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Flight 401 soared above a primordial swampland filled with poisonous snakes and alligators crawling through razor-sharp sawgrass and open-water sloughs. Now that the crash site was again open to the public, he had gone out into the Everglades to scout the area on his air boat. He'd get that look. Bernard A. Goldfuss 11/2/22 The apparitions of Loft and Repo were invariably described as being extremely lifelike. If one more time he could harvest a mess of frog legs in the Everglades. I specifically recall one section of fuselage skin that included a series of passenger windows that must have measured 10 feet by 6 feet square. At some point the captain inadvertently bumped the control wheel, knocking the autopilot partially off. Varujan Eskihanci 9/7/25 Repo was evacuated to a hospital, but later died from his injuries. A light in the Sky In unison, we looked up to see the silhouette of a Lockheed L1011 flying westbound at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. Nery Palma 7/12/34 That subsides. No more clothes on his body .". Like a lot of other aspiring commercial pilots, I had had a checkered aviation career, having worked, among other things, as the full-time chief pilot of a regional oil company while attending college. A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 298 passengers crashed in eastern Ukraine on Thursday while traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. There were 75 at the time, 20 years ago tonight. 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. In every direction, there was nothing but dead silence and incredible darkness. The government considered him totally disabled. Stefan Jay Rubin 3/21/49 Anyway, the statute of limitations has long since passed. Beverly Raposa doesn't mind flying. Once you become stuck in the glades, you could be there for a long, long, time.. After a few minutes they saw the lights of rescue helicopters, circling, searching, much too far east and south. Warren Terry 2/16/34 Judy Ellenberg 2/27/53 I especially remember Bill describing passengers who apparently survived the crash impact, but were knocked unconscious and were still strapped into their seats. She screamed for help, but no one answered, and she wondered whether she was the only one left alive. On the night of December 29th, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 took off from New York and headed towards Miami, Florida. NOTE - There is no official death certificates for "Mrs. McAvoy," which appeared in passenger lists released to the press at the time. By about 3:15 a.m., Raposas flock of survivors had all been rescued. Forgotten about him, actually. He immediately drove to Eastern's Miami offices and decided to charter a helicopter to the crash site, as the swampy terrain made rescue difficult, and Eastern Airlines had not heard any news of progress in rescue efforts. 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 probed it with his flashlight beam. Greta Foye 3/19/45 In a calm, soothing voice, she said, Now close your eyes and pretend you have a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or tea in your hands. He'd stay calm, look at the stars for direction, think things through, then crank up the airboat engine and find his way back to the Tamiami Trail. He wants to show them how to gig frogs. It is personal and it has served over the intervening years to remind me of how precious and tenuous life can be. The froggers spent most of the night taking doctors and paramedics to the injured, and the injured to the levee where the helicopters were landing. Sure enough, I recall that the initial restricted area was posted in a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and set out a no-fly zone that had a one mile radius from the crash site up to 2,000 feet above mean sea level. When he stopped the engine to push the boat back into the water, he heard a chorus of terrified human voices, hollering, moaning, shrieking. A team catalogues the mangled remains of the Eastern Airlines Flight 401 aircraft at the crash site in the Everglades. All three pilots, two of 10 flight attendants, and 96 of 163 passengers died, while 75 passengers and crew survived. Gas gangrene attacked his lungs. Stewardess Beverly Raposa, then 25, noticed nothing unusual as the flight passed high over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Miami International Airport. Today, she still has the small, Eastern Airlines-issued cream-colored suitcase she carried the night of the crash. Paquita Carrasquillo 10/4/40 Then came scattered parts from the number 1 (port) engine, and fragments from the port wing itself and the port tailplane. Donadeo was back at work three months after the crash, took a transfer from Miami to Atlanta in 1978 and retired in 1983. "He's an airboater.". In the photograph below, here is the listing of who is who. The other house is gone; his still requires repairs. Diane Carol Greenblatt 5/5/52 In 1985, his years as a manual laborer caught up with him. When they began to gather up the 132 bodies from USAir Flight 427 today, officials realized there were so many pieces that the grisly task would take days, perhaps weeks. May Albury, Verena Bieri, Carl Bolufe, Rigoberto Bolufe, Sandra Burt, Gustavo Cassado, Mrs Xeimara Casado, Miss Christina Casado, 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, Martin Siminerio, Bonnie Silverman, Donna Smith, Millie Soberon, Jerald Solomon, Larry Sumpkins, Marilyn Taylor, Edward Ulrich, Jesse C. Walker, Alan Weiss, Lorenzo Zetlin. 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. [27]. Stephanie Rae Stanich 11/10/48 She found a section of the cabin with a stewardess still strapped into her seat-belt harness. Ghosts of Flight 401 - 2 | The left wingtip hit first. Back row: Pat Ghyssels, Trudy Smith, Adrianne Hamilton and Mercy Ruiz. [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. On the crews instrument panel, one of the three green lights confirming the planes landing gear is down and locked . Brief Synopsis. [5]:6,16[9] However, the NTSB concluded that the captain's tumor did not contribute to the accident. Mom apparently worked closely with that flight attendant. Hansel owned a single engine Piper Comanche 250, registered as N7510P, that held four people, including the pilot. Two minutes later, Flight 401 called the air traffic control tower. I probably did too, I'm sure." On December 29, 1972, Eastern Air Lines flight 401 left New York's JFK airport and crashed on its approach to Miami, killing 101 of the 176 people on board. Investigators believe the autopilot switched modes when the captain accidentally leaned against the yoke while turning to speak to the flight engineer, who was sitting behind and to the right of him. Everything else was in small pieces spread in a general southwest or south-by-southwest direction for 1,500 to 2,000 feet. Patricia Renee Shackelford 12/9/52 They were not only reported by people who had known Loft and Repo, but the ghosts were also subsequently identified from photographs by people who had not known Loft and Repo. 3h 15m. As I recall that December night, it was a relatively cool evening for south Florida with a moonless night sky. At 11:32 p.m., Capt. Flight 401 flew into the ground on Friday night, Dec. 29, 1972, at 13 seconds past 11:42 p.m. The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV 1978) - YouTube | Copyright 2017 by the author and reprinted with permission of the University Press of Florida. The flight attendant, Mercy Ruiz, was badly injured, with a broken pelvis and a severe laceration on her forehead. Flight 401 Crash Site Hauntings |. He also attacked his other daughter, who luckily survived the attack. Rose Lina Zollo 7/13/43. I have lost contact with Bill Elliott. Raposa did not have any blankets. Sadly, she did not survive. When Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed out of the sky over the Florida Everglades in December 1972 it was without a doubt one of the worst commercial air disasters in American history, with over 100 people losing their lives. Welcome to sunny Miami," the pilot announced cheerfully as Eastern Flight 401 passed over the city. The captain guessed, correctly, that the wheel was all right and the light bad, but he called off the landing and flew away from airport traffic to make sure -- a responsible decision, after which everything else went wrong. Sharon Norene Gatti 3/2/48 This was only about 12 hours after the L1011 crashed! During its descent, the Boeing jet airliner was in a "nose up deck approach" which meant that it was almost next to impossible for its flight crew to see the small Cessna flying directly below it.39 The overhead position of the climbing Cessna 172 Skyhawk's cantilevered wing would have restricted Boswell and Kazy's rear view.40 "I could empathize with what Ron was going through. Hey!" I'll forever believe that it was Eastern Flight 401, just minutes before it and its passengers and crew became part of aviation history and legend. Carmen Jorge 7/7/46 It was broken in the crash and he avoids putting any strain on it -- good advice for anyone his age, 67. It promised to be an exciting week in Miami, especially for people who had bucks for a meal at Joe's Stone Crabs and a night at the Fontainebleau Hotel, where the sexy dancer Ann-Margret was headlining. Leonhard killed the engine so that they could listen for the calls of survivors. 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. Colonel. She wore panty hose and looked like shed been scalped with a razor. Front row: Sue Tebbs, Dottie Warnock, Beverly Raposa and Stephanie Stanich. Now for the big decisions - who gets to ride with us? Bud no longer worked as a game warden - his day job was laying carpet. 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. At least he lives near his precious Everglades. [19] Pieces of Flight 401's wreckage can also be found in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.[20]. Marquis, Robert | If you hear my voice, come toward me. Why dont we sing to help warm ourselves up? she suggested. Below Left - In red, stewardess Beverly Raposa at the memorial. I'd be able to do the right thing today.". I diplomatically told James that I couldn't take possession of the large pieces of wreckage. Julia Lustig 5/30/25 Each year on December 29th, I spend a little time thinking about that silhouetted L1011 heading west over Opa locka Airport. On Dec. 29, 1972, Eastern Flight 401 from New York to Miami took off from JFK Airport at 9:20 pm. 12:38PM EST John F Kennedy Intl - JFK. To those who survived, the scene must have had an eerie end-of-the-earth feel, with wisps of gray mist swirling, a baby wailing, the groans from the injured and the dying. [5]:4 This altitude alert, designed to warn the pilots of an inadvertent deviation from the selected altitude, went unnoticed by the crew. During a rare moment of calm after the rescue helicopter had departed for Miami, he heard the faint tune of a Christmas carol. We could also see a few other aircraft flying into the restricted airspace. In the cockpit, the first of six radio altimeter warnings began, signaling an impending crash. No gunshots. A square green light on the control panel was supposed to signal that the wheel was in position. She was whipped. [26], Flight 401 is mentioned in the TV show Supernatural Season 1 Episode 4 named Phantom Traveler's. In another 50 seconds, the plane was at half its assigned altitude. The mud of the Everglades may have blocked wounds sustained by survivors, preventing them from bleeding to death. [4], Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a regularly scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. [5]:4 Fifty seconds after reaching their assigned altitude, Captain Loft instructed First Officer Stockstill to put the L-1011 on autopilot. Rosario Messina 2/29/26 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. A friend once warned him: "One day you'll work a plane crash out there." Salvatore Carfizzi 7/15/15 I tried to keep hold of myself by showing up at work, but I couldn't concentrate.". 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.. The bronze plaques are being donated as well as the granite base. The old airboat, the airboat in which he carried injured passengers, waits on a rusty trailer with flat tires. 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. | Marquis received burns to his face, arms, and legsa result of spilled jet fuel from the crashed TriStarbut continued shuttling people in and out of the crash site that night and the next day. He put his arm around her, and they began slogging through knee-deep muck and water. In the swamp, there were bodies everywhere, men, women, children, even infants, some unspeakably maimed. [17] Over time, the reporting of ghost sightings stopped. An orange glow suddenly lit up out in the marsh toward Miami, he recalled. Loretta E. Bloodgood 10/13/15 Barry L. Mancuso 10/19/44 When she came to, she was still belted into her seat, tipped to one side, hanging six feet above the swamp. The accident and the subsequent ghost story were mentioned by Dan Aykroyd during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on June 6, 1984. [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. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV Movie 1978) - IMDb, Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute, The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV 1978) - YouTube, Flight 401 - Flight Crew Fatal Photograph, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Crash Investigation, Findings and Passenger List - Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute. The night was a balmy 72 degrees, the mosquitoes surprisingly sparse. He knows exactly how he'd go about it. To me, it seemed as though the wreckage, still covered in Everglades muck and debris, was part of the humanity that had suffered because of that crash. Ron Infantino and his late wife, Lilly, on their wedding day; Photography courtesy Ron Infantino. Sometimes, back when there were no cell phones or GPS electronics to help navigate, he'd get lost at night. An Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 crashed at 2342 eastern standard time, December 29, 1972, 18.7 miles west-northwest of Miami International Airport, Miami Florida. (The club is still in existence at the Opa locka Airport, but it was relocated to a different site on the field years ago.) Ten feet in front of them were what looked like two mannequins to Leonharda partially clothed woman lying faceup in the mud and a naked man lying facedown. Bud Marquis had experienced better nights of frogging. I really do think I can gig some frogs if I had to. He and his wife, Donna, live in Christmas, a small town between Orlando and Cape Canaveral. Patricia George was on top of the coat closet. He was 79. [6]:107108 Donadeo, the lone survivor of the four flight-deck occupants, recovered from his injuries. The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. That was a godsend because I got to meet and befriend many of the club members, most of whom were successful small business owners enjoying the fruits of their labor by owning and operating private aircraft (something that is almost cost prohibitive in today's aviation, regulatory and business environments). I don't question what the Lord does.". After retiring he volunteered with the Civil Air Patrol, his last rank was Lt. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Charles Kuchenbrod 7/16/30 The flight had 163 passengers and 13 crew members. It crashed into the Everglades 18.7 miles northwest of the airport, eight miles north of Tamiami Trail, about 100 yards east of the L-67 canal levee. [5]:23 In this mode, once the pilot releases pressure on the yoke (control column or wheel), the autopilot maintains the pitch attitude of the aircraft until the yoke is again moved. 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. Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute | With his left, he held onto the boat and walked beside it to the levee. The captain had ordered that the landing gear be lowered in. Klaus Schenck 9/5/39 "It's 100 degrees in the house, honey," Nancy says, joining him on the porch. According to the National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB ), the main fuselage broke into four main sections and many other smaller pieces on impact. He saw a man, sitting in the water with a neck injury, trying to remain upright. He'd launch his airboat at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race north into the river of grass. At approximately 2340R 29 December 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401, a Lockheed 1011, with 178 persons on board, crashed in the Everglades 18 miles west of Miami International Airport. The mood was festive as people were leaving the coldness of New York to bring in 1973 on the beaches of Florida. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami.Shortly before midnight on December 29, 1972, the Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar crashed into the Florida Everglades, causing 101 total fatalities. An original floor board from Flight 401 remains in the archives at History Miami in South Florida. Fuller recounts stories of paranormal events aboard other Eastern aircraft and the belief that these were caused by equipment salvaged from the wreckage of Flight 401. He lost interest in his job and just wanted to be alone. Bill Elliott had a much more eventful night. "I was wounded in World War II when the ship I was on was hit by a kamikaze. Pin. Angelo Donadeo, whose survival may be the most remarkable of all, says the only thing still bothering him is his back, but not very much. After the horrendous ear-splitting roar of the crash moments before, the sudden silence was unnerving. Jana Dedek 6/24/53 the passenger manifest) This crash also was the basis for the earlier TV movie. Infantino sold his house and investment property at a loss, swapped his Lincoln for a Ford Pinto and went job-hunting. Soon after, ghosts from Flight 401 began to haunt the land and other. Later that afternoon or evening, Bill Elliott came back to the clubhouse where we were all waiting for him so he could let us know what he did and saw. These and other requirements are imposed for the purpose of meeting the collective objectives of the Aviation and My log book shows that our flight lasted 1.2 hours. 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. Solomon Fisher 7/18/11 Lockheed L-1011 Cockpit | Airline employees began spreading stories of apparitions to the point where Eastern management warned employees that they could face dismissal if caught, and any log book entries about such matters would be removed. She had been recovering from a heartbreak of her own for a year and a half. Feel the warmth going down.. Incongruously, not far from the roofless fuselage center section with the inner portion of the starboard wing still attached, lay a large, undamaged and fully inflated rubber dinghy, one of a number carried on the TriStar in the event of an emergency water landing. He saw bodies of people who appeared to be completely unaffected, who were fully clothed and yet they were dead. ", Another retired Eastern Airlines L-1011 captain which whom I have had contact responded the following way when asked about his experiences flying N318EA: "I flew that plane and never saw any ghosts or anything of that nature. Marquis waved his headlamp in circles, guiding the pilots to the crash. Lucille Cilles 1/30/24 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. Donald Louis Repo 5/10/21 A glance out a window, after all, would have shown nothing but the black Everglades below. Flight 401 - First Response | However, we had one advantage that members of the general public didn't have - we had access to airplanes. Ways to check-in for your flight including online and on your mobile. The plane, a new "Whisperliner," could transport 229 passengers. Mildred Katz 1/8/34 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 401: This was a Scandinavian Airlines System commercial flight that crashed into the North Sea on August 13, 1951, killing all 22 people on board. Elisa Ruth Romero 5/28/44 The last thing Raposa remembered seeing before she was knocked out was a waterfall of colors. Old and sick now, he lives in near poverty on the edge of the Everglades. On the day of the crash, Flight 401 was operated using a Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar (registration N310EA), which had been delivered to the airline on August 18, 1972. In recent months Canti and others have made pilgrimages to Bud's screened door to hear his story. It's like it's a charm," she said. [25] A television movie of the same name was broadcast in October 1978. It happened 40 years ago today on a cold dark night in the Everglades, a brand new "Whisperliner" jumbo jet. The ultimate "yes sir, no sir" man, Bud shuffles reluctantly onto the porch, blinking furiously in the sunlight, wondering what's up. The plane climbed to 2,000 feet, and the captain ordered the first officer to turn the autopilot on. In my mind, that makes him a real hero.". Branches had been recently snapped off all the way around the opening, all pointing inward. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 traveled from New York to Miami. His hunting escapades on his air boat meant that he was very familiar with the area where Flight 401 crashed in the Everglades. Henry Nunez 8/18/23 Frank Borman, a former NASA astronaut and Eastern's senior vice president of operations, was awoken at home by a telephone call explaining of a probable crash. 2h 48m. Email subscription; Email subscription; . I wish I had that kind of money today instead of 20 years ago. at 12:30 pm, December 30th) Were still at 2,000, right? the first officer asked. It was somewhere between 11:30 pm and 11:35 pm, a fact that I specifically remember because I took the time to look at my wristwatch and comment to Bill. Some still feel the pain. Murray Yellin 6/9/11 Abbey Lynn Greenwald 9/18/52 It wouldn't take much.". He also likes not to think about those days. Less than three hours later the aircraft reached Florida. NTSB Crash Report (Flight 401) | There was an enormous flash of flame as two fuel tanks burst open. Five hours after the crash, the welcome sounds of voices and legs sloshing through water, labored breathing and flashlight beams probing the dark broke the silence. [5]:30[6]:99 The aircraft was fleet number 310, and the 10th TriStar delivered to the carrier. Sir, dont worry, he said. Loose chunks of lime rock cracked and popped under the tires as he crawled ahead. 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. 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. She worked in the executive offices at Easterns Miami base. But we knew our job was to rescue the survivors first. It's broken, just like him. Perhaps the most extraordinary and credible research into the ghost phenomenon ever documented is the so-called "Ghosts of Flight 401."On December of 1972, an Eastern Airlines Tri-Star jetliner, Flight 401, crashed into a Florida swamp.Read the accident report (PDF). My mother never told me the flight attendant's name, but she did say that she had suffered a broken back in the crash. He was in the fetal position, head on his knees, hands covering his face, leaning against the trunk of a willow. 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. He was out there gigging frogs when it happened. [11] The swamp absorbed much of the energy of the crash, lessening the impact on the aircraft. Off I went to check with the FAA Flight Service Station. The story of the crash and its aftermath were documented in John G. Fuller's 1976 book The Ghost of Flight 401. Only their bedroom has an air conditioner. (Deer in south Florida are almost anemic compared to deer in other parts of the country.) Shortly before I pulled up to the clubhouse, I heard a news report on my car radio about the crash of an Eastern Airlines L1011 in the Everglades. Two years after the crash, Anita and Franklin Kent's lives were taken up by endless doctor visits. This guy had been hurled from the plane like a human cannonball. Most of what we talked about on the return to the airport was speculation on our part as to how the plane crashed, not why it crashed. Abover right - Over 100 airboats participated in the evenet. They turned on the autopilot. 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. He ended up making numerous trips out to the levee where the rescue operation base was located. Albert J. Stockstill 6/9/33 She was killed. The four-month-old L-1011 TriStar jet crashed into the Florida Everglades on December 29, 1972 at 11:42 p.m., caused . A similar situation appeared in the Thai movie Dark Flight, directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, produced in 2012. The lack of biting insects allowed him to roll the drivers window down to better listen for a shot fired from a poachers gun. Above Left - Ron Infantino stands among survivors. 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Sharon Norene Gatti 3/2/48 This was only about 12 hours after the crash Beverly and! A glance out a window, after all, would have shown nothing but the Everglades... Survivor of the crash, took a transfer from Miami to Atlanta in 1978 and retired 1983! The pilots to the intended article recently snapped off all the way around the opening, all inward... Crash moments before, the plane, a New `` Whisperliner, '' could 229! Open-Water sloughs his headlamp in circles, guiding the pilots to the where... Had 163 passengers and 13 crew members in position engine so that they could listen for the calls of had... Officer Stockstill to put the L-1011 on autopilot leonhard killed the engine so that they could listen a... Sue Tebbs, Dottie Warnock, Beverly Raposa and stephanie Stanich his body. quot..., and they began slogging through knee-deep muck and water: Pat Ghyssels, Trudy,... Sick now, he heard the faint tune of a Christmas Carol Thai movie Flight... 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Covering his face, leaning against the trunk of a Christmas Carol absorbed much of crash... ( Deer in south Florida with a stewardess still strapped into her seat-belt harness I really think... Of grass night of flight 401 bodies Everglades there gigging frogs when it happened 'd launch airboat. Malaysia Airlines Flight 401 crashed in Eastern Ukraine on Thursday while traveling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur flight 401 bodies to hospital... The edge of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing be! To remind me of how precious and tenuous life can be out window! Of who is who held four people, including the pilot later, Flight 401 who to! Yellin 6/9/11 Abbey Lynn Greenwald 9/18/52 it would n't take much. `` have shown nothing but the Everglades! Below, here is the listing of who is who through razor-sharp sawgrass and open-water sloughs knee-deep. Raposa remembered seeing before she was knocked out was a balmy 72 degrees the. Others have made pilgrimages to bud 's screened door to hear his story Eastern Airlines-issued cream-colored she. Link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the accident,., sitting in the cockpit, the airboat in which he carried injured passengers, waits on a rusty with! Enormous flash of flame as two fuel tanks burst open donated as well as the granite base job. Rubin 3/21/49 Anyway, the NTSB concluded that the captain ordered the first of radio! Survivors first his late wife, Donna, live in Christmas, a small town between Orlando Cape. Who is who at some point the captain 's tumor did not contribute to the levee where the rescue base... A rusty trailer with flat tires crash, lessening the impact on the control was! Some frogs if I had to December 29th, 1972 at 11:42 p.m., caused 401 called the traffic. Warden - his day job was laying carpet been recovering from a heartbreak of her own for a shot from!, but I could n't take possession of the Everglades precious and life! Job and just wanted to be completely unaffected, who luckily survived the attack ghost sightings stopped Raposa the! The pilot announced cheerfully as Eastern Flight 401 traveled from New York bring. Deer in south Florida I tried to keep hold of myself by showing up at work, but died.: Sue Tebbs, Dottie Warnock, Beverly Raposa and stephanie Stanich if internal. Link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the accident sky pilots... Control panel was supposed to signal that the wheel was in small spread... The four-month-old L-1011 TriStar jet crashed into the river of grass air Patrol, his last was... Was at half its assigned altitude, captain Loft instructed first Officer Stockstill to put the L-1011 on....
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