One of them was Ron Infantino, an Air Force veteran in Vietnam and aviation aficianado. He warned them of a faulty electrical circuit, which was then found and replaced. 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. 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.. Visit miamiherald.com. Beverly vowed to make a permanent memorial to those who were killed. The captain recognized him as being none other than Bob. Raposa said she has flown for over 20 years for business, saying she sleeps like a baby every time she flies. Survivors and family members unveiled a memorial Thursday afternoon in Miami Springs paying homage to the 101 souls who perished 50 years ago in one of the deadliest plane crashes in South Floridas history. Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. Shelley and Steve Rubin and their unborn baby boy - Sandy Shapiro December 30, 2020 . Her face was burnt, but the coolness of the swamp seemed a relief. Infantino and three of the flight attendants who survived the crash spoke to NBC Miami as the 39th anniversary of the flight approached. Three days after the crash, Lilly Infantinos body was found. Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight 401. Tomorrow is not a given, she said. 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 . The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Crash Investigation, Findings and Passenger List . Off-topic, inappropriate or anonymous posts may be removed. I said, 'I know what you're going through because I lost somebody too.' She called two of her fellow crew members in to witness what she had seen. Although the sightings were reported in a Flight Safety Foundation publication, the Eastern Air Lines CEO dismissed the claims, and employees were warned not to talk about the sightings. Total construction cost: $5 MILLION. We just hit,' she said. He called the airline from his hospital room and explained that he had survived the recent crash and was still recovering. He was very dedicated," she said. 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. Sometimes, it doesnt seem like 50 years.. Love aviation history? "I'll be reading names," he said, "and after each name a candle will be lit until 101 candles are lit.". . 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Dawn Quinn's grandfather was pilot Robert Loft. On returning to the galley, another flight attendant saw an engineer fixing the oven. She found Beverly and commented 'it's a bad dream, we are going to wake up.' 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. Featured Image: Eastern Airlines Lockheed L1011 N310EA, the airframe involved in flight 401. Mercedes was thrown from the aircraft, still trapped in her jump seat with injuries to her head and a broken pelvis. A look at some of the strange tales that emerged after the accident. All rights reserved, WATCH LIVE: Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Roadway in Western Broward, 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. Updated on: December 29, 2022 / 6:57 PM Beverly had gathered survivors together, seating them back to back to stay warm. Airboats represent a certain degree of sentimental value for survivors of Flight 401. The survivors were taken to a narrow levee where helicopters took them to hospitals. I say, 'Calm down, Ron, what number is this? In one of South Florida's worst air disasters, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 from New York's JFK Airport to Miami crashed on Dec. 29, 1972, in the Everglades after the crew became distracted by a burned out landing-gear light. Eastern employees visited Infantino for a two-hour interview. Infantino and other survivors are holding a memorial service today at 4 p.m. at the site of the Valujet Flight 592 memorial, on the Tamiami Trail, 12 miles west of Krome Avenue. Its closure; its been a long time coming, she said. It was time to leave as each of us will do. "I don't know where she was. 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 plane actually spun in a circle, the floor dropped and I woke up in the water," he recalled. In another part of the Everglades, flight attendant Mercy Ruiz shivered, her body soaked in kerosene. But it also crept into popular culture through . However, 75 people did survive the crash. 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 . On the night of December 29th, 1972, he was a passenger on Eastern Airlines Flight 401 from New York to Miami. The former flight attendants described one gathering in the Everglades where airboats from around Florida turned up to help commemorate crash victims. It was the first fatal crash involving not only the Lockheed TriStar, but, indeed, a widebody aircraft of any kind. said Stockstill. The name of Ronald Infantino's wife Lily is on that memorial. Beverly has often wondered how she survived how anyone survived. 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. Ron Infantino is a passenger who survived the tragedy. Mercedes asked her colleague why they seemed to be heading away from the lights of the city. A well-known fatal accident recounted from surviving cabin crew. Eastern Airlines eventually ceased operations early in 1991. 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. 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). "You couldn't even say goodbye to each . It also marked the first the first jumbo jet to crash. Through five decades, lessons stick with the survivors of 401. 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. 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 was so cold I can't describe it.". READ MORE: Eastern Flight 401 introduced new safety measures and books, movies and ghost stories. "She yelled, 'Don't anybody light any matches in the Everglades,' which was smart because of all the jet fuel.". The crew had previously been encouraged to report every incident pertaining to the flight in the aircraft log books, and many sightings were recorded. The lights of Miami vanished behind them. This month represents the 50th anniversary of the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, which crashed into the Florida Everglades in December 1972. Its just special to me that we are remembering all the people who lost their lives, Quinn said. The flooring of the plane crumbled. The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. At the start of 2022, Raposa remembered her promise to honor those who lost their lives on the flight. All Rights Reserved , Southwest Pilots Association President Calls for Strike Vote, Iberia, TAG Airlines to Start Codeshare Agreement, Delta Air Lines Firms Order for 12 Additional A220s, Lufthansa Submits Offer to Acquire a Stake in ITA Airways, Airways Top 10 Never-built Commercial Aircraft, 12/11/1996: Oasis International Airlines Ceases Operations, Air Baltic Becomes First European Airline to Offer, Emirates Returns First Refurbished A380 to Service, FAA Issues National Ground Stop for Florida Airports. And then it was complete silence and I thought I was the only one alive.". It happened just west of Miami International Airport. The official cause of the crash was pilot error, the crew being distracted by a faulty nose gear indicator . After donating, please email the NADF Executive Director, Gail Dunhan so that she can send you an acknowledgement of your tax deductible donation. Thirteen seconds past 11:42 p.m., the plane flew into the Everglades and crashed almost 20 miles northwest of Miami International Airport and eight miles north of Tamiami Trail. Of the 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers aboard, 94 passengers and five crewmembers were killed, while two other survivors died days later from their injuries. I think about her every day.. There was no fear, no panic, no anything. Were talking about 75 people who have varying degrees of injuries and now have to navigate an airplane wreckage in the alligator infested swamp. A flash fire also developed from sprayed fuel. That time, finances got in the way. Later, he recognized that the pilot he'd been speaking to was, in fact, Bob. . The left wing tip hit first. "I got a call from a mother whose son was killed on Valujet 592 and she said how much she appreciates us having a wreath for them," said Infantino, choking up. Flight 401, a new L-1011 TriStar, took off from Kennedy International Airport in New York at 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 29, 1972. So I'll never forget it, I brought it to my chest and held it.". I don't think so we have no control over our destiny.". The 76-year-old said his wife of 20 days, Lilly Infantino, died in the crash. "We did something to the altitude," he said. I number things from 1 to 10, and 10 [is] a plane crash, he said. "It was beautiful," said Infantino said of the jet. What happened with ValuJet. Local 10: Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story; Flamingo Magazine: Flight 401 Down in the Glades; Read the Story! Bound for Miami, Flight 401 took off from New York's JFK at 9:20 p.m. One minute, he was resting in his seat with his arms folded. An aircraft crashes in the Florida Everglades, killing 103 passengers. I have a beautiful family, and I got my wings back, and I just keep moving forward, said McQuigg. 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. On the returning flight, an engine failed and had to be shut down before it caught fire. 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. Beverly Raposa a survior of Eastern Flight 401 29th December 1972 crash of an L-1011, tail number N310EA explains her experience He spends most of his vacations in Miami. Those still in a sufficiently usable state were used again on the Eastern Air Lines fleet. Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story. 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. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. The next, he was covered in water up to his chin. 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. The crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 41 years ago Sunday, the first crash of a widebody aircraft and, at the time, the second deadliest single-aircraft disaster in the U.S., led to wide-ranging changes in on board safety that continue to positively affect air travel today. Sharon Shackleford said it has been painful to go on without her sister but that the memorial brings her peace. Forty-five years ago, when Officer Gray Leonhard of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission began a solo night patrol in the Everglades, he was on the lookout for poachers, drug smugglers and maybe even a bullet-riddled corpse. READ MORE: An Eastern plane crashed into the Everglades in 1972. Beverly Rapoza had just returned from the cabin, collecting empty dishes and glasses, and was looking forward to some rest. . Raposa explained that over many years, we worked, trying to put something together, emphasizing the development of a tribute for Flight 401. Survivors and families are remembering the 101 souls who were killed 50 years ago when Eastern Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades. The aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar traveling from New York to Miami. A desperate search and rescue effort began almost immediately. Amazingly, 75 of the 176 passengers and crew aboard Flight 401 survived. Its not a 10. . After the Tristar crashed into the Everglades, Ruiz said that Raposa, Left me laying down in a safe place, very cold and everything, but she made me as comfortable as possible. I try to do that but I'm human so it doesn't always work out.". We reach over 20,000 people each month. "I remember hitting, I woke up and I was in a sitting position water up to my chin, no clothes on, everything was stripped right off me except the rims of my socks," said Infantino. "It save me from the 400 pounds of debris that was falling on me," she said. The captain was 49-year-old James Edward Reeves, who had been with Eastern Air Lines since 1956. No, we didnt crash, Beverly. I reach over and all the sudden my fingers go inside of my bicep," he said. There were 67 survivors. Its the holidays. However, she explained that it was huge and funds were just not raised for that, and we talked about maybe three to four years ago about maybe doing something smaller.. But that turned out to be Infantinos uncle, who wasnt on the plane. The pilot Bob Loft and the flight engineer Don Repo were two of the 101 people who perished in the air crash. READ MORE: Were down. Flight 401 crashed in Miami 50 years ago. Then, luggage shot out of the overhead bins. The precious love we shared means we are never far apart,. Chapter 4 - Flight 401 Passenger List. Eastern Airlines, mistakenly believing they . 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 crash was a result of the flight crew's failure to recognize a deactivation of the autopilot during their attempt . Amid the planes wreckage, her cream-colored, company-issued suitcase was the only one that remained intact. The flight crew had taken pictures as a keepsake for what would have been their last trip of the year together. The crash changed the course of the aviation industry through new safety measures that require pilots to maintain communication with the cabin crew and require flight attendants to carry larger flashlights. The pilot was unnerved by what had happened and canceled the flight. He opened the trap door to see a vision of Don looking at him, which then promptly disappeared. "Hey, what's happening here?" Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was on its way from New York to Miami on December 29th, 1972, with 13 crew and 163 passengers onboard. For decades, many of the 75 survivors have reflected on ways to honor those who died in the tragedy. 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. "It felt so good. "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. 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. They were exhausted. She came across a woman who found an 11-month-old baby as she scouted the wreckage for her son. Washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can be made at www.PlaneSafe.org. Eastern Flight 401 Introduced New Safety Measures And Books, Movies and Ghost Stories, Higher Airfares Drive American Airlines to Big Fourth-Quarter Profit, United Airlines Significantly Exceeds Profit Expectations, Sen. Schumer Vows to Clear the Runway for Bidens FAA Pick After Computer Glitch Snarls Air Travel, Delta Partner Virgin Atlantic Fined for Flights Over Iraqi Airspace, Airlines Rush To Check Mid-Air Misbehaviour. There were 10 flight attendants in the main cabin serving 163 passengers. Ruiz also described the anniversary as an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost in the crash. According to George Rodez who will be hosting a special event at the History Miami Museum, . While in the cockpit one day, preparing for the flight, another pilot heard loud knocks from under the floor beneath him. He turned it down. Ruiz said that the NTSB interviewed herself and other surviving crew members as part of the official accident report, each of whom agreed that flashlights represented one item they wished they possessed on the night of the crash. We'll probably never know. Contact: brent@airwaysmag.com, 2022 Airways Publishing, LLC. According to the Aviation Safety Network, Eastern Air Lines had 163 passengers and 13 members of crew onboard, totaling 176 occupants altogether. The plane, a new "Whisperliner," could transport 229 passengers. He had 8,876 flight hours, including 3,856 hours on the DC-9. On December 29, 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashes into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. "The autopsy was drowning. "We're still at 2,000 feet, right?" A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. In 2021, a memorial marker was installed in the Everglades to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the May 11, 1996, ValuJet crash. Now, survivors are planning the first memorial marker. 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. I carry those folks in my heart every single day, Raposa said of those who died in the tragedy. 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. 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. The disaster that killed 100 people became the foundations of the safety procedures on airlines. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Was it a burned-out $12 bulb or a faulty landing gear? "They're home," Beverly said. Pieces of the aircraft scattered across the sawgrass. ", But he was worried about Lilly. Since the flight was full, he exercised his privilege as an Eastern Airlines employee, and rode in the cockpit jumpseat. One hundred and one lives were lost that late December evening, with 75 passengers and crew . But now, they still have to survive in the vast darkness of the gator infested Everglades. Former flight attendant Beverly Raposa, one of 75 people who survived after the plane crashed with 176 people on board, said that she has never forgotten the passengers and crew members who died. She was dazed and disoriented but noticed a penlight flashing nearby. An Eastern Airlines jet heading from New York to Miami crashed in the Everglades 50 years ago. Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 was a regularly scheduled flight between Charleston, South Carolina and Chicago Illinois with a stop at Charlotte, North Carolina. "And it was just hanging off. He heard alligators and snakes splash around him as whirring airboats and helicopters searched for survivors. The sound, a huge fireball that went through the cabin," she recalled. Infantino looks back on the crash when hes frustrated about the inconveniences he faces in his daily life. The granite marker, engraved with the names of the people who perished, will stand in a median near the Miami Springs Country Club for future generations to see. It was all wet, but it felt good just to have something on me.". "I said, 'Please don't leave me here alone, I'm so cold,'" he remembers pleading with her. At the front of the aircraft, Sue Tebbs and Adrienne Hamilton were seated for landing. "Same thing in our lives. There were 75 survivors. The event, which will begin at 1 p.m., is open to the public. Survivors now have a message, It gives me and my fellow surviving passengers, crew members and family members of loved ones who perished a time to all come together and remember them since we never had a chance to say goodbye, Raposa said. "Where's my right arm, why's my right arm so far away from my body? His right arm was nearly severed, his left knee broken, his chest crushed. 255153N 803543W. ", "We're still at two thousand right?" In any case, it was far from the first time that the deceased pilot had supposedly been spotted after his death. Raposa, 25, had noticed something strange. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Floridas deadliest airline disasters. One of the envelopes was a letter from Eastern requesting an interview. The jet carried 167 passengers to Miami from New York. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 departed New York for Miami on December 29, 1972. Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight 401. 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. She said it was ironic that he died in one of his favorite places in the world the Everglades. Omar is a bilingual and bicultural journalist, covering breaking news in South Florida for the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. Gli episodi del programma televisivo documentaristico canadese Indagini ad alta quota (Mayday) sono stati trasmessi sul network Discovery Channel Canada dal 3 settembre 2003.A marzo 2018 sono stati prodotti e trasmessi in lingua originale 156 episodi (suddivisi in 18 stagioni), inclusi cinque speciali Science of Disaster in cui sono trattati pi incidenti (stagioni 6 e 8) e tre spin-off Crash .

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