captain robert loft

Captain Martin was accepted to the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. 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. The flight departed JFK Airport on Friday, December 29, 1972, at 9:20 PM, with 163 passengers and a total of 13 crew members on board. Sits in an upright position, tray tables closed. Try again later. So much so, that an increased amount of movement took place. Captain Hight is a 1994 graduate of Boston . We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. [16], While Eastern Air Lines publicly denied their planes were haunted, they reportedly removed all the salvaged parts from their L-1011 fleet. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Death: March 21, 1819 (52-53) Hawkins County, Tennessee, USA. 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. Most believe their presence was a result of the fact that Eastern Airlines, to save money, used salvaged parts from this crashed plane. The film was based on Fullers book, and it concentrated on the ghost sightings that came into being after the incident. 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. . Resend Activation Email. Fuller describes anecdotes of strange happenings aboard other Eastern aircraft. Subscribe Today! Robert A.Loft. Television and books told the stories of the Flight 401 Ghosts. Our motto always is, "you make up your own mind". To Captain Robert McKenzie. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. It could well be the ghosts of Captain Robert Loft or Second Officer Don Repo, keeping watch and making sure your flight arrives safely. Over the years, there have been several reports from passengers flying over Florida that they have encountered the ghostly crew from Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 that tragically crashed, killing many people who were on board. I don't blame you and would probably be thinking the same thing. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. That's because last year, my flight from Chicago to Miami was visited by ghosts - and I'm pretty sure it was the crew Eastern Airlines Flight 401. 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. And the damn light It was just a burned-out lightbulb. The investigators were particularly fascinated by the various accounts of hauntings within planes that contained pieces of Flight 401. The crew didnt react. He then served as DAJAG (MILPERS) from 2007-2009. 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. Search above to list available cemeteries. Please reset your password. The Life Summary of Robert. You may not republish the article in its entirety. [5]:4 This altitude alert, designed to warn the pilots of an inadvertent deviation from the selected altitude, went unnoticed by the crew. Apparently, some of the equipment that was salvaged from the wreckage had been used in other L-1011 planes with Eastern Air Lines which has many people believing that the ghosts of those who passed away are still connected to that equipment. Only 75 passengers and crew survived. Learn more about managing a memorial . Robert Loft, 55; First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and Second Officer Donald Repo, 51, all of Miami-Dade. Includes Address (8) Phone (11) Email (2) See Results. The TriStar's port outer wing structure struck the ground first, followed by the No. Only small fragments of metal marked the wingtip's first contact, followed 49ft (15m) further on by three massive 115ft (35m) swaths cut through the mud and sawgrass by the aircraft's extended undercarriage before two of the legs were sheared off. Captain Loft had been with the company for over 32 years; a total of 29,700 flight hours. The crew of Flight 401, taken aboard Flight 26 while on the ground in Miami earlier the day of the crash. was a regularly scheduled flight that connected the Big Apples JFK airport with Miamis wild beach soaked riviera. We will not let it happen! While history would suggest they were unable to deliver this promise, most consider the sightings to be completely genuine. And furthermore, laid in a coffin in the cargo hold. 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. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. In 1635, his occupation is listed as owner of three cranes inn in Charlestown, Middlesex, Massachusetts . He was a member of Gold Prospectors of the Rockies and the National Rifle Association. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. The story was that parts of Flight 401 were salvaged after the crash investigation and . [5]:5. The flight was under the command of Captain Robert Albin Loft, a 32-year-veteran of Eastern Air Lines. Copyright 2023 UFO Insight, All Rights Reserved. Pilots of Eastern Airline Flight 401 Don Repo and Bob Loft. In the cockpit: Capt. [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. 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 in United States history. 1 engine and the port main undercarriage. In the cockpit: Capt. 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. Shortly before midnight on December 29, 1972. Fuller recounts stories of paranormal events aboard other Eastern aircraft and the belief that these were caused by equipment salvaged from the wreckage of Flight 401. of the men simply moved on from our realm of existence after so long? The crew began to panic. Robert Loft, First Officer Albert Stockstill and Second Officer Donald Repo steered Flight 401 toward Miami International Airport after an uneventful flight from New York. On the approach to Runway 9L for landing at Miami, First Officer Albert Stockstill, the pilot She has a fascination with the paranormal and ghost stories, especially those that included haunted houses. The flight is referenced as part of the Bob Welch song "The Ghost of Flight 401" on his 1979 album Three Hearts. The short video below looks at the incident in a little more detail. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. He died in 1807, in Mount Washington, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States, at the age of 90, and was buried in Mount Washington, Berkshire, Massachusetts . In 1779 he was commissioned as Captain. Some high-ranking employees and pilots would do so only under the cover of anonymity. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! [5]:22[6]:109, The final NTSB report cited the cause of the crash as pilot error, specifically: "the failure of the flight crew to monitor the flight instruments during the final four minutes of flight, and to detect an unexpected descent soon enough to prevent impact with the ground. 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. based on information from your browser. However, it also complicated the survivors' recuperation, as organisms in the swamp caused infection, with the potential for gas gangrene. I look forward to seeing you guys again! Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. In the NPCs category. The event is free and open to the public. His flight crew included the First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39, and the Second Officer cum flight engineer, Donald Repo, 51. Standing room only so to speak. On approaching Miami International . All three of them now saw Repos face in the oven door. The reported hauntings were said to only be seen on the planes that used the spare parts. 29 Dec 1972 (aged 55) Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. He finally noticed the hiccup but it was too late. Those were the last words of Captain Robert Loft, 38 years ago tonight. The Eastern Airlines flight had just impacted into the ground. Oops, something didn't work. Captain Loft had been with the airline for 32 years and had accumulated a total of 29,700 flight hours throughout his flying career. There were 75 people who survived the crash. 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. Who shall say where one ends and where the other begins?". Marquis received burns to his face, arms, and legsa result of spilled jet fuel from the crashed TriStarbut continued shuttling people in and out of the crash site that night and the next day. When the individual walked across the aisle to get a better look at this man, the apparition said, Hi, Im Don. On one particular occasion, on Flight Tri-Star 138, while performing her normal duties, she could clearly see the face of Repo in the oven door in the planes kitchen. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Although Eastern Airlines were tight-lipped on the sightings, it quickly became one of the aviation industrys worst-kept secrets. [19] Pieces of Flight 401's wreckage can also be found in Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.[20]. You should read this article with an open mind and come to a conclusion yourself. It was a gradual descent, little by little the craft lost a couple of meters it was so gradual that not even the well-seasoned Captain noticed anything hinky until all hell broke loose. Additional information. Captain Loft died before he could be pulled from the wreckage. He began a conversation with who he thought was the pilot on his plane in the first-class section. Robert Loft, 55; First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39; and Second Officer Donald Repo, 51, all of Miami-Dade. Right after this event, a new turn comes as a consequence. Sightings of the spirits of Don Repo and Robert Loft spread throughout Eastern Air Lines to the point where Easterns management warned employees that they could face dismissal if caught spreading ghost stories. Although they were much less, so did sightings of Bob Loft. [5]:6,16[9] However, the NTSB concluded that the captain's tumor did not contribute to the accident. But first, lets talk about what happened to Flight 401. 1) He was from the County of Culpeper in Virginia being born about the year 1750. [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. New York 20th March 1777. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Thanks for your help! The Lockheed L-1011 carried 163 passengers and 13 crew members. The tower was radioed and Flight 401 was instructed to enter a holding pattern while the cockpit crew investigated the issue. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. . Now, though, it seemed they were acting as guardians over their former employers flights. But that doesn't change the fact my plane, in this case, a Boeing 737, was undeniably visited . At that point, this person noticed that the older lady who was sitting across the aisle wasnt there anymore and that another crew member was sitting in her seat (also wearing an Eastern Air Lines hat). About 490 feet (150m) from the wingtip's initial contact with the ground, the massive fuselage had begun to break up, scattering components from the underfloor galley, the cargo compartments, and the cabin interior. The swamp and its critters gobbling up the dead and living alike. Laser Pointers Can Redirect Lightning - But Don't Try It at Home! 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. The pilots of flight 401, from left to right: Bob Loft, Bert Stockstill, and Don Repo. The slight forward pressure on the stick would have caused the aircraft to enter a slow descent, maintained by the CWS system. The celebrated explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) also famously took part in the race to claim the South Pole in 1911, but sadly failed in his mission and died on his return journey. [15][18] The reported hauntings were said to be seen only on the planes that used the spare parts. They raced to rescue any survivors. It's OK to think I am nuts. He wished her to tell this lady that he was OK. A little perplexed the woman passed along the message to the lady. Flight 401 crashed headlong into one of the most inhospitable parts of the United States, the Everglades. It is featured in season1, episode3, of the TV show Why Planes Crash, in an episode called "Human Error" (2010). For more tales of the macabre, check out our blog. It is not, however, the only such incident of its type on record. After lowering the gear, First Officer Stockstill noticed that the landing gear indicator, a green light identifying that the nose gear is properly locked in the "down" position, had not illuminated. On 29th December 1972, Eastern Airlines Flight 401 came crashing out of the sky and into the Florida Everglades. Skeptic Brian Dunning claims that the origin for the ghost sightings was a joke made by an Eastern Air Lines captain after an emergency landing in which he quipped that he "thought [Don] Repo's ghost was on the plane."[22][24]. There was a problem getting your location. 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. Rockport Fishing Charters. 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. They rushed to rescue survivors. Cockpit area microphone (CAM): [Sound of click], CAM: [Sound of six beeps similar to radio altimeter increasing in rate]. Stockstill: We did something to the altitude. The NTSB classified the injuries of one nonrevenue passenger and one other passenger as nonfatal, as their deaths occurred more than seven days after the accident. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. He accompanied 3 survivors on the helicopter to the hospital including a flight attendant and passenger who lost her baby in the crash. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hawkins County, Tennessee, USA. Long was born on 7 November 1967 to Michael and Charlotte Long in Tishomingo, OK. In spite of their injuries, the surviving flight attendants were recognized for helping other survivors. Loft is one of Eastern's top pilots with 32 years of experience and over 29,000 flight hours. Tragically, with the Lockheed L-1011s auto-pilot being accidentally disconnected in addition to a malfunctioning landing gear indicator light, the aircraft crashed into the Florida Everglades. Failed to report flower. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. His flight crew were all experienced veterans. Captain Bob Loft was also seen on a few occasions, but never as often as Repo. . October 4, 2021. [5]:4 The engineer (Repo) had gone below, and no indication was heard of the pilots' voices recorded on the CVR that they heard the chime. Remember my name for the next time I post. Related To Virginia Gancio, Judith Gancio. [12][13] The training is designed to make problem solving in a cockpit much more efficient, thus causing less distraction for the crew. chime located under the engineers workstation the same engineer that was down below checking the status of the wheels. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. While Eastern Airlines publicly denied some of their planes were haunted, they reportedly removed all the salvaged parts from their L-1011 fleet. A captain serving under Colonel Lanser in the military regiment that invades the town. 20 strangest facts about dreams that you never heard of. Thus, the switching to CWS in channel A possibly did not occur in channel B, thus depriving the first officer of any indication the mode had changed (channel A provides the captain's instruments with data, while channel B provides the first officer's). cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. . His body may have been found in County Louth. His flight crew included First Officer Albert Stockstill, 39 and . Flight commander Capt. He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree. 17 Mar 1917. He also named the mighty Columbia River after his ship, SS Columbia Rediviva. 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. Many believe that the piece is cursed. Robert attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he became a member of the Pershing Rifle Team. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Robert Loft (17211647)? 1 (port) engine, and fragments from the port wing itself and the port tailplane. The reported hauntings were only seen on the planes that used those spare parts. The breakup of the fuselage had freed it from its stowage and activated its inflation mechanism. The area, an inhospitable and incredibly inaccessible place, proved to be a logistical nightmare for rescue workers. Setimus And The Aztec UFO Crash The First Alien Contact Encounter Of Modern Times? Subsequent to these press stories, The Ghost of Flight 401 was published in 1976. Fortunately, it managed to make an emergency landing. The film was based on Fullers book, and it concentrated on the ghost sightings that came into being after the incident. You may republish short quotes from this articlewith a reference back to the original UFO Insight article here as the source. When she was shown photographs of employees in an attempt to pick out the mystery person, she immediately singled out Repo. Even more chilling, however, was the warning that all three of the flight attendants heard at the same time. [15][16] Gossip regarding the sighting of the spirits of Don Repo and Bob Loft spread throughout Eastern Air Lines to the point where Eastern's management warned employees that they could face dismissal if caught spreading ghost stories. JAMES ROBERT ''BOB'' LOFT , 55, of Aurora died Nov. 23. There he was able to land in a swampy patch of grass and coordinate rescue efforts. For months and years after the crash, the area became a hot-bed of supernatural activity. The flight progressed normally until about 11:30. The circumstances that surrounded this disaster centre on the leadership qualities of Captain Robert Albin 'Bob' Loft, 55, who was in charge of the aircraft. At around 5:00am, this person closed their eyes and after feeling as if someone was near, this individual opened their eyes to find someone sitting in the aisle seat. The account of the crash and its outcome was documented inJohn G. Fullers 1976 bookThe Ghost of Flight 401. YouTube. It is certainly a unique case. While the crew was focused on the landing gear indicator, the plane unknowingly came down at a lower altitude and abruptly crashed. Mariners Learning System provides a methodical, well-organized . Dubuque Regional Airport 11000 Airport Road Dubuque, IA 52003 Phone: 563-589-4128 [1] As the plane made its way across the marshlands of the Florida Everglades, Stockstill is heard to say, We did something to the altitude. 6 min read. No one, not a single one noticed, when the autopilot switched on so teh crew could focus on the lightbulb started to act up. She would leave her seat temporarily to find a staff member as one of their staff, a flight attendant who was sitting next to her was obviously feeling unwell. Burial. 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. A similar situation appeared in the Thai film Dark Flight, directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, produced in 2012. 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. Some quick-thinking actions such as singing Christmas carols to keep up hope and attract the rescue teams attention, as flashlights were not part of the regular equipment on commercial airliners at the time, ended up proving invaluable during the crisis. Loft and Repo had indeed lost their lives that December evening in 1972. [5]:13. Your email address will not be published. A womans face screaming up. The mud of the Everglades may have blocked wounds sustained by survivors, preventing them from bleeding to death. Perhaps if we one day can understand the reasons for that, we can understand more of afterlife existence generally speaking. 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. During this time, the planes autopilot system was set to maintain the planes altitude at 2,000 feet. Get notified of the best booming posts weekly. Whether Turpin used the grounds to conduct his robberies over 250 years before the conception of air travel is unknown. Fourteen survivors had various degrees of burns. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Investigators concluded the planes lower altitude by saying, the crew was distracted by the nose gear light, and because the flight engineer was not in his seat when the lower altitude warning sounded, so would not have been able to hear it. Sorry! Captain Robert Nairac, a British spy, was murdered by the Irish Republican Army. He returned to NLSO NC for his second tour as CO in the summer of 2009. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Our latest book, Historys Most Bizarre, Outlandish, And Controversial UFO And Alien Encounters contains over 60 encounters. Of all the soldiers, Loft is the most orderly . Eastern Airlines Flight 401 departed New York's JFK airport at 9:20 in the evening enroute to Miami International Airport. [21] A television film, also titled The Ghost of Flight 401, aired on NBC in February 1978.

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