartbreak after losing her fianc in a drunk-driving accident. He was almost unmarked except for two small lacerations on his face. On this day in 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashes in the Everglades. First published on December 29, 2022 / 10:12 AM. Raposa, 25, had noticed something strange. Like a multimillion-dollar pinball machine, the instruments winked awake with colored lights, first green, then amber, setting in motion a series of terse one and two-word functions - VALVE, OPEN, PUSH, OIL PRESS, ON, ENRICH. Especially during the holidays, night coaches to Miami were usually filled up. It was so dark she couldnt see her hands in front of her. Its a bad dream. It's the holidays. The flight was uneventful until the approach to Miami. Infantino served in Vietnam, but it was this flight, not war that brought him closest to death. It also offered the opportunity to discuss their efforts to commemorate victims prior to the December 2022 inauguration of the 50th Anniversary of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Memorial Monument. The airplane crashed at 255153N,803543W. We're gonna have to crank down our gear." Back row: Pat Ghyssels, Trudy Smith, Adrianne Hamilton, Mercy Ruiz. And I said, 'Mom, if it will make you happy, I'll wear it.'. 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Supposed to let the pilots know that their landing gear stuck the airline still wanted interview! And Eskow put the envelop in his yard, which adjoined a golf course in Plantation Florida. Opted to operate without anesthesia the two Flight attendants described one gathering in the Safety of Air.! Was down crash of Eastern Air Lines ( EA ) Flight 401 and rolls of.... She scouted the wreckage for her son email flt401memorial @ gmail.com, time and time again that he laughed...
"Always something - we could have made schedule." He is survived by his daughter in law Lynn Johnson and grandsons Kurtis and Kyle Johnson, all of Florida. I ask you to please keep my sister Judy in your prayers. The cockpit crew, scrambling to identify the problem, got permission from air traffic control to circle the Everglades. For over thirty years Charlie worked with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller. This was for two additional men who would occupy the flight deck jump seats during this flight. The monument will be located on the grassy median of the 700 block of Curtis Parkway in Miami Springs, Florida, just opposite the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club driving range. He radioed the Whisperliner again: "And, ah, eastern 401, are you requesting the equipment?" This photo was taken by Al Diaz for The Miami Herald special section on the 35th anniversary of the crash. "I don't see it down there. Three of the 4 cockpit crew members, two of the 10 flight attendants, and 96 of the 163 passengers were killed; there were 75 survivors. After selecting gear down, the nosegear light didn't indicate 'down and locked'. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Several people found themselves trapped under wreckage. At the airport, the approach controller looked at the altitude block listed next to the little blip representing Eastern 401 on his radar screen. She came across a woman who found an 11-month-old baby as she scouted the wreckage for her son. And I realized: If I'm not dreaming, the plane has crashed. And the light was still off. He was a devoted husband of sixty-two years to his first wife Martha (nee Regan) and beloved husband of his second wife Sue Johnson.Charlie was a loving son to the late Junius and Rachel Johnson, much loved father of the late Tracy Johnson and dear brother to the late Jeane Johnson Stanfield. Edward E. Ulrich died at home on May 25, 2021. Flight 401 had crashed in the Everglades at 227 miles per hour, cartwheeling into the swampy water after the left wingtip hit the ground first. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. She thanked him and Eskow put the envelop in his jacket pocket for later delivery. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401, operated by a four-month-old Lockheed L-1011, registration N310EA, carrying 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers, departed New York-JFK at 21.20h EST for a flight to Miami. The Everglades were dark without the lights of the big city. On the back of an envelope he wrote the following letter to Samuel L. Higginbottom, who was then the president and COO of Eastern Airlines. The day was especially for the families of the 101 loved ones who perished that night. Then came the final and fatal mistake. "All of the sudden I felt like I was suffocating. Ed Ulrich and Sandra Burt, sitting together in first class, were separated by fifty yards. "I love my profession so I overcame that part of my life. They will never be forgotten! "I always knew retailing was what I wanted. The plane was a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic. Edward moved to Scarborough, Maine to expand Winchesters presence in Northern New England and the Maritime provinces. One hundred and one lives were lost that late December evening, with 75 passengers and crew surviving. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. WebThe men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. He and his first wife traveled extensively in their RV throughout the United States and Canada. Flight 26 arrived into JFK late and Adrianne and her crew had only twenty-three minutes to get from one plane to the other. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. "The tests didn't show that the lights worked anyway," Stockstill offered, referring to Repo's test a few moments earlier. The plane plunged into the Everglades after taking off from the Miami airport. Please enter valid email address to continue. Trudy Jean Smith, age 73, of Dallas, Georgia, formerly of Deport, Texas, died November 29, 2020. She was wet. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. There was no plane around us, survivor Jan Coviello said. Right: Beverly celebrates her 26th birthday in Mercy Hospital, January 4th 1973, with fellow surviving flight attendants Trudy Smith and Sharon Transue (Photo: Roy Bartley, Miami Herald). Now, on December 29th, it had been flying for only four months, one week and two days. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. He turned to Loft as Repo was entering the hell hole. Leave the goddamn gear down until we find out what we got." ""I'll talk to 'em," Loft said. Was the light bulb burnt out or was the landing gear stuck? He and Sandra boarded the plane early and sat near the front in seats 4A and 4B. But what was inside was the real prize: a Kodak Instamatic camera and rolls of film. Evelyn de Salazar landed fifty feet from the cockpit, her seat still intact, and dies from multiple injuries. December 29, 2022 / 10:12 AM Zetlin looked up. Fatal Distraction: Directed by Su Rynard. Raposa said a turning point came when supporter Shannon DeWitt offered to help coordinate fundraising and construction efforts for a monument, a pivot from the original idea of a tribute. He was a buyer for Gimbels. He noticed that while the first touchdown was light, the second was a hard, grinding impact. Irene may have been lucky to have been bumped from the ill fated flight, though she would later die in an auto accident in 1987 at the age of 38. "I'm sure it's down, there is no way it couldn't help but be.". There was a certain irony in Jerry's reviving that thought; always before he had laughed at her concern. Yet, Ed and Sandra were very much alone. He was so weak that doctors opted to operate without anesthesia. In the midst of all this holiday traffic, National Airlines Flight 607 - the one with the gear problem - landed without incident. Repo's test failed to illuminate the small, square light. He had purchased a non-smoking ticket, but while on board found a seat in the last row reserved for smokers. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. Loft acknowledges the controller, and then began a series of practiced, terse, checklist exchanges with the rest of the flight crew: Repo: Engine crossbleeds are open. When youve stared death in the face just as I have, she said, you dont take things for granted anymore.. The monument, Ruiz said, represents the thoughts, the prayers, and all the efforts involved in refusing to forget each and every one of the victims. The names of each person who perished on Flight 401 will be engraved on the granite monument. Three days after the crash, Lilly Infantinos body was found. One of the envelopes was a letter from Eastern requesting an interview. Photo: Jon Proctor Collection. Some were killed instantly, while others were buffered by the marshy ground and barely suffered a scratch. For balancing purposes, it was assumed that each passenger weighed an average of 170 pounds, which figured out to be a total payload, with luggage and freight, of not quite 35,000 pounds. But after speaking to her family in Miami and hearing the account of the planned New Year's Eve festivities, they decided to catch flight 401 to Miami. Even though the flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:42, in Little Havana that was not considered a late hour. She was the first victim, along with her unborn son, discovered by the search team at 12:30 pm, December 30th), Patricia Renee Shackelford 12/9/52 (Pictured below). One passenger saw "bright flashes like sparks. Together they slashed three trails through the saw grass, each five feet wide and more than 100 feet long. To their right were more empty seats. "This wont come out, Bob. ", Loft told him, "You can't see the indices - for the nose wheel, ah, there's a place in there you can look and see if they're lined up. Eastern employees visited Infantino for a two-hour interview. Amazingly, 75 of the 176 passengers and crew aboard Flight 401 survived. The plane was supposed to be at two thousand feet, but the crisp, green phosphorescent numerals read nine hundred. "Eastern 401, left heading 1003 from the marker, cleared to ILS Nine Left approach, tower 118.3, good morning. Ruiz said that the public should understand that the job of a flight attendant is highly professional before emphasizing that we are highly trained and our main focus when we are hired and trained is safety. Ruiz and Raposa both emphasized their confidence in the safety of air travel. "What frequency did he want us on?". Johnathan Kaminer, a two year old child dressed in a red-and-blue outfit, was hurled three hundred feet north of the cockpit. Had we had flashlights that night, Ruiz continued, every person that was ambulatory could have helped. Flashlights eventually came to flight attendant crew stations ten years after the crash. The flooring of the plane crumbled. Loft, a tall and trim 55 year old had been flying for Eastern Airlines since the days of Eddie Rickenbacker. DALLAS December 29, 2022, will mark a half-century since the fatal crash of Eastern Air Lines (EA) Flight 401. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. A native of Louisiana who now lived in Miami, Stockstill had even more flying time in the new L-1011 than Loft. However, the high point was the couple became engaged on the plane before takeoff. She was thirty-two and as slight as he was large. All I wanted was a chain, and she said 'I bought this star. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. Tomorrow is not a given, she said. Raposa explained that over many years, we worked, trying to put something together, emphasizing the development of a tribute for Flight 401. Now he and the same crew would fly back to Florida as flight 401.At 7:43 that evening, operating as flight 164, the Whisperliner N310EA touched down at JFK after flying in from Tampa. May Albury, Verena Bieri, Carl Bolufe, Rigoberto Bolufe, Sandra Burt, Gustavo Cassado, Mrs Xeimara Casado, Miss Christina Casado, Ann Connell, Barry Connell, Mariel Diegeriez, Gerald W Eskow, Sylvia Fisher, Ms. F. Frankin, Herbert Fresko, Molly Fresko, Alicia Garcia, Julia Garcia, Kathryn F.Gaudiello, George Gaudiello, Kenneth Glassman, Kuniko Goldfuss, Milton Hoffman, Ronald Infantino, Miguel Angel Junco Jr., David Kaplan, Franklin Kent, Anita Kent, Helen Kupiec, Jessie LaRusso, James Laurie, Mrs. Leone Levine, Cornelia Leya, Thomas McAvoy, Joseph Mazur, Rose Mazur, Luis Mejia, Richard N. Micale, Albert J Morris, Janice Minguzzi, Christina Ochoa, Allen Okanawsky, Oneida Pares, Aristides Pares, Martha Pares, Carlos Polanco, Lucino Polanco, Joseph Popson, Richard Pragluski, Goldez Quinico, Evelyn Ragalia, Marie Rego, Glen Remkus*, Francoise Riette, Thomas Rothenberg. The plane had dropped below one thousand feet, homing in on runway Nine Left. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. She smelled aircraft fuel and was seized by the fear of fire. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. ", Jerry Eskow, still nursing his double scotch in first class, awakened to "a lot of noise and a lot of vibrations." 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. They both lived in Seymour, Connecticut, where he was a salesman for a copper company and she was a secretary in a bank. Before the air conditioning could even be turned on, the flight engineer had to make sure the flight deck is equipped with spare light bulbs, first aid kit, rain repellent, smoke goggles, a hand axe and so on. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401, operated by a four-month-old Lockheed L-1011, registration N310EA, carrying 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers, departed New York-JFK at 21.20h EST for a flight to Miami. He called the airline from his hospital room and explained that he had survived the recent crash and was still recovering. Midway along the path, the plane slewed around until it was sliding backward. She was twenty seven years old. When she returned they exchanged places. So much tragedy in one eveningbut dont you think it also highlights the resilience, bravery, and compassion that defines the American spirit? Forty seconds later, Stockstill commented, "We're up to two thousand. And then it was like being in a tornado, I was in the tail and we were rotating, said Beverly Raposa, a flight attendant. Loft acknowledged, "One eighty." One of Eastern Air Lines inaugural L-1011 routes was flight 401, a regular service from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. Organizers are still seeking donations to cover the cost of the memorial, a bill that stands at about $20,000. Stockstill complied. If you want to hold it for your children, fine.' I got right into it out of school, and I was pretty successful and I got a nice salary." "No nose gear," he said. As the airplane broke up, the same apparently random pattern of survival and slaughter was repeated, time and time again. Repo was 51 years old and had been employed by Eastern Airlines for 25 years, just short of half of his lifetime. While attempting to confirm that the gear was down, the flight crew did not realize that the autopilot had been inadvertently turned off and the plane was gradually losing altitude, eventually crashing into the Everglades. The Eastern Airlines flight 401 crash: the deadliest disaster in U.S. civil aviation history. For a brief time until a friend got promoted, he was the youngest buyer at Gimbels. Jerry's business, Yale Express Systems, was in the throes of bankruptcy and legal trouble. The former flight attendants described one gathering in the Everglades where airboats from around Florida turned up to help commemorate crash victims. Thanks to Jim Kalafus for the corrected names of Flight 401 victims drawn from Dade Country death certificate files and his continued research and participation in this effort. She was one of the surviving crew members of Eastern Airlines Flight #401 that crashed in the Florida Everglades shortly before landing in Miami on Dec. 29, 1972. But evidently some people had made last minute plans and even with one hundred and sixty passengers on board, when the doors closed, sixty-eight empty seats remained. In the extreme rear of the aircraft, sitting in the coach lounge, Beverly Raposa felt the plane bank to the left. Not shown, Sharon Transue (she was taking the photo). The men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. She looked up at Mercy and said: 'Oh, Mercy, stop complaining. "Okay, going up to two thousand, 128.6," Loft replied. The first officer and copilot, Bert Stockstill, flew the plan. The baby was floating face up, cradled by wreckage. As frog hunters who witnessed the crash helped rescue survivors, Raposa led those remaining in renditions of Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. The last group was rescued at 3:30 a.m. Dec. 30, almost four hours after the crash. Donadeo glanced across the flight deck and saw Repo examining the fixture. Ruiz also described the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost in the crash. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, 50 Years On, Aviation journalist and Daily Caller contributor who counts playing and teaching golf among his many hobbies, follow him on Twitter @realBrentFoster. The L-1011 began a gradual left turn. Once the plane was out of the New York area, the weather was good and Stockstill put the aircraft on auto pilot and dimmed the cockpit lights to provide better visibility of the night sky outside. Barry Connell threw his arm around his wife. Loft referred to a one-inch square light on the lower right side of the center instrument panel that indicates that the nose gear is down and locked in position for landing. Suddenly the noise stopped. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. This flight had been booked solid. An altitude alert sounded its C-Chord chime for one second and stopped. After selecting gear down, the nosegear light didn't indicate 'down and locked'. The airline still wanted to interview him for an opening that he could start after his health improved. All rights reserved, Check Your Change! He said, " remember the pact you wanted us to make about flying separately?" With thirty-two years of seniority, he was ranked fiftieth among the airlines four thousand pilots. He had spent the morning working in his yard, which adjoined a golf course in Plantation, Florida. After a moment, Loft repeats his message. There was, however, a complication. Was it a burned-out $12 bulb or a faulty landing gear? WebThe men on Flight 401's flight deck listened to their fellow pilot onboard the National plane as it dealt with its troubled gear. The white jet inched upward toward a night of stars. She went on to praise the efforts of Raposa, who sang Christmas carols to maintain morale among survivors as they waited for rescue. Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute. What a perfect forever home for our Memorial Monument! Burt bought the tickets anyway. It is now known that "Mrs. McAvoy" was Donna Smith, Thomas McAvoy's traveling companion. ", Grad student Joseph Popson was reading his book. This particular bulb was supposed to let the pilots know that their landing gear was down. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades on the night of December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities (77 initial crash survivors, two died shortly afterward). 300 people joined together on December 29th to dedicate the memorial!!! "We can tell if that son of a bitch is down by looking at the indices," he said. "I gotta .I gotta raise it back up," Loft said. He held out hope that his wife had survived another patient with their last name was admitted to a hospital in Florida. Airboats represent a certain degree of sentimental value for survivors of Flight 401. Robert Bud Marquis, a former wildlife officer, was first on the scene because hed been frog hunting nearby. Ruiz continued her career as a flight attendant, flying for both EA and United (UA) in the years following Flight 401. Lilly Infantino drowned. The tragedy would never have occurred but for a single, burnt-out light bulb. Unlike Terry, Donadeo chose to stay in the cockpit. On this day in 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashes in the Everglades. Marc Leshay, twenty one, a University of Miami student headed back to class after the holidays. Ea401.png 1,620 1,220; 887 KB Eastern 401 wreckage.jpg 1,000 433; 155 KB Eastern Flight 401 wreckage 1.jpg 280 165; 28 KB Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. Renee Shackelford was thrown from the plane; she landed on her side in saw grass two hundred and ten feet from the cockpit. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Behind Stockstill sat Donald Repo, the flight engineer. Ruiz said this began many, many years back with efforts to commemorate the victims from us, the surviving crew members, people close to the victims, and all of the people from our community who really wanted to join us.. We're trying to build a memorial out there to try to honor that not only the survivals but the ones who died, ron His right arm was nearly severed, his left knee broken, his chest crushed. The flight would have normally passed east of Jacksonville, Florida, at a point 155 miles out to sea and passing a latitude along which lay, on the other side of the world, Cairo and Shanghai. What's your altitude now? Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. Among the passengers, the very size of the L-1011 imposed anonymity. This time, Donadeo followed him. And so they sat, strangers, some alone, some in pairs: A woman with salt-and-pepper hair wore a knit dress with gold frogs on her belt. Rose Kashman, 57, of New York, sporting a mink coat. I ripped off my shirt and jacket. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands, Medley Welding Business Owner Arrested for Manslaughter in Explosion That Killed 2, Police Investigating After Body Found Floating in Fort Lauderdale Canal, Kid Rock Fires Gun at Cases of Bud Light Amid Company's Partnership With Dylan Mulvaney, I Don't Need to Get Beat Up to Sell a Record': Tekashi 6ix9ine Breaks Silence on South Florida Gym Attack. He settled in for the journey, digging into his paperback of the Exorcist. Tell people you love them. Raposa emphasized that those who died that fateful day are gone but never, ever forgotten., The developmental process of the monument represented both a commemoration of the Flight 401 victims and decades of collaboration among survivors. The undertaking of getting the memorial monument done in 11 months was very time consuming but my sister told me to do it as she knew about my promise and how important it was to me! He woke up in a puddle near an engine, missing some clothes but generally OK. "The next thing I remember was struggling to breathe. in fact, we've just reached two thousand feet and we've got to get a green light on our nose gear." Each section was like its own little group [of survivors], detached from the others. With the emergency equipment rolling onto the field near runway Nine Right in anticipation of National 607, Eastern 401 was assigned the other parallel runway, Nine Left. "Welcome to sunny Miami. While the fleet was being built by the Lockheed-California Company, Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engines, faltered under the weight of the development costs and went bankrupt. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. WebEastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. His goal in life, he would say later, was "to be successful financially and live a nice, easy, comfortable life." It's pitch dark, and I throw the little light, I get, ah, nothing. She explained that she would be happy to help any passengers with re-ticketing for return trips. They were Stanich and Ghyssels, the two flight attendants who died in the crash. Mercy's camera would later survive the crash and this remarkable photo was developed. This threw the entire L-1011 project behind schedule and into financial disarray.When the new airplanes finally started being delivered to Eastern during the spring of 1972, the new planes were full of bugs, particularly the advanced new engines. While the plane was on the ground at JFK, the tail skid accumulator was serviced and the oxygen bottle replaced. Why them two?. All rights reserved. Through five decades, lessons stick with the survivors of 401. Amid the confusion, the distracted crew didnt notice the auto pilot button was switched off. At 11:19p.m., the north arrival radar operator in Miami's air traffic control tower gave Flight 607 its final approach course. "Eastern 401 heavy, continue approach to runway Nine Left.". He began to doze as the seat belt sign was lighted and a voice came from the cockpit. Above: (L) Luis Mejia recovering from the crash in Palmetto Hospital in 1973 and (R) Carlos Polanco in 2004. As the crew crossed over the Florida Everglades, they were trying to lower the landing gear. Infantino started a commuter airline of his own, which later folded, and got married to his respiratory therapist, who also experienced heartbreak after losing her fianc in a drunk-driving accident. He was almost unmarked except for two small lacerations on his face. On this day in 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashes in the Everglades. First published on December 29, 2022 / 10:12 AM. Raposa, 25, had noticed something strange. Like a multimillion-dollar pinball machine, the instruments winked awake with colored lights, first green, then amber, setting in motion a series of terse one and two-word functions - VALVE, OPEN, PUSH, OIL PRESS, ON, ENRICH. Especially during the holidays, night coaches to Miami were usually filled up. It was so dark she couldnt see her hands in front of her. Its a bad dream. It's the holidays. The flight was uneventful until the approach to Miami. Infantino served in Vietnam, but it was this flight, not war that brought him closest to death. It also offered the opportunity to discuss their efforts to commemorate victims prior to the December 2022 inauguration of the 50th Anniversary of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Memorial Monument. The airplane crashed at 255153N,803543W. We're gonna have to crank down our gear." Back row: Pat Ghyssels, Trudy Smith, Adrianne Hamilton, Mercy Ruiz. And I said, 'Mom, if it will make you happy, I'll wear it.'. 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