Mercy Ruiz, 75, a survivor and former flight attendant, told the Miami Herald that the solemn event felt like a graduation a gratifying ending to months of working side-by-side with Raposa to make the memorial a reality. 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. In the cockpit: Capt. Beverly has often wondered how she survived how anyone survived. He couldn't move. 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. Eastern Airlines Flight #401 (L1011 N310EA) crashed in the Everglades on December 29, 1972. The aircraft was a Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar traveling from New York to Miami. The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. 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. "They'll never be forgotten.". Marquis would work tirelessly throughout the night and the next day rescuing people. "It banked to the left and those engines roared to take off power and we hit. The captain recognized him as being none other than Bob. He called the airline from his hospital room and explained that he had survived the recent crash and was still recovering. On another day, a crew was in the cockpit of an aircraft when they were said to have seen Don sitting with them. The aircraft operating the route, a Lockheed L1011-385-1 Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades, resulting in 101 fatalities. READ MORE: Were down. Flight 401 crashed in Miami 50 years ago. She went on to praise the efforts of Raposa, who sang Christmas carols to maintain morale among survivors as they waited for rescue. Thus, Raposa continued, It was 101 airboats that actually went out there, and we lost 101 souls. In addition to the airboats, Ruiz described freefalling white flowers from small aircraft overhead. . She came across a woman who found an 11-month-old baby as she scouted the wreckage for her son. The video below recounts the moment by moment incident that led to the crash as well as interviews with some of the survivors and witnesses. Pieces of the shattered plane lay scattered in the muck and jet fuel stained the inky waters of the Everglades. 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. The couple dated for a few years before getting married in December 1972. ads@MiamiSprings.com. Expand the text below to read more about this . Soon passengers and crew on those aircraft report seeing what they believe to be the ghost of the . "Survivors" Southern . Located just across from the Miami Springs Country Club, survivors and families hope this memorial brings comfort 5 decades later. The Memorial is along the Curtiss Parkway median directly across from the driving range. But today, for Infantino, is about Lilly and the other lost lives. Amid the confusion, the distracted crew didnt notice the auto pilot button was switched off. Raposa had found her. Bud Marquis, who was out hunting frogs with a friend, was the first to arrive and found a scene of chaos, with survivors struggling in the swampy wreckage. One of the envelopes was a letter from Eastern requesting an interview. 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 event, which will begin at 1 p.m., is open to the public. And then it was like being in a tornado, I was in the tail and we were rotating, said Beverly Raposa, a flight attendant. 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. 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. Beverly vowed to make a permanent memorial to those who were killed. Eastern Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, remains the worst aviation accident in Florida history. A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. Photo: Jon Proctor Collection. Total construction cost: $5 MILLION. The flight was largely uneventful, but, on approach to Miami, the flight crew had become fixated on a faulty indication in the cockpit. "Hey, what's happening here?" There were 10 flight attendants in the main cabin serving 163 passengers. READ MORE: Eastern Flight 401 introduced new safety measures and books, movies and ghost stories. It happened just west of Miami International Airport. Flight 401 - Flight Crew Fatal Photograph. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, another Eastern Airlines CFIT . MIAMI - Survivors and families are remembering the 101 souls who were killed 50 years ago when Eastern Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades. Earlier this year, Simple Flying took a look at the eight most intriguing examples. In the days following the crash, Infantinos mother brought him a pile of mail. Five years ago, Raposa revived the idea and got approval to place it on a plot of public land in Miami Springs. While the plane was on final approach, the crew became distracted by an apparent problem. 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. the first officer asked, and the captain immediately exclaimed "Hey, what's happening here?". Josef El Rey Martinez was officially introduced as the newest member of Inter Miami on Wednesday morning, but the Venezuelan forward and former MLS MVP is hardly a newcomer to South Florida. The experienced flight crew was distracted when the landing gear light failed to come on, which they believed was caused by a blown bulb. 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. "It was beautiful," said Infantino said of the jet. It was time to leave as each of us will do. It is open to the public. No, they dont, Raposa, now 75, recalls telling Stanich. The sound, a huge fireball that went through the cabin," she recalled. MiamiSprings.com is the #1 source for news and events for the Miami Springs and Virginia Gardens community. The precious love we shared means we are never far apart,. "They were incredible," says Infantino. "Same thing in our lives. Eastern Airlines Flight 401. She freed herself, then went to work saving others. As the crew crossed over the Florida Everglades, they were trying to lower the landing gear. The wreckage of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 lies in the Florida Everglades after the crash. There were 75 survivors. The 76-year-old said his wife of 20 days, Lilly Infantino, died in the crash. "Preoccupation with a malfunction of the nose landing gear position indicating system distracted the crew's attention from the instruments and allowed the descent to go unnoticed," it continued. Miami, Florida: A young survivor of an Eastern Airlines Tristar jet which crashed in the Everglades near Miami is helped from a helicopter by hospital personnel in Miami. We also informed you that much of the money was going into creating more buildings. Copyright - Florida Web Marketing, Inc. Nestor Suarez is the Publisher of MiamiSprings.com since 1997. Eventually, all of the salvaged parts were removed from aircraft, and neither Bob nor Don were ever seen again. 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. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, December 29, 2022, at 1pm on Curtiss Parkway, near the Miami Springs Golf Course. The couple was returning to Miami from their honeymoon when the unspeakable happened. If you need help with the Public File, call (954) 364-2526. She has served as cabin crew on flights from economy-class to private jets. Washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can be made at www.PlaneSafe.org. 2022 Miami Herald. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 left a mark on the aviation industry and permanent scars for survivors and loved ones of those who died in the crash. Literally you were inside a tornado.". It was the first fatal crash involving not only the Lockheed TriStar, but, indeed, a widebody aircraft of any kind. Amazingly, 75 of the 176 passengers and crew aboard Flight 401 survived. 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. Those are the last moments Ron Infantino, 76, who now lives in The Villages in Central Florida, remembers before blacking out. A well-known fatal accident recounted from surviving cabin crew. Raposa was one of 75 survivors. "The tail turned over, the floor opened under me and I went down with 400 pounds of debris on me," she said. 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. "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 crash of Eastern Flight 401. Passengers, cabin crew, Pilots, Flight Engineers, even top airline executives, all claimed to have seen 'something' while travelling on some Eastern Airlines aircraft. Its a bad dream. That memory never goes away, he told the Miami Herald 50 years later. 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. The tragedy was also the 2nd deadliest plane crash in US history at the time, although, today, it now ranks in 16th place. All of the bodies were recovered, 99 perished that night, two more would die from their injuries. The crash claimed the lives of 101 passengers and crew. Theres another photo Ruiz has analyzed over the years. Robert Loft, 55; First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and Second Officer Donald Repo, 51, all of Miami-Dade. Infantino had met his wife, a Little Havana resident, when he moved to Miami after the Air Force. But before we begin this spooky tale, we must first go back to December 29, 1972 on board Eastern . With William Shatner, Adrienne Barbeau, Brooke Bundy, Christopher Connelly. That time, finances got in the way. It happened 40 years ago today on a cold dark night in the Everglades, a brand new "Whisperliner" jumbo jet . Eastern Airlines Flight 401 was one of South Florida's deadliest airline disasters. It happened just west of Miami International Airport. They were surprised to hear the sound of singing in the darkness. He had bad sawgrass cuts all over his face. The latest local, regional and national news events are presented by the Local 10 News Team along with updated sports, weather and traffic. Anyone interested in attending should email flt401memorial@gmail.com. What happened with ValuJet. The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. And never go out of the house angry. "I don't know where she was. READ MORE: There was another tragedy in Miami after Eastern Flight 401. Chapter 4 - Flight 401 Passenger List. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades on a moonless night on December 29, 1972. His arm was hanging by a thread; the cold swamp water may have saved his life by coagulating the blood. 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. But now, they still have to survive in the vast darkness of the gator infested Everglades. The aircraft was a five-year-old McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 registered as N8984E. She asked fellow flight attendant Patricia Ghyssels, who sat across from her, what was going on. Eastern Airlines eventually ceased operations early in 1991. The precious love we shared means we are never far apart, Infantino said. Visit miamiherald.com. And those survivors were in the pitch black darkness of the Everglades. Hjs wife was not with him. I put the sweater around me under the water. She said her mom had moved to Connecticut and was coming home to surprise her family before New Years. The next, he was covered in water up to his chin. The following is a list of survivors and victims of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Naked in the cold water, surrounded by tall sawgrass, he heard an airboat. Four hours after the accident, the coastguard and rescuers arrived, their efforts hampered by the difficult location and conditions. 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. Throughout the course of aviation history, there have been several other ghost stories. Although not in your arms, Im always in your heart. And he is delighted he will get to dine more often at one of his favorite restaurants, Kamiko Sushi Bar in Doral. He did not survive, but his memory lives on. Now you can see the construction of the new pool with your own eyes. The group will also try to raise funds for a memorial to honor those who died. It was so dark she couldnt see her hands in front of her. Ruiz was 28 years old and had been working as a flight attendant for less than three years when the plane went down. It also marked the first the first jumbo jet to crash. People were screaming, and partially clothed dead bodies were face down in the water. Had we had flashlights that night, Ruiz continued, every person that was ambulatory could have helped. Flashlights eventually came to flight attendant crew stations ten years after the crash. But a light didnt confirm whether the landing gear was down. The incident occurred on September 11, 1974, killing 72 of the 82 people on board. This month represents the 50th anniversary of the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, which crashed into the Florida Everglades in December 1972. I try to do that but I'm human so it doesn't always work out.". "You will never be forgotten. Beverly remembers when the flight went down. That time, finances got in the way. Infantino and the flight attendants will meet with airline experts and the public to tell them never to become complacent. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Miami International Airport. It helps me put life in perspective, you see.". Both pilots and the flight engineer died, along with 2 out of 10 flight attendants and 96 of the 163 passengers on board. Featured Image: Eastern Airlines Lockheed L1011 N310EA, the airframe involved in flight 401. 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. He was very dedicated," she said. He turned it down. Miami Springs, a bedroom community bordering Miami International Airport, was home to many Eastern employees in the 1970s and 80s. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. The plane descended out of the sky as pilots were distracted over a landing gear warning light. 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. In another part of the Everglades, flight attendant Mercy Ruiz shivered, her body soaked in kerosene. 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. Beverly Raposa a survior of Eastern Flight 401 29th December 1972 crash of an L-1011, tail number N310EA explains her experience Afterward, folks hope to take the old man into the . The crash killed 101 people, including Stanich. I survived, she didn't. Why? Writer - Patricia joins Simple Flying with over 20 years of experience in aviation. Eastern Air Lines flight 401 encountered no problems while cruising between the two cities. Beverly had gathered survivors together, seating them back to back to stay warm. On the returning flight, an engine failed and had to be shut down before it caught fire. Raposa, who worked in a travel agency after leaving Eastern, reminds herself to not leave the house angry and to tell her loved ones how much she cares for them because returning is never a guarantee. Its not a 10. . 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. Shortly before the scheduled landing at about 11:30 that night, Lilly went to the restroom and when she came back they switched seats. Now, survivors are planning the first memorial marker. It was all wet, but it felt good just to have something on me.". But no one could hear Infantino yelling for help. The other flight crew members were First Officer John Stockhill, a flight engineer, and Donald Luis Repo, an aircraft mechanic, and flight engineer. 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. The flight crew had not realized that the autopilot had been accidentally switched off and the aircraft was descending. Survivors and families are remembering the 101 souls who were killed 50 years ago when Eastern Flight 401 crashed into the Everglades. Almost 40 years ago, Eastern Airlines flight 401 crashed. Ultimately, the probable cause was determined to be "the failure of the flight crew to monitor the flight instruments during the final 4 minutes of flight, and to detect an unexpected descent soon enough to prevent impact with the ground," the NTSB report said. No, we didnt crash, Beverly. 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. 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! As you might expect, she later picked from some photos that Don was the engineer she had seen. "I'm no doctor. 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. https://new.miamisprings.com/images/news/pool-capture.jpg. Flight engineer Don Repo is also said to have appeared onboard flights in a strange, supernatural manner. Through five decades, lessons stick with the survivors of 401. "My god, you're here, please don't leave me," he remembers telling them. He heard alligators and snakes splash around him as whirring airboats and helicopters searched for survivors. Truth or scare? . Oh, Mercy, stop complaining, Ghyssels responded. Flashlights also became a standard piece of safety equipment at each jump seat. Nonetheless, at one point, efforts appeared to come to a standstill until the beginning of 2022, when Raposa, in a conference call, emphasized a desire for action ahead of the 50th anniversary. "The crew was so preoccupied with a 50-cent life bulb, they missed the whole picture," he said. She woke in darkness, still in her jump seat hanging to one side, choking on the acrid jet fuel fumes. Fundraising was a challenge, but Raposa said radio appearances and the support of former Eastern Air Lines employees bolstered efforts. Who could this have been? ", - Beverly, Flight attendant on Flight 401. The Memorial is located just South and West of the new Miami Springs sign that was erected on the Curtiss Parkway median. "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. In November 2022,Airwaysinterviewed former flight attendants Beverly Raposa and Mercy Ruiz to understand their perspectives as survivors of the crash. Both would die in the crash. Three days after the crash, Lilly Infantinos body was found. Thanks to Jim Kalafus for the corrected names of Flight 401 victims drawn from Dade Country death certificate files and his continued research and participation in this effort. I don't think so we have no control over our destiny.". asked Loft. Today Infantino will present two wreaths, one for Flight 401 and the other for Valujet, the 1996 Everglades crash that killed all 110 on board. 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. MIAMI - Thursday marks 50 years since Eastern Airlines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades. Eastern Flight 401: A survivor's story. A group of survivors drafted plans for a marker, but life got in the way. I can also come here to feel her and be close to her.. After the impact the aircraft disintegrated, scattering wreckage over an area approximately 1,600 feet long and 300 feet wide. Beverly replied, 'No Mercy, we're down.' They had not realized that the autopilot was disconnected, which ultimately caused the plane to lose altitude and crash. The name of Ronald Infantino's wife Lily is on that memorial. For decades, many of the 75 survivors have reflected on ways to honor those who died in the tragedy. She downsized plans for the memorial so it could be completed while the remaining survivors are still alive. He wanted to look further and reportedly found a problem that could have caused a serious accident. 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. After donating, please email the NADF Executive Director, Gail Dunhan so that she can send you an acknowledgement of your tax deductible donation. Was it because we switched seats? Writer - Patricia joins Simple Flying with over 20 years of experience in aviation. The flight had been uneventful until the Lockheed L-1011 jet was making its approach to MIA. READ MORE: The day when an Eastern Airlines jet crashed into the Florida Everglades. She encouraged them to sing Christmas carols . In it, the crew pranked two of the flight attendants: one with devil horn fingers coming from her head and another jokingly grabbed by the neck. All rights reserved, WATCH LIVE: Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing on Roadway in Western Broward. 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. Infantino, then 26, awoke bobbing in the swamp, unable to move with an injured arm, chest and knee. The scene of the wreckage of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 in the Everglades west of Miami International Airport. When an air traffic controller at MIA noticed they were flying at 900 feet when they should have been at 2000, he contacted the cockpit and asked, "How are things coming along out there?" "I'm one person in the midst of all this," Marquis told NBC News back in 2007. 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. 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. However, 75 people did survive 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. Mercedes was thrown from the aircraft, still trapped in her jump seat with injuries to her head and a broken pelvis. . Advertise: Call 305.775.4094 or email: After placing a seat cushion under Ruizs head, Raposa left to search for other survivors. "It was almost five hours before they even found me, five hours in the same spot, the same spot, I couldn't move, I couldn't get up," he said. The other 101 people on Eastern Airlines Flight 401 died quite horribly 98 in the Everglades where the airplane crashed, three later in hospitals. By the time they did, it was already too late to recover. "I number things one to ten in my life, ten's the plane crash," he says. According to the Aviation Safety Network, Eastern Air Lines had 163 passengers and 13 members of crew onboard, totaling 176 occupants altogether. She found Beverly and commented 'it's a bad dream, we are going to wake up.' - Flight Safety Foundation. The memorial monument will be accessible by foot and car, with parking and benches located nearby. First published on December 29, 2022 / 4:03 PM. Me under the water does n't always work out. `` ways to honor those who in... The sweater around me under the water washington, DC 20006, Online Donations can made! 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