He wasnt rescued until four or five hours later, he remembers reading in his hospital records. Edit. She was dazed and disoriented but noticed a penlight flashing nearby. I know how much you miss me, and I miss you too. 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. I don't think so we have no control over our destiny.". The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. 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. 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. Southern Airboat and other organizations also plan to honor Bud and the victims and survivors of Eastern Flight 401 with a service and a barbecue in Miami. Passengers, cabin crew, Pilots, Flight Engineers, even top airline executives, all claimed to have seen 'something' while travelling on some Eastern Airlines aircraft. Pieces of the aircraft scattered across the sawgrass. Ruiz continued her career as a flight attendant, flying for both EA and United (UA) in the years following Flight 401. As you might expect, she later picked from some photos that Don was the engineer she had seen. She went on to praise the efforts of Raposa, who sang Christmas carols to maintain morale among survivors as they waited for rescue. She woke in darkness, still in her jump seat hanging to one side, choking on the acrid jet fuel fumes. Visit miamiherald.com. He said 401 needs a memorial not only for those who died but for its importance in airline safety. In the days following the crash, Infantinos mother brought him a pile of mail. "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. One of them was Ron Infantino, an Air Force veteran in Vietnam and aviation aficianado. "I just remember their heavy breathing. Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. Her face was burnt, but the coolness of the swamp seemed a relief. Expand the text below to read more about this . Raposa, who now lives in Broward County, studied to become a flight attendant just steps away from the memorial site. And never go out of the house angry. "You couldn't even say goodbye to each other, that's how fast it happened, said crash survivor Ron Infantino, whose wife Lily died in the crash. The harrowing tale of three survivors of the 1972 crash of Eastern Airlines flight 401 into the Everglades. 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. He warned them of a faulty electrical circuit, which was then found and replaced. ", "We're still at two thousand right?" The other 101 people on Eastern Airlines Flight 401 died quite horribly 98 in the Everglades where the airplane crashed, three later in hospitals. "Survivors" Southern . On another flight, a flight attendant is said to have seen Don's face on the oven door. Copyright - Florida Web Marketing, Inc. Nestor Suarez is the Publisher of MiamiSprings.com since 1997. the first officer asked, and the captain immediately exclaimed "Hey, what's happening here?". He was very dedicated," she said. When youve stared death in the face just as I have, she said, you dont take things for granted anymore.. A series of errors brought down the plane that December night, between Christmas and New Years. We're trying to build a memorial out there to try to honor that not only the survivals but the ones who died, ron "I asked why he wanted to know that and I said Catholic. From there a series of seemingly small mistakes and oversights led to the epic crash. A ball of fire erupted in the cabin and the aircraft cartwheeled and broke into pieces. The Story Of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, took a look at the eight most intriguing examples. Amid the planes wreckage, her cream-colored, company-issued suitcase was the only one that remained intact. Ann Connell, Barry Connell, Angelo Donadeo, Patricia R Georgia, Adrianne Ann Hamilton, Jennifer Larsen, Thomas Mulcahy, Mercedes V Ruiz, Beverly Jean Raposa, Trudy J Smith, Sue F. Tibbs, Sharon R Transue, Dorothy M Warnock. I just regret not getting a chance to say goodbye. "On the wreath I put, 'To our fellow brothers and sisters, in loving memory.' Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Survivors. One survivor, certain Marquis carried him to safety, once showed up with a $1,000 check. 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. There were also reports of Bob having been seen doing his pre-flight checks of the aircraft and telling the ground staff he'd already completed them. A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. But it also crept into popular culture through . She has served as cabin crew on flights from economy-class to private jets. The Memorial is along the Curtiss Parkway median directly across from the driving range. 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. "We don't have a home of our own to call our own, 401 doesn't," he said. Its closure; its been a long time coming, she said. Although 75 people survived, the accident still resulted in the deaths of 101 occupants, including Captain Robert 'Bob' Loft and Flight Engineer Donald 'Don' Repo. "I said, 'Please don't leave me here alone, I'm so cold,'" he remembers pleading with her. 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. and they said, 'I'm sorry, sir, we don't know.'". "She said, 'I have to find my family, but here's my sweater.' They had not realized that the autopilot was disconnected, which ultimately caused the plane to lose altitude and crash. He wanted to look further and reportedly found a problem that could have caused a serious accident. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, the pilots placed the landing gear handle down but noticed the green light that indicates that the nose landing gear is fully extended and locked failed to illuminate. How could this have happened? However, the indicator light failed to show that the landing gear was locked down. His right arm was nearly severed, his left knee broken, his chest crushed. According to DeWitt, the monument also represents how through a terrible tragedy in Flight 401, the industry eventually put safety first in many ways.. Discover more of our stories here! The plane was heading away from the city lights. The helicopters had trouble finding the wreckage but Marquis used his headlamp to help signal them, as he continued to pull survivors from the wreckage. "It was so cold I can't describe it.". I didn't know what to do.". The memorial monument will be accessible by foot and car, with parking and benches located nearby. 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 rights reserved. Seconds later, the plane crashed into the ground at 227 mph. Miami, Florida: Bankrupt Eastern Airlines Jets On The Ground. We also informed you that much of the money was going into creating more buildings. Aboard were 13 crew members and 163 holiday travelers. The Ghost of Flight 401: Directed by Steven Hilliard Stern. At that moment Infantino was resting in his seat. It happened just west of Miami International Airport. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "We're still at 2,000 feet, right?" In a June 1973 report NTSB investigators said it was possible that the altitude hold function on the autopilot was accidentally disengaged, causing the plane to gradually descend from the 2,000-foot altitude. The 50th Anniversary of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Memorial Monument will be dedicated in a 1300 EST ceremony on December 29, 2022. Writer - Patricia joins Simple Flying with over 20 years of experience in aviation. Its like the light they needed in the Everglades on that December night 50 years ago. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. Her message on life: Never take anything for granted. The experienced flight crew was distracted when the landing gear light failed to come on, which they believed was caused by a blown bulb. Pin. And the aircraft gradually descended into the mushy swamp from 20,000 feet. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. Its an invasive species, Surfside candidate who lost election bid is now in jail on murder charges in Broward, Have you seen Maura Lockhart? "We did something to the altitude," he said. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. Naked in the cold water, surrounded by tall sawgrass, he heard an airboat. Remembering EAL Flt. Bob Loft decided to try to troubleshoot and fix the light before landing and put the plane on autopilot. McQuigg and Raposa went on to continue flying, with McQuigg still working in the profession. A lack of flashlights amid the poor nighttime visibility in the Everglades impeded the ability of survivors to assist each other. Based in Dubai, Photo: Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Eastern Airlines Flight 401: A Cabin Crew Perspective, Avelo Air Seeing Strong Bookings For New Wilmington Base, Another JFK Incident: JetBlue Airbus A321 Bumps Into Parked Plane, European Airlines Plan To Hit Back At Short-Haul Flight Bans, The Rules & Regulations That Dictate The Hours That Cabin Crew Can Work, Bouncing Back: Libya To Hold Its First Aviation Forum This Weekend. I said, 'I know what you're going through because I lost somebody too.' People were screaming, and partially clothed dead bodies were face down in the water. The investigation into the crash took months. 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. That time, finances got in the way. With Ernest Borgnine, Gary Lockwood, Tina Chen, Kim Basinger. Updated on: December 29, 2022 / 6:57 PM Infantino and other survivors have for years tried to create one but have been unable to raise the money needed to build it. National Transportation Safety Board report, Broward Motorcycle Deputy Hospitalized After Reported Hit-and-Run, Russian Founder of Cryptocurrency Firm Arrested in Miami, Jury Sides With Flo Rida, Awards $82 Million in Lawsuit Against Celsius, Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Road in Western Broward, Man in Custody After Allegedly Killing Co-Worker at Hollywood Business: Police, Netflix Is Hiring a Flight Attendant for One of Its Private Jets and the Job Pays Up to $385,000. He heard alligators and snakes splash around him as whirring airboats and helicopters searched for survivors. This is somewhere where I can come to visit her apart from her gravesite, Shackleford said. "Brand new, spacious, the seating was gorgeous, there was a beautiful lounge in the back.". They described Renee, as they called her, as adventurous, smart, outspoken and a woman who was ahead of her time. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. It was the first fatal crash involving not only the Lockheed TriStar, but, indeed, a widebody aircraft of any kind. Survivors - Crew and Eastern Employees. Infantino, around the time of his wedding, had completed an aptitude test, sent in his rsum and applied for a job as a pilot at Eastern Airlines. Shortly before the scheduled landing at about 11:30 that night, Lilly went to the restroom and when she came back they switched seats. "The autopsy was drowning. "The NTSB, when they studied it, they said this crash was unsurvivable, yet 75 miracles came out of there.". Raposa had found her. I try to do that but I'm human so it doesn't always work out.". Almost immediately, airboat operators who saw the flash responded to the area. 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. 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 . Survivors will unveil a memorial marker on a grassy median of Curtiss Parkway in Miami Springs, across from the country club, on Dec. 29, the anniversary of the crash. And then she started walking away, trying to help people. Another time, a captain was asked to check on a passenger in first class who was in a pilot's uniform. 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. The flight attendants who perished on the flight are: Patricia A. Ghyssels; Stephanie Rae Stanich; Eastern Airlines Flight EA401 Memorial in Miami Springs honors the 101 souls who perished on December 29, 1972 SURVIVORS OF EASTERN AIRLINES FLIGHT 401. "They were incredible," says Infantino. 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 . The four-month-old L-1011 TriStar jet crashed into the Florida . Infantino, then 26, awoke bobbing in the swamp, unable to move with an injured arm, chest and knee. Since the flight was full, he exercised his privilege as an Eastern Airlines employee, and rode in the cockpit jumpseat. Infantino and three of the flight attendants who survived the crash spoke to NBC Miami as the 39th anniversary of the flight approached. one of the deadliest plane crashes in South Floridas history, Were down. Flight 401 crashed in Miami 50 years ago. Beverly Raposa was a bubbly, 25-year-old flight attendant onboard Eastern Airlines Flight 401 from New York to Miami when the plane slammed into the Everglades at 225 miles per hour near midnight . It happened 40 years ago today on a cold dark night in the Everglades, a brand new "Whisperliner" jumbo jet crashed in the swamp, killing 101. We consider them significant. One of the envelopes was a letter from Eastern requesting an interview. 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