They were exhausted. Seventy five people survived. Eastern Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, remains the worst aviation accident in Florida history. His arm was hanging by a thread; the cold swamp water may have saved his life by coagulating the blood. The plane then veered to the left and was thrown into darkness. . /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 . Contact: [email protected], 2022 Airways Publishing, LLC. Raposa brought the baby to Ruiz, who cradled him to keep warm. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. And then she started walking away, trying to help people. The death toll was, in 1972, the highest of any one-plane accident. On duty that day was also Stephanie Stanich, Trudy Smith, Sharon Transue, Beverly Rapoza and Dorothy Warnock. The plane's capacity . The sound, a huge fireball that went through the cabin," she recalled. There were 75 survivors. The pilot was unnerved by what had happened and canceled the flight. A flash fire also developed from sprayed fuel. In the hospital, Infantino barely survived. Nichole Shackleford, 53, was just 3 years old when she lost her mother, passenger Patricia Renee Shackleford, 20, in the crash. How could this have happened? Her mothers sister, Sharon Shackleford, 73, and best friend, Angel Sears, 70, were also in attendance. Sharon and Adrienne were injured and trapped in their jump seats. Aviation consultant Bennie Benitez said there were many positive safety elements that came out of 401, like flash lights on all planes. The official cause of the crash was pilot error, the crew being distracted by a faulty nose gear indicator . Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight 401. North Miami Beach, FL (PRWEB) December 7, 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 York to . 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. "They were screaming, next thing I knew it, the overhead luggage was flying all over the place and the lights were going on and off like crazy. Flight 401 - Flight Crew Fatal Photograph. One of the worst air disasters in South Florida history happened exactly 50 years ago Thursday, when Eastern Airlines Flight 401 slammed into the Florida Everglades, killing more than 100 people . Writer - Patricia joins Simple Flying with over 20 years of experience in aviation. "And it was just hanging off. A desperate search and rescue effort began almost immediately. Beverly attended to the injured and calmed any survivors she found. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401: 28 May 2008 () On 29 December 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 is on a flight to Miami International Airport. Bob Loft decided to try to troubleshoot and fix the light before landing and put the plane on autopilot. Raposa, 25, had noticed something strange. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. We'll probably never know. The crash spawned a number of books, films and other media, along with legends of ghost signtings involving crew members who were killed. He was very dedicated," she said. . Checks can be made payable to: National Air Disaster Foundation Beverly Raposa switched seats from her regular position in the galley for a flight from New York to Miami. 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. I reach over and all the sudden my fingers go inside of my bicep," he said. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. "Same thing in our lives. Washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can be made at www.PlaneSafe.org. Oh, Mercy, stop complaining, Ghyssels responded. A ball of fire erupted in the cabin and the aircraft cartwheeled and broke into pieces. Beverly Rapoza had just returned from the cabin, collecting empty dishes and glasses, and was looking forward to some rest. Dawn Quinn, 59, the granddaughter of flight 401 Captain Robert A. Loft, said she was 9 years old when she heard that her grandfathers plane had crashed. asked Loft. 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. Pieces of the shattered plane lay scattered in the muck and jet fuel stained the inky waters of the Everglades. Then I knew how bad I was.". The 50th Anniversary of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Memorial Monument will be dedicated in a 1300 EST ceremony on December 29, 2022. 19 de agosto de 1972 (fonte: Jetsite ) O voo 401 da Eastern Air Lines, realizado por um avio Lockheed L-1011, foi vtima de um acidente tendo cado num pntano da Flrida, Estados Unidos (nos chamados Everglades) na noite do dia 29 de dezembro de 1972, causando a morte de 101 das 176 pessoas, entre passageiros e tripulantes, que seguiam a . He turned it down. One survivor, certain Marquis carried him to safety, once showed up with a $1,000 check. 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. The flight, which departed from JFK International . Those are the last moments Ron Infantino, 76, who now lives in The Villages in Central Florida, remembers before blacking out. The two girls in the photograph that are having the bunny ears (Patricia Ghyssels) and the one jokingly being choked (Stephanie Stanich) were the only two flight attendants who did . It was a picture no one was supposed to see, and instead, it has been all over the world, known for being taken right before the disaster. Less pool space. Dedication of a Memorial Monument for the 50th Anniversary of Eastern Flight 401. 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. The flight path of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 in its final moments. However, the indicator light failed to show that the landing gear was locked down. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters. But a light didnt confirm whether the landing gear was down. "You will never be forgotten. Its a bad dream. Mercedes was thrown from the aircraft, still trapped in her jump seat with injuries to her head and a broken pelvis. Copyright - Florida Web Marketing, Inc. Nestor Suarez is the Publisher of MiamiSprings.com since 1997. This week, there will be a special commemoration of the new monument on Curtiss Parkway in memory of the 101 souls lost fifty years ago on Eastern Airlines Flight 401. 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. Survivors and families are remembering the 101 souls who were killed 50 years ago when Eastern Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades. 401 JFK-MIA Dec. 29, 1972. "It banked to the left and those engines roared to take off power and we hit. Raposa was among 75 "miracle survivors." Another 101 died. As the crew crossed over the Florida Everglades, they were trying to lower the landing gear. Shortly after, the plane crashed into the swamp. Also developed after the crash were ground proximity warning systems, which alert pilots if an aircraft is is immediate danger of flying into the gound or an obstacle. By the time they did, it was already too late to recover. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 traveled from New York to Miami. Those still in a sufficiently usable state were used again on the Eastern Air Lines fleet. The aircraft assigned to Eastern Airlines Flight 401 that December 29th was an L-1011 from Lockheed, often referred to as a Whisperliner due to its quiet engines. and they said, 'I'm sorry, sir, we don't know.'". Chapter 4 - Flight 401 Passenger List. We're trying to build a memorial out there to try to honor that not only the survivals but the ones who died, ron The precious love we shared means we are never far apart, Infantino said. He read a poem in her honor from her perspective as if she were speaking to him from the heavens above. Infantino and other survivors have for years tried to create one but have been unable to raise the money needed to build it. In addition to commemorating Flight 401, the creative talent behind the exhibit is seeking to help survivors raise the funding needed to create a permanent large-scale memorial to Flight 401's victims and survivors in the City of Miami Springs, once home to a thriving Eastern Air Lines community. Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story. 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. Eastern Airlines Flight #401 (L1011 N310EA) crashed in the Everglades on December 29, 1972. The couple dated for a few years before getting married in December 1972. Ruiz also described the adoption of shoulder straps on jump seats as another significant safety development that followed the crash of Flight 401. Photo: Jon Proctor Collection. He had 8,876 flight hours, including 3,856 hours on the DC-9. That time, finances got in the way. The lights of Miami vanished behind them. The plane actually spun in a circle, the floor dropped and I woke up in the water," he recalled. MIAMI - Survivors and families are remembering the 101 souls who were killed 50 years ago when Eastern Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Florida's deadliest airline disasters. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was on its way from New York to Miami on December 29th, 1972, with 13 crew and 163 passengers onboard. In other words, more building space. 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. the first officer asked, and the captain immediately exclaimed "Hey, what's happening here?". Based in Dubai, Ghosts On A Plane? Please review this photograph closely. MIAMI - Thursday marks 50 years since Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. Naked in the cold water, surrounded by tall sawgrass, he heard an airboat. He wasnt rescued until four or five hours later, he remembers reading in his hospital records. "They're home," Beverly said. In November 2022, Airways interviewed former flight attendants Beverly Raposa and Mercy Ruiz to understand their perspectives as survivors of the crash. According to the Aviation Safety Network, Eastern Air Lines had 163 passengers and 13 members of crew onboard, totaling 176 occupants altogether. Both would die in the crash. "We don't have a home of our own to call our own, 401 doesn't," he said. They were working all night with gear on the boots in the swamp and the mud.". According to DeWitt, the monument also represents how through a terrible tragedy in Flight 401, the industry eventually put safety first in many ways.. Since the flight was full, he exercised his privilege as an Eastern Airlines employee, and rode in the cockpit jumpseat. [email protected]. Beverly saw a sea of colors before being knocked out. With the 50th anniversary comes an opportunity for remembrance and reflection, to honor the lives lost and contemplate the tremendous improvements in aviation safety that followed the accident. Five years ago, Raposa revived the idea and got approval to place it on a plot of public land in Miami Springs. Infantino served in Vietnam, but it was this flight, not war that brought him closest to death. - Flight Safety Foundation. 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. 2022 Miami Herald. He says he thinks about the crash every day and it has defined the way he looks at life. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. At the start of 2022, Raposa remembered her promise to honor those who lost their lives on the flight. Mysteriously, the log books started to go missing from the aircraft. Then he gave me last rites. She went on to praise the efforts of Raposa, who sang Christmas carols to maintain morale among survivors as they waited for rescue. "The priest came over and asked me what my religion was," he remembers. An Eastern Airlines jet heading from New York to Miami crashed in the Everglades 50 years ago. After placing a seat cushion under Ruizs head, Raposa left to search for other survivors. That time, finances got in the way. A series of errors brought down the plane that December night, between Christmas and New Years. . READ MORE: The day when an Eastern Airlines jet crashed into the Florida Everglades. Literally you were inside a tornado.". But no one could hear Infantino yelling for help. Who could this have been? Love aviation history? Wow, what an experience that was. He didn't know it, but it was Robert "Bud" Marquis, who was out frog-gigging with a friend. She asked fellow flight attendant Patricia Ghyssels, who sat across from her, what was going on. It was time to leave as each of us will do. If you have a story you'd like to share with the Miami Springs audience or would like to advertise on MiamiSprings.com, please contact Mr. Suarez at: You have entered an incorrect email address! 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. 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. As the aircraft circled over the Florida Everglades, the flight crew were fixated on whether the landing gear was, in fact, down and the indicator light was faulty. Airboats represent a certain degree of sentimental value for survivors of Flight 401. ", But he was worried about Lilly. Robert Loft, 55; First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and Second Officer Donald Repo, 51, all of Miami-Dade. All rights reserved. "I was leaning back, my eyes half closed, and all the sudden I hear the engines go to full power," he said. Its like the light they needed in the Everglades on that December night 50 years ago. We consider them significant. So when Im stuck in traffic, I say, Ron, What number is this? He opened the trap door to see a vision of Don looking at him, which then promptly disappeared. At one point he noticed that his right arm didn't seem right. "They'll never be forgotten.". Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. I try to do that but I'm human so it doesn't always work out.". He said 401 needs a memorial not only for those who died but for its importance in airline safety. After the wreckage is removed, salvageable parts from the plane are used to repair other aircraft. She was dazed and disoriented but noticed a penlight flashing nearby. Now, survivors are planning the first memorial marker. The disaster that killed 100 people became the foundations of the safety procedures on airlines. one of the deadliest plane crashes in South Floridas history, Were down. Flight 401 crashed in Miami 50 years ago. "I just remember their heavy breathing. The scene was apocalyptic. Woman, 66, has been missing for weeks, Miami cops say, Date night: Ivanka Trump posts picture with Jared Kushner at this Miami hot spot, Miami to Palm Beach lawyers email trouble, aggravated battery, fighting disbarment, DeSantis appoints a Lourdes Academy staffer to the Miami-Dade School Board, Former state Rep. Grieco should have law license temporarily suspended, report says, A Coral Gables attorney suspended in 2020, disbarred in 2022 wants to be back by July, Suspect arrested after Miami gas station clerk is stabbed multiple times. Ball of fire erupted in the Everglades seat cushion under Ruizs head, Raposa remembered her promise honor. The log books started to go missing from the aircraft, 39, and rode in the in. Asked me what my religion was, '' he recalled as the crew crossed over the Florida.. Memorial Monument for the memorial so it does n't always work out. `` were injured and trapped their... 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