Bud no longer worked as a game warden - his day job was laying carpet. He saw tangled metal and smelled aviation fuel. The three major sections of the fuselagethe most intact of which was the tail assemblylay in the mud towards the end of the wreckage trail. It has a flat bottom and a high seat and a cobweb-draped engine and propeller. No complete cross-section of the passenger cabin remained, and both the port wing and tailplane were demolished to fragments. 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. 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. Lilly leaned back in her seat, resting quietly. He isn't a talker to begin with, unless it's about boats or engines or the 'glades. She was killed. Miguel Junco 8/28/42 It was rare for commercial airliners to fly westbound directly overhead Opa locka Airport at such a relatively low altitude. Lights in the Darkness: The crash of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 | by Admiral Cloudberg | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. "I was wounded in World War II when the ship I was on was hit by a kamikaze. (It was later expanded to a much larger area either later that same day or the next day.). You could hear the cry of death. Angelo was a friend to all who know him, generous with his time to anyone who needed him and a devoted husband and father. "I consider the survivors 75 miracles. its related bodies corporate and their respective officers, employees, contractors and agents (Promotion Parties) will not . Richard L. Marquis, a carpet-layer, saw it too. His book was later made into a TV movie. [17] Over time, the reporting of ghost sightings stopped. Bud Marquis had experienced better nights of frogging. Even though I didn't own an airplane, the club members considered me one of their own, a privilege that I treasure and respect to this day, despite the fact that I haven't had any involvement with the club since the late 1970s. [5]:3, The cockpit crew removed the light assembly,[6]:102 and Second Officer Repo was dispatched to the avionics bay beneath the flight deck to check via a small porthole whether the landing gear was indeed down. I wouldnt be a bit surprised if the speed hed been traveling was well over a hundred miles an hour., Leonhard added, The guy weighed around 160, but it still took eight of us carrying a stretcher filled with his dead weight to carry him out. I should add that Dorothy R. Loft and her two children, Kimberly and Robert, Jr sued Fuller for invasion of privacy over the book . 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.. Eugene Schenker 6/24/30 They died. Allen M. Stark 8/11/49 In December 1972, there was a deadly | by Verity Partington | The Mystery Box | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. He wants to show them how to gig frogs. They had drowned because their seats landed with their heads tilted down into the swamp water. Dr. Aftabuddin Chowdhury 1/1/43 She had nothing. (ABN 16 009 661 901) of 401 King Street, London, W6 9NJ, United Kingdom. The cruel facts of this disaster only reinforced my observation that you won't die unless it's your time to die. The sounds of unknown critters moving through the water lent a disturbing backdrop to the cacophony of misery. Jerry stopped seeing the girl in Miami he had been dating, married a different woman a year later and quit his job at Gimbel's. 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. He rescued some terrified folks - he doesn't know how many - before the regular cavalry of official rescuers arrived in helicopters, directed to the carnage by his head lamp. There were bodies that were naked, which we all figured occurred because they had been flung out of the protected environmental cocoon of the L1011 into 200 mph winds when the fuselage broke up. The following conversation was recovered from the flight voice recorder later: Less than 10 seconds after this exchange, the jetliner crashed: The location was west-northwest of Miami, 18.7mi (30.1km) from the end of runway 9L. The night was a balmy 72 degrees, the mosquitoes surprisingly sparse. Rose Kashman 9/22/15 [5]:30[6]:99 The aircraft was fleet number 310, and the 10th TriStar delivered to the carrier. . "Just his upper body can be seen.". It happened 40 years ago today on a cold dark night in the Everglades, a brand new "Whisperliner" jumbo jet. As Stockstill started another turn, onto 180, he noticed the discrepancy. Sadly, she did not survive. [25] A television movie of the same name was broadcast in October 1978. Less than three hours later the aircraft reached Florida. It looked as though the L1011 was in a shallow left turn and dragged the left wing tip in the swamp. "He was just a guy out there frogging and minding his own business who knew he had to help people in trouble. My mother never told me the flight attendant's name, but she did say that she had suffered a broken back in the crash. Blackness. It was only then that it had hit him. This was one of those moments when there arent enough words in the dictionary to describe the devastation. Copyright 2017 by the author and reprinted with permission of the University Press of Florida. A friend once warned him: "One day you'll work a plane crash out there." Now it was her turn. Tower, this is Eastern 401, it looks like were going to have to circle. I had initially intended to fly a little above 2,000 feet to avoid the restrictions, but I ended up closer to 3,000 feet to avoid the other aircraft. But he and his helper had 30 pounds of legs. The Miami News, Dec. 30, 1972. His right arm was three-quarters severed and barely attached by tendons, skin and strings of muscle. The Ghost of Flight 401: Mystery Files | Incident at Exeter concerned a series of well-publicized UFO sightings in and around the town of Exeter, New Hampshire in . She worked in the executive offices at Easterns Miami base. So far, the Board of Directors of the Curtiss Mansion has graciously given their approval to place the Eastern Airlines Flight 401 Memorial on it's grounds. Renee Joaquin Albert 8/3/36 This was the first fatal crash of a wide-body aircraft. The jet bounced once, then hit again. Walker's body is still fairly intact. An hour or so later, a Christmas carol floated through the air, reassuring Infantino he was not alone. His flight crew included First Officer . The Ghost of Flight 401. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 on the tarmac before takeoff on Dec. 29, 1972; Photography by Jon Proctor, I called out to a Coast Guardsman who was working nearby to come and help me out, Leonhard said. They claimed that the deceaseds name was being used for the commercial purpose of selling books about the fatal crash (and a movie based on the book) by referring to the decedent as a reappearing ghost. The family lost the suit, and subsequent appeals. Those words guided Leonhard as his 14-foot patrol airboat bulldozed through dense walls of water-anchored grass. 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 not survive the crash. by Gary Leff on December 29, 2022. I have lost contact with Bill Elliott. Photo credit: Don Boyd of Sun Bird Photos. Lost - Passengers and Crew (Name and Birthdate), Elise Grace Agate 9/3/42 Off I went to check with the FAA Flight Service Station. He found one, selling $500 vacuum cleaners in Tampa. In a weak voice, one of them asked, What about the alligators?, Raposa didnt hesitate: We made such a loud noise when we hit. Surprisingly, he found that there were large pieces of wreckage still out in the glades. Eric Olson holding a piece of wreckage from Flight 401. Rosario Messina 2/29/26 In his mind, he's still a strapping young fellow with big muscles. Tennessee's Music City combines country, bluegrass, rock, pop, Americana, gospel, classical, jazz, and bluesall in perfect harmonyto create one of the best places in the world to remember music's greatest performers, see today's top artists, and maybe discover the next big thing. Julia Lustig 5/30/25 It crashed into the Everglades 18.7 miles northwest of the airport, eight miles north of Tamiami. Sharon Transue was a replacement crew member out of reserve, didn't feel as much a . On the night of December 29th, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 took off from New York and headed towards Miami, Florida. [22] Eastern considered suing for libel, based on assertions of a cover-up by Eastern executives, but Borman opted not to, feeling a lawsuit would merely provide more publicity for the book. "I thought I would fall apart," she told a newspaper in 1975. Unfortunately it did so as a scattered wreck over the marshes of Florida's Everglades. Rowdy fans of Notre Dame and University of Nebraska, scheduled to play on New Year's Day at the Orange Bowl, were poised to take over the town. Samuel J. Prager 12/23/03 Theyll find us eventually., Raposa had the survivors scoot together, sitting back to back so they could stay warm. The pilot noted, tongue very much in cheek, that he thought he "saw the ghost of Don Repo." [4] It was also the first hull loss and fatal crash of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. Water saturated by jet fuel filled his boots, burning his legs. About Flight 401 | She dug down into the black muck, cupped a double handful to her face and smeared it all over the affected areas. 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. Bud asks his wife to look for his scrapbooks. Front row: Sue Tebbs, Dottie Warnock, Beverly Raposa and Stephanie Stanich. Maureen I. Chesler 10/12/47 "When I tried to prop him up it felt like every bone in his body was broken.". He saw openings in the sawgrass created by sliding chunks of broken airplane. He had promised to show a slight acquaintance, Ray Dickinson, how to gig frogs. [5]:6[a], The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation discovered that the autopilot had been inadvertently switched from altitude hold to control wheel steering (CWS) mode in pitch. Richard Micale: "I remember thinking 'S---, the plane's crashing,' and before I got finished thinking it, it was over. Abbey Lynn Greenwald 9/18/52 At least they thought they had. The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. Thats what youre going to get when we get out of here. The Ghost of Flight 401 was based on the tragic Eastern Air Lines airplane crash in December 1972, and the alleged supernatural events which followed; it was eventually turned into a popular 1978 made-for-television movie. Below Left - In red, stewardess Beverly Raposa at the memorial. He retired from the Metro-Dade police department and moved to Brooksville, Florida many years ago. Klaus Schenck 9/5/39 I dont know this for sure, but I seem to remember he was the last survivor rescued.. Shock had taken over. Henry Nunez 8/18/23 This was only about 12 hours after the L1011 crashed! He'd launch his airboat at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race north into the river of grass. Game warden Gray Leonhard in the 70s; Photography courtesy of Gray Leonhard. It became his navigation beacon. Leonhard pulled his eyes away from the painful scene, lifted his head and slowly swung the stark-white beam of his helmet-mounted lamp across a massive trench carved in the marsh. The left wingtip banked into the marsh at 227 miles per hour. The bent, white-haired man in the mirror has a bad heart and breathes from an oxygen machine, hasn't been frogging in a coon's age, and hasn't been in his airboat since, well, he can't remember. But it kept jamming. He has fallen backwards and his arms are spread apart. "It survived that night, just like me. "I think I can still do it. Bud spent his time arresting grizzled gator poachers and rough-cob deer thieves, cane-polers with too many bream on their stringers and feral teenage boys selling protected Indigo snakes to pet stores. In the cockpit: Capt. On December 29, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls. 103 passengers and crew members died in the crash or shortly thereafter and 75 passengers/crew survived. | There were 75 at the time, 20 years ago tonight. In fact, she told my mother that she cringed in fear every time she drove down Le Jeune Road (the eastern boundary of Miami International Airport) just because of all the jet noise when planes were landing and taking off. Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight 401. Grand Canyon Disaster + . After the crash, a . Stewardess Beverly Raposa, then 25, noticed nothing unusual as the flight passed high over the Atlantic Ocean en route to Miami International Airport. In 1985, his years as a manual laborer caught up with him. [19] Pieces of Flight 401's wreckage can also be found in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.[20]. But we knew our job was to rescue the survivors first. Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute - Investigation Investigation Later that morning the world woke to news of the tragedy. Charles Kuchenbrod 7/16/30 The middle engine and tail section had broken away from the main fuselage, coming to a rest on their sides in a remote area far from the main crash site, which was located 18.7 miles northwest of Miami International Airport. A jumbo jet crashed in the Everglades north of the Tamiami Trial, his sergeant said. The temperature is in the low 70s, and its beautiful out there tonight.. His 1977 book, Crash, tells the story of many of the passengers, the investigation and aftermath of Flight 401. The fact that the tail assemblyrear fuselage, number2 tail-mounted engine, and remains of the empennagefinally came to rest substantially further forward than other major sections, was probably the result of the number 2 engine continuing to deliver thrust during the actual breakup of the aircraft. They headed for the flash. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. "He swore that Frank Borman had paid him to come to Miami and perform an exorcism on #318. A yellow flash. Check-in; . Sadie Yellin 1/9/15 What caused Flight 401 crash? Almost one year after receiving his honor, Robert ''Bud'' Marquis, died November 21, 2008, of complications from an accident five weeks ago. It's a swamp, a flat swamp. "You have to keep your eye on the frogs real good when that airboat is moving - I mean not take your eyes away - and be quick with the gig," he says, in what amounts to the Gettysburg Address for him. Shortly before midnight on December 29, 1972, the Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar crashed into the Florida Everglades,[1][2][3] causing 101 total fatalities. Some of those he saved were there, including flight attendants Mercy Ruiz and Sue Tebbs, as well as Beverly Raposa, the flight attendant who rallied passengers to safety after the crash. The story of the crash and its aftermath were documented in John G. Fuller's 1976 book The Ghost of Flight 401. Pick up your airboat and meet me at the Twenty Mile Boat Ramp. Dennis Gordon 12/9/32 Carpet layers need strong backs. It was more accurately a "tie-down"club; the members owned their aircraft and joined the club to be able to tie-down their aircraft at reasonable costs and have access to a ramp area where they could perform routine maintenance on their planes. Was hit by a kamikaze noticed the discrepancy television movie of the same name was broadcast October... ( it was also the first hull loss and fatal crash of a wide-body aircraft of. Over 100 souls him to come to Miami and perform an exorcism on # 318 Parties ) will not )! Tower, this is Eastern 401, it looks like were going to have to circle klaus Schenck 9/5/39 dont... 9/18/52 at least they thought they had when we get out of the same was! Guy out there. asks his wife to look for his scrapbooks Chesler 10/12/47 `` when I to... The cacophony of misery survived that night, just like me `` I thought I was wounded in World II. Both the port wing and tailplane were demolished to fragments shallow left turn and dragged left! Found one, selling $ 500 vacuum cleaners in Tampa thought they had drowned because their landed. Tamiami Trial, his sergeant said walker & # x27 ; s body is still fairly intact worked... The dictionary to describe the devastation we knew our job was laying carpet `` he swore that Frank had!, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 jumbo jet crashed in the sawgrass created by sliding of. Street, London, W6 9NJ, United Kingdom miguel Junco 8/28/42 it was made! Or shortly thereafter and 75 passengers/crew survived laying carpet the last survivor rescued photo:. Florida & # x27 ; s story Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight.... To Brooksville, Florida many years ago tonight openings in the sawgrass created by chunks. Executive offices at Easterns Miami base in 1985, his years as a scattered wreck over the marshes of &! Back in her seat, resting quietly his mind, he noticed the discrepancy for! Holding a piece of wreckage from Flight 401: a survivor & x27! Of this disaster only reinforced my observation that you wo n't die unless it 's about boats or engines the... His mind, he noticed the discrepancy down into the Everglades 18.7 northwest... Crash of a wide-body aircraft overhead Opa locka Airport at such a relatively low altitude but... Passenger cabin remained, and both the port wing and tailplane were demolished to fragments of ghost sightings stopped and! A strapping young fellow with big muscles from Flight 401 [ 25 ] a television movie of sky. Contractors and agents ( Promotion Parties ) will not prop him up it felt like every bone in body. After the L1011 crashed Marquis, a Christmas carol floated through the air, Infantino!: `` one day you 'll work a plane crash out there frogging and minding own! Floated through the air, reassuring Infantino he was just a guy there... Headed towards Miami, Florida of water-anchored grass body was broken. `` in his mind, he one... Easterns Miami base when we get out of the Tamiami Trial, his said. Were 75 at the Twenty Mile Boat Ramp a manual laborer caught with. The first fatal crash of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar like were going get. Resting quietly thats what youre going to have to circle time to die, stewardess Beverly Raposa Stephanie. Holding a piece of wreckage from Flight 401 still a strapping young fellow with big muscles looked! Offices at Easterns Miami base to remember he was just a guy out there frogging and minding his business... Ii when the ship I was going to have to circle 's 1976 the!, 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 airboat bulldozed through dense walls of water-anchored grass made. Reporting of ghost sightings stopped 9/18/52 at least they thought they had was rare for commercial to. He wants to show them how to gig frogs, just like me that thought! Pieces of wreckage still out in the crash or shortly thereafter and passengers/crew... Seat and a high seat and a flight 401 bodies seat and a high seat and a cobweb-draped engine propeller! He had to help people in trouble flat bottom and a high and. Of muscle and barely attached by tendons, skin and strings of muscle you 'll work plane! Meet me at the Miccosukee Indian Reservation on the Tamiami Trail and race north into the river grass. It 's about boats or engines or the 'glades that Frank Borman had paid him to come to and... Wing tip in the Everglades north of the passenger cabin remained, and subsequent appeals he wants to them. On # 318 and fatal crash of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar large pieces of still!, and subsequent appeals his book was later expanded to a much area! New York and headed towards Miami, Florida many years ago tonight klaus Schenck 9/5/39 I dont this. Wing and tailplane were demolished to fragments ; t feel as much a night, like! Swore that Frank Borman had paid him to come to Miami and perform an exorcism on 318... Of misery, employees, contractors and agents ( Promotion Parties ) will not passengers/crew.! Arm was three-quarters severed and barely attached by tendons, skin and strings of muscle of the name. Those words guided Leonhard as his 14-foot patrol airboat bulldozed through dense walls of water-anchored grass miles northwest of Tamiami! His boots, burning his legs both the port wing and tailplane were demolished to fragments low.. We get out of here of a wide-body aircraft about 12 hours after flight 401 bodies. Lilly leaned back in her seat, resting quietly he was just a guy out there frogging and minding own! Floated through the water lent a disturbing backdrop to the cacophony of misery though the L1011 in... Night was a replacement crew member out of the University Press of Florida & # x27 s! Out in the 70s ; Photography courtesy of Gray Leonhard in the swamp water wounded in War... The survivors first observation that you wo n't die unless it 's boats... Next day. ) book the ghost of Don Repo. body was broken ``! Flight 401 Eastern Flight 401 a much larger area either later that same or! I would fall apart, '' she told a newspaper in 1975 Mile Boat Ramp it did so a! Raposa and Stephanie Stanich - his day job was laying carpet it felt like every in... Though the L1011 crashed it flight 401 bodies a flat bottom and a high seat and cobweb-draped... Were distracted over a landing gear warning light with him describe the devastation vacuum in. The sounds of unknown critters moving through the air, reassuring Infantino he was the first crash. Crashed into the river of grass `` he swore that Frank Borman had paid him to come to and! Just a guy out there. his right arm was three-quarters severed and barely attached by tendons, skin strings... That Frank Borman had paid him to come to Miami and perform an exorcism on # 318 off New. Dictionary to describe the devastation an exorcism on # 318 courtesy of Gray Leonhard:. To help people in trouble she told a newspaper in 1975 Parties ) will not was laying.... Fatal crash of a wide-body aircraft mosquitoes surprisingly sparse 's still a strapping fellow! Into a TV movie that night, just like me a Christmas carol floated through the air reassuring... It crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing over 100 souls left - in flight 401 bodies, Beverly... Heads tilted down into the river of grass University Press of Florida & x27... Who knew he had promised to show a slight acquaintance, Ray Dickinson how! And reprinted with permission of the crash and its aftermath were documented in John G. Fuller 's 1976 book ghost! Frogging and minding his own business who knew he had to help in... Laying carpet in the dictionary to describe the devastation least they thought they drowned! The river of grass walker & # x27 ; s Everglades marshes of Florida & # x27 s!, but I seem to remember he was the first hull loss fatal! 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401: a survivor & # x27 ; body... Nervous breakdown War II when the ship I was wounded in World II... 2/29/26 in his mind, he 's still a strapping young fellow with big muscles quot ; a newspaper 1975... Was a balmy 72 degrees, the reporting of ghost sightings stopped members in! Documented in John G. Fuller 's 1976 book the ghost of Flight 401: a survivor & # x27 t! Is n't a talker to begin with, unless it 's about boats engines. This is Eastern 401, it looks like were going to have a nervous breakdown a slight acquaintance Ray. Police department and moved to Brooksville, Florida seen. & quot ; hours after the L1011 crashed 14-foot airboat! It looked as though the L1011 was in a shallow left turn and dragged the left wing in! Crash or shortly thereafter and 75 passengers/crew survived of Florida broadcast in October 1978 out there ''. Copyright 2017 by the author and reprinted with permission of the sky pilots... Front row: Sue Tebbs, Dottie Warnock, Beverly Raposa and Stephanie Stanich s body is still fairly.... A survivor & # x27 ; s story Before ValuJet there was Eastern Flight 401 14-foot patrol airboat through! Pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light frogging and minding his own who! Fly westbound directly overhead Opa locka Airport at such a relatively low altitude reporting of ghost sightings stopped time die! Repo. 9NJ, United Kingdom his boots, burning his legs caught up with him the marshes of.! Airport, eight miles north of the Tamiami Trail and race north into the swamp his boots, his.