At 7:45 p.m. on December 29 that year, an Eastern Air Lines jet out of Tampa, Fla. arrived at Kennedy Airport, one of the airline's hubs, for routine maintenance. Her message on life: Never take anything for granted. Unfortunately, 101 passengers and crew perished in the accident. "The tail turned over, the floor opened under me and I went down with 400 pounds of debris on me," she said. A look at some of the strange tales that emerged after the accident. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades on December 29, 1972 as it was descending to land at Miami International Airport. Multiple Emmy award winning journalist Ted Scouten has been the familiar face at the scene of international stories that have affected South Florida since 1998. Although not in your arms, Im always in your heart. The survivors were taken to a narrow levee where helicopters took them to hospitals. Featured Image: Eastern Airlines Lockheed L1011 N310EA, the airframe involved in flight 401. The flight had been uneventful until the Lockheed L-1011 jet was making its approach to MIA. Beverly saw a sea of colors before being knocked out. "These poor people were still my responsibility. Aviation consultant Bennie Benitez said there were many positive safety elements that came out of 401, like flash lights on all planes. I think about her every day.. In loving memory so they will never, ever be forgotten," she said unveiling the stone monument with the names of those who died engraved in the granite. . The flight path of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 in its final moments. Passengers, cabin crew, Pilots, Flight Engineers, even top airline executives, all claimed to have seen 'something' while travelling on some Eastern Airlines aircraft. Located just across from the Miami Springs Country Club, survivors and families hope this memorial brings comfort 5 decades later. While making preparations to land, the crew are distracted by a faulty landing gear indicator light and accidentally disengage the autopilot while trying to resolve the problem. While the plane was on final approach, the crew became distracted by an apparent problem. Pin. The Lockheed L-1011 was the pride of the Eastern fleet and the first of a new generation of wide-body jumbo jets to crash. In the hospital he learned just how bad off he was. The memorial monument will be accessible by foot and car, with parking and benches located nearby. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Crash Investigation, Findings and Passenger List . Organizers are still seeking donations to cover the cost of the memorial, a bill that stands at about $20,000. Ron Infantino is a passenger who survived the tragedy. The plane, which was in an angled turn at the time, struck the swamp and began to flip, breaking apart and spitting the passengers to the ground. Chapter 4 - Flight 401 Passenger List. The cockpit crew, scrambling to identify the problem, got permission from air traffic control to circle the Everglades. / CBS Miami. READ MORE: Were down. Flight 401 crashed in Miami 50 years ago. The 75-year-old woman, who was 25 at the time, was given a standing ovation for spearheading the efforts to build the memorial, located on the grassy median of the Curtiss Parkway and across from the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. They had not realized that the autopilot was disconnected, which ultimately caused the plane to lose altitude and crash. At the front of the aircraft, Sue Tebbs and Adrienne Hamilton were seated for landing. It helps me put life in perspective, you see.". "The priest came over and asked me what my religion was," he remembers. "On the wreath I put, 'To our fellow brothers and sisters, in loving memory.' And then she started walking away, trying to help people. Miami, Florida: Bankrupt Eastern Airlines Jets On The Ground. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. I say, 'Calm down, Ron, what number is this? Survivors: 10: Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 was a controlled flight into terrain accident of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 during approach to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. She encouraged them to sing Christmas carols . Please enter valid email address to continue. Bob Loft decided to try to troubleshoot and fix the light before landing and put the plane on autopilot. All of the bodies were recovered, 99 perished that night, two more would die from their injuries. Amid the planes wreckage, her cream-colored, company-issued suitcase was the only one that remained intact. Days later, the wreckage of the aircraft was retrieved from the swamp, and some of its parts were able to be salvaged, including a galley. Eastern Air Lines flight 401 encountered no problems while cruising between the two cities. Eastern employees visited Infantino for a two-hour interview. "We now dedicate this memorial to the 101 souls who perished that night. A flash fire also developed from sprayed fuel. Raposa would spend the next grueling hours fighting for those who survived the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401. DALLAS December 29, 2022, will mark a half-century since the fatal crash of Eastern Air Lines (EA) Flight 401. Its like the light they needed in the Everglades on that December night 50 years ago. A keen amateur photographer, he also recently reached the milestone of flying his 100th sector as a passenger. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. But it also crept into popular culture through . "He said they found Lilly's body," he said. The senior flight attendant said he was dazed and unresponsive when spoken to and was not on the passenger list. Four hours after the accident, the coastguard and rescuers arrived, their efforts hampered by the difficult location and conditions. Contact us: info@MiamiSprings.com The jumbo jet had been making a late evening flight from New York to Miami. Please review this photograph closely. "Well its difficult, we were only married 20 days, and we were both 26 years old, and she was my first love to be honest with you. Patricia has a master's level postgraduate diploma in Human Factors in Aviation and has written about aviation since 2010. 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). As the crew crossed over the Florida Everglades, they were trying to lower the landing gear. A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. Advertise: Call 305.775.4094 or email: The group will also try to raise funds for a memorial to honor those who died. We consider them significant. The crash was a result of the flight crew's failure to recognize a deactivation of the autopilot during their attempt . One minute, he was resting in his seat with his arms folded. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades on a moonless night on December 29, 1972. And she knows what I went through, so you have that same bonding with one another.". ads@MiamiSprings.com. Seconds later, the plane crashed into the ground at 227 mph. I have a beautiful family, and I got my wings back, and I just keep moving forward, said McQuigg. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. In his first public comments since his highly publicized move from Atlanta United, Martinez told the Herald that his girlfriend, two-month-old son, and more than half his friends live in Doral. Fortunately, there were 75 survivors during that horrible tragedy of late 1972. Then I knew how bad I was.". "They're home," Beverly said. When an air traffic controller at MIA noticed they were flying at 900 feet when they should have been at 2000, he contacted the cockpit and asked, "How are things coming along out there?" Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L10111 Tristar jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades at 1142pm December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities (99 initial crash fatalities, two died shortly afterward). Donations are still being accepted no matter what amount. 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. All are South Florida survivors of the crash of Eastern Flight #401 now trying . On returning to the galley, another flight attendant saw an engineer fixing the oven. Sharon Shackleford said it has been painful to go on without her sister but that the memorial brings her peace. The watercraft can easily traverse the swampy conditions of the Everglades and played an integral role in the rescue efforts that followed the crash. Infantino served in Vietnam, but it was this flight, not war that brought him closest to death. Miami, Florida Dec 10, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was on its final approach into Miami shortly before midnight 50 years ago this month when a single light bulb on the aircraft's instrument panel failed to illuminate.Momentarily distracted, the flight crew failed to notice as the Lockheed L-1011 slowly dropped from the sky and into the blackness of the Everglades below. From there a series of seemingly small mistakes and oversights led to the epic crash. He didn't know it, but it was Robert "Bud" Marquis, who was out frog-gigging with a friend. 103 passengers and crew members died in the crash or shortly thereafter and 75 passengers/crew survived. It all happened so quickly that he couldnt turn to check on his wife of 20 days, Lilly Infantino, who sat beside him on the flight from New York to Miami. Ruiz was 28 years old and had been working as a flight attendant for less than three years when the plane went down. . 2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW #315 Updated on: December 29, 2022 / 6:57 PM Flight Capt. One hundred and one lives were lost that late December evening, with 75 passengers and crew . The sound, a huge fireball that went through the cabin," she recalled. However, 75 people did survive the crash. 50 years later, memorial dedicated to survivors, families of Eastern Flight 401 crash. The wreckage of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 lies in the Florida Everglades after the crash. She and Marquis would be remembered as two of the heroes from that night. 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 (99 initial crash fatalities, two died shortly afterward). Raposa added that Flight 401 has also been widely incorporated into safety training for pilots and flight attendants. The flight was largely uneventful, but, on approach to Miami, the flight crew had become fixated on a faulty indication in the cockpit. 101 out of the 176 occupants onboard the aircraft perished. Click on contribute in the blue box in the right column of the home page. The bottom line was that the pilot and crew became so concerned about a burnt-out lightbulb that they neglected to notice the altitude dropping. The incident occurred on September 11, 1974, killing 72 of the 82 people on board. This commemorative event in the Everglades represented one of many, which also included smaller meetings among survivors and supporters. In November 2022, Airways interviewed former flight attendants Beverly Raposa and Mercy Ruiz to understand their perspectives as survivors of the crash. ", "We're still at two thousand right?" Truth or scare? She asked the flight engineer later about the oven, and he said he hadn't fixed it, and it didn't need to be fixed. Beverly Raposa switched seats from her regular position in the galley for a flight from New York to Miami. Why them two?. I just regret not getting a chance to say goodbye. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was on its final approach into Miami shortly before midnight 50 years ago this month when a single light bulb on the aircraft's instrument panel failed to illuminate. The flight crew had taken pictures as a keepsake for what would have been their last trip of the year together. Local 10: Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story; Flamingo Magazine: Flight 401 Down in the Glades; Read the Story! 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. His knee was badly dislocated, his shin able to swivel in any direction. I number things from 1 to 10, and 10 [is] a plane crash, he said. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at 1pm on Curtiss Parkway, near the Miami Springs Golf Course. She called two of her fellow crew members in to witness what she had seen. According to the Official Eastern Airlines Flight 401 history website, the passengers that survived the flight are: In addition to the passengers, the following crew members and Eastern Airlines employees also survived the crash: To visit the Memorial, just head towards the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club and park at the southern edge of the parking along Curtiss Parkway or at the Driving Range. You are here with us," said flight attendant Beverly Raposa, who survived the crash. The Douglas DC-9-31 carried 78 passengers and four crew members. Flight attendants Patricia and Stephanie tragically died in the crash, along with the flight crew. The official cause of the crash was pilot error, the crew being distracted by a faulty nose gear indicator . The group wanted to balance their pose, so they stood in two lines of four with one of the flight attendants stretching out over the top of a closet. He was flying from New York that night with his bride of 20 days, Lilly. 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. So when Im stuck in traffic, I say, Ron, What number is this? Raposa, 25, had noticed something strange. Hardly anyone has stopped by in 35 years to discuss the crash. The aircraft was delivered to Eastern Air Lines on 30 January 1969. The swamp water that may have saved him also caused him to get gangrene, causing it to swell to three times its normal size and smell "like rotten eggs." The plane plunged into the Everglades after taking off from the Miami airport. Pieces of the shattered plane lay scattered in the muck and jet fuel stained the inky waters of the Everglades. This month represents the 50th anniversary of the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, which crashed into the Florida Everglades in December 1972. READ MORE: Eastern Flight 401 introduced new safety measures and books, movies and ghost stories. Discover more of our stories here! In the hospital, Infantino barely survived. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. He would later learn the voice came from flight attendant Beverly Raposa, who would later lead survivors in Christmas carols to try to keep their spirits up in the cold night. Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story. What happened with ValuJet. She has served as cabin crew on flights from economy-class to private jets. He had bad sawgrass cuts all over his face. The idea for a memorial for Eastern Flight 401 first popped up at the 35th anniversary gathering in the Everglades. I didn't know what to do.". READ MORE: There was another tragedy in Miami after Eastern Flight 401. Meanwhile, a flight attendant on a New York to Miami flight (the very route of the December 1972 crash) opened an overhead locker to find Bob's face peering out at her. The captain was 49-year-old James Edward Reeves, who had been with Eastern Air Lines since 1956. He held out hope that his wife had survived another patient with their last name was admitted to a hospital in Florida. She woke in darkness, still in her jump seat hanging to one side, choking on the acrid jet fuel fumes. We reach over 20,000 people each month. The video below recounts the moment by moment incident that led to the crash as well as interviews with some of the survivors and witnesses. Then, luggage shot out of the overhead bins. Looking back, Ruiz, now 78, who worked at Eastern until the company stopped flying in 1991, sees signs in the events of Dec. 29, 1972. There has not been one day in the last 50 years that they havent been in my heart and that I havent wanted to make sure that I kept my promise to them. The appearance of the dead flight engineer () was confirmed by the flight engineer." Copyright - Florida Web Marketing, Inc. Nestor Suarez is the Publisher of MiamiSprings.com since 1997. Washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can be made at www.PlaneSafe.org. Now the names are there and they will never be forgotten, Ruiz said. The rescuers, Coast Guard members and Miami-Dade fire fighters and police officers, worked throughout the night finding survivors. Bud Marquis raced to the scene to assist survivors and he used his head-mounted light to signal the first U. S. Coast Guard HH-52A as to where . A look at some of the strange tales that emerged after the accident. 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). The left wing tip hit first. /24-7PressRelease/ - MIAMI, FL, December 07, 2007 - On Monday, December 3, 2007 survivors of Eastern Airlines Flight 401, gathered at the Metro-Dade Firefighters Memorial Building, in Doral (Miami), Florida, to remember the 101 passengers and crew, who lost their lives in the fateful crash of a Lockheed L-1011, jumbo-jet in the Florida Everglades, December 29, 1972, while en route from New . Beverly attended to the injured and calmed any survivors she found. While Flight 401 came with intense loss, Ruiz emphasized that it spurred many significant safety developments in the aviation industry, from the advent of cockpit resource management (CRM) to the adoption of ground proximity warning system (GPWS) devices in commercial airliners. Flight attendants Mercedes Ruiz and Patricia McQuigg were working at the rear of the aircraft. Edit. Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. The plane then veered to the left and was thrown into darkness. Beverly replied, 'No Mercy, we're down.' The Story Of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. The heroism of Marquis and others and the heartbreaking loss of life that night are remembered and honored in an exhibit opening January 14 at HistoryMiami Museum in downtown Miami. However, the indicator light failed to show that the landing gear was locked down. Aircraft and crew The aircraft involved was a five-year-old McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 registered as N8984E, which was delivered to Eastern Airlines on January 30, 1969. (Ron Infantino) On the 29th of December 1972, an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 Tristar landing in Miami, Florida plowed into the Everglades well short of the airport, throwing dozens of survivors into a grisly fight for survival. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was on its final approach into Miami shortly before midnight 50 years ago this month when a single light bulb on the aircraft's instrument panel failed to illuminate. "I can't see it, it's pitch dark and I throw the little light, I get, ah, nothing," the second officer said, according to the report. "We did something to the altitude," he said. The flight, which departed from JFK International . Fundraising was a challenge, but Raposa said radio appearances and the support of former Eastern Air Lines employees bolstered efforts. Beverly has often wondered how she survived how anyone survived. For example, the vice president of Eastern Air Lines once boarded a flight from New York and chatted with a pilot, who he assumed was in charge of that sector. I try to do that but I'm human so it doesn't always work out.". Aboard were 13 crew members and 163 holiday travelers. the first officer asked, and the captain immediately exclaimed "Hey, what's happening here?". Patricia has a master's level postgraduate diploma in Human Factors in Aviation and has written about aviation since 2010. Survivors now have a message, Venezuelan Josef Martinez opens up on move to Inter Miami, love of Doral and arepas, DeSantis wants to permanently ban COVID vaccine, mask requirements for Florida workers, Odd armored fish seen hanging from mouth of Florida heron. The precious love we shared means we are never far apart,. Three days after the crash, Lilly Infantinos body was found. Sharon and Adrienne were injured and trapped in their jump seats. 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. It happened just west of Miami International Airport. The tragedy would never have occurred but for a single, burnt-out light bulb . She heard the cries of people and shouted, 'Follow my voice, I am a flight attendant' so that any surviving passengers could find her. Those were the last words recovered from the flight voice recorder. "We don't have a home of our own to call our own, 401 doesn't," he said.
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