Eastern 401: The Parts Said to Carry Two Dead Crewmen onto Other Flights

On the night of December 29, 1972, an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 flew from New York to Miami. There were 163 passengers and 13 crew members on board. During the approach, the green light that should have confirmed the nose landing gear was locked did not come on. Captain Robert Loft, first officer Albert Stockstill, and flight engineer Donald “Don” Repo began checking whether the gear was really down. They climbed to 2,000 feet and held over the Everglades, about 30 kilometres from Miami International Airport.

The warning light was tiny. During the final four minutes, the entire cockpit focused on it. The autopilot was disconnected without anyone noticing. The aircraft slowly lost altitude in a moonless night, over marshland with almost no lights to provide a visual reference. By the time the crew looked back at the altitude instruments, the L-1011 was too close to the ground. It struck the Everglades at 11:42 p.m. The NTSB recorded 101 deaths, including Loft, Stockstill, and Repo.