Eastern employees visited Infantino for a two-hour interview. To the flight 401 survivors - Franoise Riette December 30, 2020, 5:02 pm. Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 was a regularly scheduled flight between Charleston, South Carolina and Chicago Illinois with a stop at Charlotte, North Carolina. Why? Featured Image: Eastern Airlines Lockheed L1011 N310EA, the airframe involved in flight 401. Amid the confusion, the distracted crew didnt notice the auto pilot button was switched off. People were screaming, and partially clothed dead bodies were face down in the water. And then she started walking away, trying to help people. "You will never be forgotten. Please review this photograph closely. 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. If you can hear my voice, dont light a match, flight attendant Beverly Raposa called out as she regained consciousness in the darkness. 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. 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. Raposa brought the baby to Ruiz, who cradled him to keep warm. Her face was burnt, but the coolness of the swamp seemed a relief. Advertise: Call 305.775.4094 or email: When the flight crew on Eastern Air Lines 401 noticed a possible issue with their aircraft, they immediately went into troubleshooting mode to ensure the problem could be fixed. He said 401 needs a memorial not only for those who died but for its importance in airline safety. 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. 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. A keen amateur photographer, he also recently reached the milestone of flying his 100th sector as a passenger. The jet carried 167 passengers to Miami from New York. Infantino had met his wife, a Little Havana resident, when he moved to Miami after the Air Force. Truth or scare? "I just remember their heavy breathing. Infantino and other survivors have for years tried to create one but have been unable to raise the money needed to build it. 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). 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. Both would die in the crash. The crash spawned a number of books, films and other media, along with legends of ghost signtings involving crew members who were killed. READ MORE: There was another tragedy in Miami after Eastern Flight 401. 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. The flight path of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 in its final moments. Based in Dubai, Ghosts On A Plane? Writer - Patricia joins Simple Flying with over 20 years of experience in aviation. There were 10 flight attendants in the main cabin serving 163 passengers. She woke in darkness, still in her jump seat hanging to one side, choking on the acrid jet fuel fumes. 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. One minute, he was resting in his seat with his arms folded. 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. Washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can be made at www.PlaneSafe.org. Chapter 4 - Flight 401 Passenger List. 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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. She noticed that the engines sounded different, and the aircraft jolted. 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. Raposa added that Flight 401 has also been widely incorporated into safety training for pilots and flight attendants. They didn't find her body until two days later," he said. Raposa explained that over many years, we worked, trying to put something together, emphasizing the development of a tribute for Flight 401. What happened with ValuJet. The aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar traveling from New York to Miami. The City of Miami Springs, Raposa emphasized, provided intense, intense support with the involvement of the mayor, the city manager, and the municipal public relations team. His right arm was nearly severed, his left knee broken, his chest crushed. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. The scene was apocalyptic. 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. "It save me from the 400 pounds of debris that was falling on me," she said. The granite monument, installed just north of the Miami International Airport, now serves as a permanent tribute to those who died when the Miami-bound Eastern Air Lines flight 401 crashed in the Everglades on the night of Dec. 29, 1972. Against the backdrop of a bright green and quiet golf course, some of the survivors accompanied by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami Springs officials mourned the dead, prayed for their souls and vowed to always remember them. Promote your organization with Miami's #1 hyperlocal community website. Eastern Air Lines flight 401 encountered no problems while cruising between the two cities. "Where's my right arm, why's my right arm so far away from my body? I put the sweater around me under the water. In the 1970's, tales of such ghostly apparitions flew around the USA and the airline world. 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. Amid the planes wreckage, her cream-colored, company-issued suitcase was the only one that remained intact. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. I didn't know what to do.". After donating, please email the NADF Executive Director, Gail Dunhan so that she can send you an acknowledgement of your tax deductible donation. He says he thinks about the crash every day and it has defined the way he looks at life. "The reports were given by experienced and trustworthy pilots and crew. Fourteen people suffered burns, while 17 had only minor injuries and didn't need to be hospitalized, the NTSB report said. "I'm no doctor. 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. The 50th Anniversary of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Memorial Monument will be dedicated in a 1300 EST ceremony on December 29, 2022. The 76-year-old said his wife of 20 days, Lilly Infantino, died in the crash. Infantino, then 26, awoke bobbing in the swamp, unable to move with an injured arm, chest and knee. The crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401, along with other major air disasters around the same time, eventually led to a number of aircraft safety enhancements, including crew resource management, which has procedures for decision making in cockpits to try to eliminate human error. We're trying to build a memorial out there to try to honor that not only the survivals but the ones who died, ron It's certainly not a ten. 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. 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. In the hospital he learned just how bad off he was. Raposa said she has flown for over 20 years for business, saying she sleeps like a baby every time she flies. Shortly before the scheduled landing at about 11:30 that night, Lilly went to the restroom and when she came back they switched seats. Ron Infantino is a passenger who survived the tragedy. Raposa said that 103 airboats were scheduled to show up but that two of the airboats would not start, due to last-minute mechanical difficulties. Were talking about 75 people who have varying degrees of injuries and now have to navigate an airplane wreckage in the alligator infested swamp. 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 death toll was, in 1972, the highest of any one-plane accident. The flight had left JFK Airport in New York en-route to Miami International Airport when it went down shortly before midnight on Dec. 29, 1972, in the swampland some 18 miles west-northwest of the airport. The flight crew had taken pictures as a keepsake for what would have been their last trip of the year together. "My grandfather was a kind, humble, perfectionist. All the survivors were injured; 60 received serious injuries and 17 suffered minor injuries that did not require . I say, 'Calm down, Ron, what number is this? But that turned out to be Infantinos uncle, who wasnt on the plane. "We did something to the altitude," he said. Both pilots and the flight engineer died, along with 2 out of 10 flight attendants and 96 of the 163 passengers on board. In the days following the crash, Infantinos mother brought him a pile of mail. 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 pilots engaged the autopilot so they could inspect the light and the landing gear but the darkness apparently made it hard to see. There was no fear, no panic, no anything. At that moment Infantino was resting in his seat. They were working all night with gear on the boots in the swamp and the mud.". And she knows what I went through, so you have that same bonding with one another.". Fundraising was a challenge, but Raposa said radio appearances and the support of former Eastern Air Lines employees bolstered efforts. She encouraged them to sing Christmas carols to keep their spirits up, a mark of courage and stoicism in the face of a dire situation. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. But doctors were able to reattach his arm. The harrowing tale of three survivors of the 1972 crash of Eastern Airlines flight 401 into the Everglades. 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 . A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. He has a masters degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelors degree in education from the Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ro Piedras. READ MORE: An Eastern plane crashed into the Everglades in 1972. The plane's capacity . We'll probably never know. The couple had two sons. The four-month-old L-1011 TriStar jet crashed into the Florida . I survived, she didn't. Definition: Here is something interesting that we discovered during our research. For decades, many of the 75 survivors have reflected on ways to honor those who died in the tragedy. This message board is intended for serious discussions of the December 29th, 1972 crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 401. "We don't have a home of our own to call our own, 401 doesn't," he said. 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. What none of the passengers in the plane knew was that the light for the nose gear wasn't working. The pilot Bob Loft and the flight engineer Don Repo were two of the 101 people who perished in the air crash. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at 1pm on Curtiss Parkway, near the Miami Springs Golf Course. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was on its way from New York to Miami on December 29th, 1972, with 13 crew and 163 passengers onboard. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. 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. Nichole Shackleford, 53, was just 3 years old when she lost her mother, passenger Patricia Renee Shackleford, 20, in the crash. . The idea for a memorial for Eastern Flight 401 first popped up at the 35th anniversary gathering in the Everglades. It is open to the public. 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. Its closure; its been a long time coming, she said. The Douglas DC-9-31 carried 78 passengers and four crew members. Another time, a captain was asked to check on a passenger in first class who was in a pilot's uniform. She and Marquis would be remembered as two of the heroes from that night. A flash fire also developed from sprayed fuel. 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 . In the cockpit: Capt. Click on contribute in the blue box in the right column of the home page. This is somewhere where I can come to visit her apart from her gravesite, Shackleford said. Now the names are there and they will never be forgotten, Ruiz said. The couple dated for a few years before getting married in December 1972. No, they dont, Raposa, now 75, recalls telling Stanich. Marquis would work tirelessly throughout the night and the next day rescuing people. On duty that day was also Stephanie Stanich, Trudy Smith, Sharon Transue, Beverly Rapoza and Dorothy Warnock. After a few minor issues were resolved, the plane was cleared for a 9 p.m. departure to Miami, as Flight 401 with 176 passengers aboard. Later, he recognized that the pilot he'd been speaking to was, in fact, Bob. You are here with us," said flight attendant Beverly Raposa, who survived the crash. Since the flight was full, he exercised his privilege as an Eastern Airlines employee, and rode in the cockpit jumpseat. By the time they did, it was already too late to recover. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "It was so cold I can't describe it.". "He said they found Lilly's body," he said. It happened 40 years ago today on a cold dark night in the Everglades, a brand new "Whisperliner" jumbo jet . 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. "On the wreath I put, 'To our fellow brothers and sisters, in loving memory.' 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