Bound for Miami, Flight 401 took off from New York's JFK at 9:20 p.m. And the paranormal encounter occurred over the Florida . Maybe the salvaged pieces of Flight 401s wreckage also contained the final energies of the crew. Memorial ID. [6]:110 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. 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-1011 (N318EA) flights. I don't blame you and would probably be thinking the same thing. For example, one unnamed flight engineer would tell how he almost screamed when, while performing the standard pre-flight checks Don Repo appeared in front of him stating he had already done the checks for him. The two pilots, Captain Robert Loft and First Officer Albert Stockstill, Flight Engineer Donald Repo, 96 passengers and 2 flight attendants died. A womans face screaming up. 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. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. While Eastern Airlines publicly denied some of their planes were haunted, they reportedly removed all the salvaged parts from their L-1011 fleet. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Dubuque Regional Airport 11000 Airport Road Dubuque, IA 52003 Phone: 563-589-4128 You may republish short quotes from this articlewith a reference back to the original UFO Insight article here as the source. Robert Albin "Bob" Loft. Template:Unreferenced Over the following months and years, employees of Eastern Air Lines began reporting sightings of the dead crew members, captain Robert Loft and second officer (flight engineer) Donald Repo, sitting on board other L-1011 (N318EA) flights. These reports received extensive publicity by the news media. Failed to delete memorial. By this time, Frank Borman was the CEO of Eastern Airlines who called the stories a haunting garbage and considered suing the producers of the 1978 made-for-TV movie The Ghost of Flight 401 for tarnishing Eastern Airlines reputation. [4], Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a regularly scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. Other Ghostly Tales Of Airports And Air Travel, https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/10/21/ghost-flight-401/3715665001/, https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/travel-stories/flight-attendant-reveals-craziest-plane-ghost-stories-shes-heard/news-story/acdf057fbf62aec72923f6b6fbee40aa, https://www.10best.com/interests/explore/haunted-travel-scary-stories-to-send-shivers-down-your-spine/, The Japanese Airlines Flight 1628 UFO Encounter, Chilling Tales Of Traveling Ghosts And Phantom Vehicles, The Truly Bizarre Account Of Santiago Flight 513, The American West Flight 564 UFO Incident, The Ghosts Of Room 18 At The St. James Hotel. Fortunately, it managed to make an emergency landing. Some of Flight 401s equipment was salvaged and repurposed for other crafts of the Eastern fleet. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 departed New York's JFK airport at 9:20 in the evening enroute to Miami International Airport. He also named the mighty Columbia River after his ship, SS Columbia Rediviva. It is said that Don Repo would appear only to warn of mechanical or other problems that needed to be checked. The pilots removed the light assembly and an engineer was sent down below to confirm via a small porthole if the landing gear had deployed or not. The man was a hero that ended up saving dozens of lives. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Gray's Harbor, the large estuarine bay about 45 miles north of the mouth of the Columbia River, is named in recognition of Captain Robert Gray, the first Euro-American to enter it on May 7, 1792. [25] A television film of the same name was aired in October 1978. [5]:5 The plane was traveling at 227 miles per hour (197kn; 365km/h) when it hit the ground. He built his log home in 1779. At 820ft (250m) along the wreckage trail, the outer section of the starboard wing tore off, gouging a 59-foot-long (18m) crater in the soft ground as it did so. The flight is referenced as part of the Bob Welch song "The Ghost of Flight 401" on his 1979 album Three Hearts. This was, according to Singleton, "sometime after Columbus but before all the new scientific technology came about." The book explained the science of simple navigation with simple and easy instructions, real-life exercises, detailed diagrams, and straightforward . 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. Learn more about managing a memorial . A pilot named Robert Loft was one of the apparitions. So much so, that an increased amount of movement took place. English [4] Despite their own injuries, the surviving flight attendants were credited with helping other survivors and several quick-thinking actions such as warning survivors of the danger of striking matches due to jet fuel in the swamp water[9] and singing Christmas carols to keep up hope and draw the rescue teams' attention, as flashlights were not part of the standard equipment on commercial airliners at the time. Television and books told the stories of the Flight 401 Ghosts. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Blood and Blood-Drinking: Paranormal Creatures and (Alleged) Real Vampires, When Ghosts Get Hungry: That's When Things Get Dangerous. Oops, something didn't work. Only when they dropped their altitude shortly after did they realize the error, by which time it was too late. In the cockpit: Capt. Frank Borman, a former NASA astronaut and Eastern's senior vice president of operations, was awoken at home by a phone call explaining of a probable crash. The crash was documented in Rob and Sarah Elder's 1977 book Crash. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. [10], Most of the dead were passengers in the aircraft's midsection. Perhaps if we one day can understand the reasons for that, we can understand more of afterlife existence generally speaking. Additional information. He would later identify the mystery man as Loft when looking up a picture of the deceased pilot. [5]:5. The co . Robert Smith (The Captain) Replied on November 13, 2022. The death toll per the final accident report was 99. intentional infliction of emotional distress, "Airliner carrying 167 crashes in Everglades", "Giant jetliner goes down in 'gator infested swamp", "Eastern Airlines, Inc. L-1011, N310EA, Miami, Florida, December 29, 1972", "Robert "Bud" Marquis's Obituary on San Francisco Chronicle", "PART TWO: THE CRASH "It felt like a wild rollercoaster ride", "A Lesson on the Importance of Crew Resource Management", "Lessons Learnt from the Crash of Eastern 401", Eastern Flight 401 The Story of the Crash, The Crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401-Epilogue, ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar 1 N310EA Everglades, FL, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_401&oldid=1134185383, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 11:40. With thirty-two years of seniority, he was ranked fiftieth among the airlines four thousand pilots. Robert A.Loft. Eastern Air Lines Flight 401was a regularly scheduled flight that connected the Big Apples JFK airport with Miamis wild beach soaked riviera. . Posted in. Captain Loft Character Analysis. This person greeted the male (in his late 40s or early 50s) who was wearing a pilots uniform and a captains hat that read Eastern Air Lines. 1 If any Part of the Things mentioned can be recovered so that I . Robert attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he became a member of the Pershing Rifle Team. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Required fields are marked *. In 1635, his occupation is listed as owner of three cranes inn in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts . But first, lets talk about what happened to Flight 401. Their airboat crashing through the marshland at burning debris. Alligators coming out in hordes to feast, snakes attacking rescue workers, organisms in the swamp infecting wounds and causing irreparable damage. Flight 401 crashed headlong into one of the most inhospitable parts of the United States, the Everglades. Added in World of Warcraft: Legion. Many believe they have seen his ghost, however, and that of his black horse, near the main terminal. Robert B Loft was born circa 1864, at birth place, Kentucky. The following conversation was retrieved from the flight voice recorder later: Less than 10 seconds after this exchange, the jetliner crashed. Comment by dasbaum PvP vendors are currently not selling Season 3 & 4 elite gear (in EU only though, US seems to work). Military records provide the following information concerning Captain Robert Yancey. Captain Robert 'Bob' Loft believed that it was just a faulty light bulb. Captain Robert Loft and Second Officer Donald Repo survived the crash, shortly. The Eastern Airlines flight had just impacted into the ground. Frank Borman, prior to becoming CEO of Eastern Airlines, arrived at the crash scene and helped to rescue the flight passengers. For a year and a half after Flight 401 went down, both crew members and passengers reported seeing the deceased Captain Robert Loft and flight engineer Donald Repo on other L-1011 flights. First Officer Stockstill was killed on impact, and although pilot Robert Loft and flight engineer Donald Repo initially survived the crash, Loft died while being pulled from the wreckage and Repo succumbed to his grievous injuries later at a hospital. She made her report to the serving flight engineer who promptly informed her he was the only engineer on board the flight. Resides in Sarasota, FL. Try again later. 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. Try again later. MYSTERIESRUNSOLVED & MRU MEDIA, 2019-2022. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Robert Albin Bob Loft I found on Findagrave.com. The breakup of the fuselage had freed it from its stowage and activated its inflation mechanism. In the NPCs category. [22] Loft's widow and children did sue Fuller, for infringement of Loft's right of publicity, for invasion of privacy, and for intentional infliction of emotional distress, but the lawsuit was dismissed and the dismissal upheld by the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal. [6]:108 The most common injuries were fractures of ribs, spines, pelvises, and lower extremities. Investigations into the sightings would prove not only that the witnesses were of sound mind (and some very high-ranking, to boot), but the details and descriptions offered of these apparent visitors from the other side matched the former pilots almost exactly. [5]:6,16[9] However, the NTSB concluded that the captain's tumor did not contribute to the accident. Verify and try again. 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. The fuselage finally made contact with the ground and everything lid up in Halloween orange and blazing yellow hues. And the damn light It was just a burned-out lightbulb. 1 (port) engine, and fragments from the port wing itself and the port tailplane. [15][16][17], These stories speculated that parts of the crashed aircraft were salvaged after the investigation and refitted into other L-1011s. It was the first fatal crash involving not only the Lockheed TriStar, but, indeed, a widebody aircraft of any kind. Captain Robert Cleveland was born in Virginia around 1744 and moved with his family to western North Carolina around 1766. It is said that this is the reason Loft and Repo haunted Flight 401 to keep future flights safe from human error. On December 29, 1972, the Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar Flight 401 left New York and flew on a downward vector to Miami, Florida. 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 . The stories, accounts, and discussions in this article may go against currently accepted science and common beliefs. Post a Response. Over time, the reporting of ghost sightings stopped. As Stockstill started another turn, onto 180, he noticed the discrepancy. The flight was under the command of Captain Robert Loft, 55, a veteran Eastern Airline plot. 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. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. On 29th December 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 came crashing out of the sky and into the Florida Everglades. Capt Robert J. Your email address will not be published. Robert Frederick Loft, 67. [16], While Eastern Air Lines publicly denied their planes were haunted, they reportedly removed all the salvaged parts from their L-1011 fleet. 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. Real Paranorms. [5]:23 In this mode, once the pilot releases pressure on the yoke (control column or wheel), the autopilot maintains the pitch attitude of the aircraft until the yoke is again moved. Sorry! From 2005 to 2007, Captain Sanders served as Executive Officer and ultimately served his first tour as Commanding Officer of Navy Legal Service Office North Central. The man would ask the attendant to pass a message to a woman, whom he named, that was on board the flight. Captain Loft died in the wreck remains of Flight 401 before he could be transported to a hospital. The remarkable Captain Robert FitzRoy wikipedia.org Pioneer of weather forecasting. Over the following months and years, employees of Eastern Air Lines began reporting sightings of the dead crew members, captain Robert Loft and second officer Donald Repo, sitting on board other L-1011 flights. When she returned to her seat with the stewardess following behind her, both women saw who was later identified as Don Repo just fade away and vanish before their eyes. Sightings of Don Repo would continue sporadically for several years before Eastern Airlines closure in 1991. [10], N310EA, the aircraft involved in the accident. Captain Bob Loft and Second Officer Don Repo. Receive the latest articles directly in your inbox weekly. Setimus And The Aztec UFO Crash The First Alien Contact Encounter Of Modern Times? [17] Over time, the reporting of ghost sightings stopped. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? 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. The aircraft he flew that night was a state-of-the-art Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, one of a dozen new wide-body "Whisperliners" delivered to the airline that year. From Captain Robert McKenzie. Right after this event, a new turn comes as a consequence. The story was that parts of Flight 401 were salvaged after the crash investigation and . The Ghosts of Flight 401, part of the Discovery+ series Shock Docs, focuses on the supernatural legacy of the crash. Many believe that the piece is cursed. Frank Borman, prior to becoming CEO of Eastern Airlines, arrived at the scene after the crash to assist with rescue efforts. based on information from your browser. Mysterious unknown script By Newton Stone, Recent skeletal DNA analysis proves German, Danish & Dutch origins of the English people. Perhaps the final conversation heard by the control tower between Captain Loft and First Officer Stockstill is the best place to start when unfolding the tragic circumstances of 29th December 1972. For months and years after the crash, the area became a hot-bed of supernatural activity. Stockstill: We did something to the altitude. Those were the last words of Captain Robert Loft, 38 years ago tonight. Then, it dropped 100ft (30m), and then again flew level for two more minutes, after which it began a descent so gradual it could not be perceived by the crew. 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. The event is free and open to the public. Are you looking for something? By the time the person walked away, Don had also disappeared and the older woman was visible in her seat again. You should read this article with an open mind and come to a conclusion yourself. Captain Robert Falcon Scott was the first British explorer to reach the South Pole and explore Antarctica extensively by land in the early 1900s. 1972 was drawing to a close when a routine flight from JFK, New York to Miami departed at 9:20 p.m. with 30-year veteran pilot Captain Bob Loft at the controls. Accueil; Prsentation; Dpollution; Nos vhicules; Nos pices They failed to notice that the autopilot had inadvertently been disconnected and, subsequently, the aircraft gradually lost altitude and crashed. Father of John "Captain" Frost, Sr.; Simeon Riley Frost; Nancy Anne Seals; Lucinda Jane Farmer; Robert Ray Frost and 6 others. 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. 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