[10], Most of the dead were passengers in the aircraft's midsection. [25] A television film of the same name was aired in October 1978. He has been writing and researching with over 20 years of experience. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. But first, lets talk about what happened to Flight 401. It was the Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar model which, on December 29, 1972, left New Yorks John F. Kennedy airport and crashed into the Florida Everglades, causing 101 fatalities. The reported hauntings were only seen on the planes that used those spare parts. Captain Loft was found during the autopsy to have an undetected brain tumor in an area that controls vision. Bound for Miami, Flight 401 took off from New York's JFK at 9:20 p.m. TheNational Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation later discovered that the crash happened due to a burned-out light bulb. On Dec. 29, 1972, Eastern Flight 401 from New York to Miami took off from . Investigators believe the autopilot switched modes when the captain accidentally leaned against the yoke while turning to speak to the flight engineer, who was sitting behind and to the right of him. One of them had worked with the dead pilot years earlier and positively identified him. Loft and Repo had indeed lost their lives that December evening in 1972. [14], Over the following months and years, stories began circulating that employees of Eastern Air Lines, and numerous passengers, had reported sightings of the dead crew members, captain Robert Loft and second officer (flight engineer) Donald Repo, sitting on board other L-1011s (including, in particular, N318EA). James Hall, Flight Operations and Safety, Miami office, had the grueling task of notifying all the families of the crash victims. A Halloween Tale: Kennedy Airport, Flight 401 and the Walking Dead. Visually, since it was nighttime and the aircraft was flying over the darkened terrain of the Everglades, no ground lights or other visual signs indicated the TriStar was slowly descending. Captain Robert Long was born on 3 November 1590, in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. Captain Loft died in the wreck remains of Flight 401 before he could be transported to a hospital. You may not republish the article in its entirety. Over the following months and years, rumors began circulating that employees of Eastern Air Lines were reporting sightings of the dead crew members, captain Robert Loft and second officer (flight engineer) Donald Repo, sitting on board other L . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest articles directly in your inbox. Frank Borman, prior to becoming CEO of Eastern Airlines, arrived at the scene after the crash to assist with rescue efforts. The stories, accounts, and discussions in this article may go against currently accepted science and common beliefs. 1) He was from the County of Culpeper in Virginia being born about the year 1750. In early 1973, the captain of an Eastern flight from Newark to Miami was told that there was a passenger in first class not listed on the flight manifest, attired in an Eastern Airlines captain . An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Captain Robert Cleveland was born in Virginia around 1744 and moved with his family to western North Carolina around 1766. Footage of the incident appeared in the film Days of Fury (1980), directed by Fred Warshofsky and hosted by Vincent Price. Additional information. For months and years after the crash, the area became a hot-bed of supernatural activity. The town is just 20 miles north of Miami, and its beaches are a hit with retirees, snowbirds, and Quebecoise who j Florida is a strange place. There's nothing like a day spent fishing in the beautiful waters off the coast of Rockport, Texas. Make sure that the file is a photo. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. (Rob and Sarah Elder, "Crash") In command of flight 401 that night were three pilots: Captain Robert Loft, First Officer Albert Stockstill, and Flight Engineer Donald Repo. Mariners Learning System provides a methodical, well-organized . Another account from a flight attendant would tell of how she could see someone in the galley of the plane, seemingly in a flight engineers uniform. The crash was featured in season five of the Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series Mayday, in a 2009 episode called "Fatal Distraction".[9]. Captain Bob Loft and Second Officer Don Repo died in the crash, as did ninety-nine other people on board in what was one of the worst commercial air disasters . Eight passengers became infected; doctors used hyperbaric chambers to treat the infections. In spite of their injuries, the surviving flight attendants were recognized for helping other survivors. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Robert Loft, the captain of Flight 401, was killed. For months, hunters, poachers, and wildlife enthusiasts started reporting strange unearthly sights and encounters around the crash site. [5]:4 This altitude alert, designed to warn the pilots of an inadvertent deviation from the selected altitude, went unnoticed by the crew. Your Name: Subject: Message: Notify me by email of all message replies. Flight 401 was under the command of Captain Robert Albin Loft, 55, a veteran Eastern Airline pilot. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. And the paranormal encounter occurred over the Florida . Marcus also regularly appears as an expert on radio talk shows including Troubled Minds and Unexplained Radio discussing these topics. They failed to notice that the autopilot had inadvertently been disconnected and, subsequently, the aircraft gradually lost altitude and crashed. We can only imagine how many more accounts might be on record if not for the eventual ban by Eastern Airlines on any of their employees speaking publicly of their sightings. Those were the last words of Captain Robert Loft, 38 years ago tonight. The passengers enjoyed a routine flight until 11:32 PM when the flight was near its destination in . Resides in Sarasota, FL. Captain Robert 'Bob' Loft believed that it was just a faulty light bulb. [5]:3, The flight was routine until 23:32, when the plane began its approach into Miami International Airport. We publish books on both Kindle and paperback. [4] It was also the first hull loss and fatal crash of a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. As it turned out, Robert Loft was in fact the name of the pilot and Don Repo was the flight engineer who both passed away in the crash. At 6:30 p.m., the event will begin with a program in John and Alice Butler Hall featuring speakers who will underscore the life and legacy of . Verify and try again. What followed not only left a trail of body parts, broken hearts, mass hysteria, damning accusations but a mass grave now populated by alligators and ghosts. Prior to his current assignment, he commanded the Joint Intelligence Operation Center European Command Analytic Center at RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom. During the last leg of the flight, the plane would experience engine trouble. The man would ask the attendant to pass a message to a woman, whom he named, that was on board the flight. The passengers enjoyed a routine flight until 11:32 PM when the flight was near its destination in Florida and the crew were preparing for landing. Capt. In another 50 seconds, the plane was at half its assigned altitude. The story was that parts of Flight 401 were salvaged after the crash investigation and . He accompanied 3 survivors on the helicopter to the hospital including a flight attendant and passenger who lost her baby in the crash. 2 tail-mounted engine, and remains of the empennagefinally came to rest substantially further forward than other major sections, was probably the result of the No. Captain Robert Arnott, the master of the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2, who has died aged 92, was known to the thousands of passengers who sailed with him in the heyday of passenger shipping . The fuselage finally made contact with the ground and everything lid up in Halloween orange and blazing yellow hues. 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. [6], The flight was under the command of Captain Robert Albin (Bob) Loft, age 55, a veteran pilot ranked 50th in seniority at Eastern Air Lines. Captain Hight is a 1994 graduate of Boston . Captain Roberts is a level 45 Elite NPC that can be found in Dalaran. Many believe they have seen his ghost, however, and that of his black horse, near the main terminal. 1 If any Part of the Things mentioned can be recovered so that I . Many of them were happy to tell of their experiences. However, a push on the steering systems in a specific way, would disengage the autopilot. She has written articles for several online websites, and had an article published in a Canadian magazine on the most haunted locations in Atlantic Canada. One reserved for the living perhaps. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. [9] All the survivors were injured; 60 received serious injuries and 17 suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. All rights reserved. Captain Robert Loft and Second Officer Donald Repo survived the crash, shortly. Rockport Fishing Charters. Failed to delete memorial. Parts of the aircraft that had crashed operating Flight 401 were salvaged after the crash investigation and refitted into other L-1011s. Year should not be greater than current year. Posted by Dawn Quinn on 9/26/2002, 10:27 pm. Cleveland acquired 150 acres near the Lewis Fork in what is today known as the Purlear Community by 1778. Stockstill tried to remove the bulb. Resides in Sarasota, FL. In the following years, however, passengers and crew alike began to not only see Loft and Repo on and around Eastern Airlines flights, many unknowing people even had brief conversations with them. The swamp and its critters gobbling up the dead and living alike. The final conversation gave investigators enough of a clue to then piece together the timeline that led the pilots to be in the fatal position they found themselves. Captain Robert L. Martin. The flight was routine until 23:32 when the plane began its approach into Miami International Airport. 6 min read. Our latest book, Historys Most Bizarre, Outlandish, And Controversial UFO And Alien Encounters contains over 60 encounters. It turned out that the passenger was Bob Loft, the captain who died on a flight from New York to Miami in December of 1972. . Marcus Lowth is a writer with a love for UFOs, aliens, and the Ancient Astronaut Theory, to the paranormal, general conspiracies, and unsolved mysteries. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? [6]:101 The pilots cycled the landing gear, but still failed to get the confirmation light. Even more chilling, however, was the warning that all three of the flight attendants heard at the same time. For his efforts, he received the Humanitarian Award from the National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation and the "Alumitech Airboat Hero Award", from the American Airboat Search and Rescue Association. So without in any way wanting to make light of it, after all the events that led to the sightings of Second Officer Don Repo and Captain Bob Loft were truly . Captain Loft died in the wreck remains of Flight 401 before he could be transported to a hospital. by Nicos Kaloyirou. Robert Loft, the captain of Flight 401, was killed. Television and books told the stories of the Flight 401 Ghosts. [5]:5 The plane was traveling at 227 miles per hour (197kn; 365km/h) when it hit the ground. With the aircraft in mid-turn, the left wingtip cracked into piece against the surface first, it was followed by the left engine and the left landing gear. He immediately drove to Eastern's Miami offices and decided to charter a helicopter to the crash site, as the swampy terrain made rescue difficult, and Eastern Airlines had not heard any news of progress in rescue efforts. The captain, 55-year-old Robert Loft, was a DC-8 pilot who had two-and-a-half hours of training in the new L-1011 plane, the report states. Laser Pointers Can Redirect Lightning - But Don't Try It at Home! Under the command of Captain Robert Albin Loft, an expert navigator rated 50th in seniority at Eastern. Inexhaustible walker, gambler and pugilist, he was also a friend to Royalty. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. His spirit and that of Flight Engineer Don Repo were said to have appeared on other Eastern Lockheed L-1011 aircraft for years after the crash. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a Lockheed L-1011-1 Tristar jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades at 11:42pm December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities (99 initial crash fatalities, two died shortly afterward). A TV movie. Sir, I presume upon your former Friendship for Colonel Robert Stuart to trouble you with the enclosed Extracts of a Letter I lately received from him, as the most effectual Method I can devise of complying with his Request. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. [5]:30[6]:99 The aircraft was fleet number 310, and the 10th TriStar delivered to the carrier. [5]:4 In the next 70 seconds, the plane lost only 250ft (76m), but this was enough to trigger the altitude warning C-chord chime located under the engineer's workstation. Birth. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Captain Loft died in the wreck remains of Flight 401, captain robert loft the warning that all three the. 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