| My experience with the story of Eastern
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| | out the words and letters, a member of
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| Flight 401 began early in 1973. I flew
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| | the flight crew passed by. It was the
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| from Tampa, Florida, to New York City and
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| | First Officer headed to the back of the
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| back several times that year. Most of my
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| | aircraft.
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| close relatives lived in the New York
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| | I probably wouldn't have noticed him, but
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| City area. During school breaks, I took
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| | he stopped at my seat and looked at the
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| the opportunity to combine visits with
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| | sheets. He asked, "Pardon me, did someone
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| them with opportunities to attend various
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| | on this flight or at the airport give
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| paranormal seminars scheduled for that
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| | that to you?" I told him no and made the
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| year.
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| | mistake of saying that I found it in one
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| At sixteen, I was an experienced traveler
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| | of the magazines on board. I didn't want
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| and made most of my own airline
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| | to get Susan in trouble. He reached over
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| reservations and arrangements. I hated
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| | and grabbed it out of my hands saying it
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| crowds and loved red eye flights.
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| | was a scandal sheet passed around by
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| Traveling at odd hours was no big deal
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| | ill-informed employees.
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| for me. During the middle of Summer Break
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| | I had no way of knowing that I was flying
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| 1973, I was aboard a Sunday afternoon EAL
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| | Eastern at a time when the Flight 401
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| flight that seemed almost empty. In those
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| | ghost sightings were at their high point.
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| days there were always more flight
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| | The sightings began in January of 1973
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| attendants than needed on the off peak
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| | and continued in earnest until the summer
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| hours flights. The younger, less
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| | of 1974. These events were exposed to the
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| experienced crew members tended to hob
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| | world in The Ghost of Flight 401, a book
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| knob with passengers. That's how I met
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| | written by John G. Fuller. Fuller is one
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| Susan. (I am being polite: Flight
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| | of my favorite authors. His book,
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| Attendants were called Stewardesses if
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| | Interrupted Journey chronicled the famous
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| they were women and Stewards if they were
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| | Betty and Barney Hill UFO Abduction Case
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| men in those days)
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| | and there were others like Incident at
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| Her attention was drawn to a book I was
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| | Exeter that I enjoyed as well.
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| reading about Flying Saucers. Like most
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| | Fuller's book came out a couple of years
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| of the flight attendants that I met
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| | after the ghost sightings ended. His
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| during the 1970s, Susan was from the
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| | wife, Elizabeth, was an Eastern Flight
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| South. She seemed about twenty years old
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| | Attendant that helped him get the goods
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| and had a pleasant personality. We talked
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| | on the 401 ghost sightings. Her book, My
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| on and off as her free time allowed. I
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| | Search for the Ghost of Flight 401, was
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| had enough time in the air to know that
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| | just as good as his and I read both with
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| there were several topics that you never
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| | equal enthusiasm. Anyone interested the
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| brought up on a plane. These included
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| | paranormal should dig up copies of these
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| UFOs and Airline Crashes, but both
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| | and read them cover to cover.
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| subjects came up anyway.
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| | The film, The Ghost of Flight 401,
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| Susan was obviously well read on the UFO
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| | starred Ernest Borgnine and was a part of
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| subject. Like me, she had relatives in
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| | a one-two punch delivered by Hollywood.
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| the Air Force. She also knew people that
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| | The second was the release of Crash,
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| had personally seen UFOs while on
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| | another film about the 401 disaster. This
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| commercial flights. Most were not
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| | one starred William Shatner. Both films
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| spectacular sightings, but strange enough
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| | were shown on Broadcast Television in the
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| to cause concern. What really got her
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| | USA and released in theaters in some
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| started were some of the ghost stories I
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| | other Countries. All told, the films were
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| told. It turned out that hers was much
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| | well received and probably gave Frank
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| better than mine.
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| | Borman more sleepless nights than the
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| I didn't know much about the Flight 401
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| | ghosts themselves.
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| Air Disaster except that it involved an
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| | In The Ghost of Flight 401, the ghosts
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| Eastern Airlines Passenger Jet which went
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| | appear as any human would. For example,
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| down in the Florida Everglades about six
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| | during a 1973 flight from Newark to
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| months before. Personally, I was more
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| | Miami, A Flight Attendant was doing a
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| concerned about airline hijackers in
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| | head count when she noticed a man in an
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| those days than crashes. Susan asked if I
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| | Eastern Airlines Pilot uniform seated
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| had heard any of the stories about ghosts
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| | with the passengers. He refused to
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| from that flight appearing to people. I
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| | acknowledge her, so she contacted the
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| hadn't. Before she could utter another
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| | flight crew. The Captain of that flight
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| word, a male flight attendant walking by
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| | came back to see what was going on and
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| grabbed her by the arm. Both vanished
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| | recognized the man as Bob Loft. He cried
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| into the First Class section.
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| | out, "Oh my God, that's Bob Loft!" At
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| After a few minutes the male flight
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| | that point Loft vanished. Everyone
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| attendant reappeared. Although he worked
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| | present saw it happen.
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| in First Class, he came up to my seat and
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| | During a 1974 flight from San Juan,
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| asked how I was doing? I said I was fine
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| | Puerto Rico to Newark, NJ, the Pilot sees
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| and didn't need anything. He introduced
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| | Don Repo sitting in the Flight Engineer's
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| himself as Bobby and asked if I wanted to
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| | seat. Repo says, "There will never be
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| move up to First Class. I accepted the
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| | another crash of an L-1011, we will not
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| invitation. While walking through the
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| | allow it." Repo vanishes after speaking.
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| curtain that separated the sections,
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| | During another sighting, Repo appeared to
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| Susan whizzed by me with just a quick
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| | a Flight Crew member and said he had
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| smile and stuffed some folded
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| | completed the preflight check.
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| mimeographed papers into my hand. I
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| | On another occasion, a Flight Attendant
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| shoved them into my pocket.
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| | saw a man in a Flight Engineer uniform
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| The five folded pages that Susan stuffed
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| | fixing a microwave oven. Thinking nothing
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| into my hand looked like some kind of
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| | of it, she went about her business. Later
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| insider's newsletter. Something a Flight
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| | she asked the Flight Engineer what was
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| Attendant had put together for other
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| | wrong with the microwave. He had no idea
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| Flight Attendants. It made reference to
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| | what she was talking about. Repo also
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| the 401 crash and how that some flight
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| | appeared several times in the Hell Hole
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| crews were seeing ghosts from the 401
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| | (electronics room) beneath the cockpit
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| crash. The pages were badly worn and had
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| | after crew members heard knocking in that
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| obviously been passed around and handled
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| | area and went to investigate.
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| a lot. Although names and specifics were
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| | While boarding a flight that would take
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| left out, it was obvious that this was a
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| | him from JFK in New York to Miami
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| how-to sheet for crew members that wanted
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| | International in 1973, a Vice President
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| to avoid being on planes known for the
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| | of Eastern Airlines entered the First
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| 401 ghost appearances.
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| | Class Cabin and saw an Eastern Pilot
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| After we landed, I told Bobby that I left
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| | sitting there. When he got close enough
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| something in my seat back in coach.
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| | to see his face, it was Bob Loft. Loft
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| Before he could say anything, I headed
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| | vanished before his eyes. Loft was seen
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| back to speak to Susan. She was putting
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| | by a number of flight crews and spoke
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| away pillows, so I thanked her for being
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| | occasionally warning about problems or
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| so nice, pulled the mimeographed sheets
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| | potential problems on board an aircraft.
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| out of my pocket and asked her, "Did you
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| | There were some other types of
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| see any of the ghosts?" She looked down
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| | appearances as well. Flight Attendant
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| and thanked me for flying Eastern. Cold!
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| | Faye Merryweather saw the face of Don
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| I felt as if I had been dumped by a prom
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| | Repo staring at her from an oven in the
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| date! I mean, it wasn't like I expected
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| | galley of Tri-Star 318. The galley was
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| her to give me her telephone number. I
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| | salvaged from the wreckage of 401.
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| just wanted to talk Airline spooks.
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| | Merryweather summoned two other Flight
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| While in New York, I went to a library
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| | Attendants. One was a friend of Repo and
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| and looked up more information about the
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| | recognized his face. Repo spoke and said,
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| crash. It seems that the whole thing
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| | "Watch out for fire on this airplane."
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| began when Flight 401 left Tampa for New
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| | The airliner ended up having engine
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| York on December 29, 1972. The flight
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| | trouble a short time later on route to
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| crew was Pilot Bob Loft, First Officer
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| | Acapulco. After landing, the rest of its
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| Albert Stockstill and Flight Engineer Don
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| | flight was cancelled.
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| Repo. On the return leg to Miami, a
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| | And it wasn't just flight crews that saw
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| problem developed. While on approach to
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| | the deceased crew members.
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| Miami International at 11:30pm, a landing
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| | Several Marriott Food Service workers saw
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| gear light failed to come on. As a
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| | a Flight Engineer vanish in the galley of
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| result, the crew attempted to be sure the
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| | an airliner being stocked for the next
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| gear was down.
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| | flight and refused to continue their
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| While trying to remedy the landing gear
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| | work. That flight was delayed for over an
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| light issue, it's likely that someone
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| | hour. Airline cleaners and mechanics
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| bumped the aircraft control column and
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| | began to find reasons to avoid working on
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| deactivated the auto pilot. This caused a
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| | or in Ship #318 where most of the
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| slow decent that wasn't noticed by the
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| | sightings took place. Some believe that's
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| flight crew until it was too late. Loft
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| | because parts were salvaged from the
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| and Stockstill perished in the cockpit,
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| | aircraft involved in the 401 crash and
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| although Loft hung on for a while after
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| | transplanted into #318. It's as good as
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| the crash. Stockstill was thirty-nine and
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| | explanation as any.
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| Loft was fifty-five years old. Don Repo,
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| | Although the details remain sketchy and
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| fifty-one years old, initially survived
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| | there's a great deal of disagreement
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| the crash and died a day later in the
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| | about it, the end of the ghost sightings
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| hospital. In the end, ninety-six of one
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| | may have had something to do with a
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| hundred and sixty-three passengers died.
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| | psychic intervention of sorts. It's been
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| Two weeks later I flew back to Tampa,
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| | reported that one or more people who knew
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| Florida. I wondered if it had been sheer
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| | Loft and Repo managed to contact them
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| luck that caused me to learn about the
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| | through the help of a psychic medium who
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| 401 ghost stories on a flight from Tampa
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| | persuaded them to move on. The ghost
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| and to New York. Maybe, but I wasn't
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| | sightings ended about a year and a half
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| lucky enough to end up on a flight with
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| | after the crash.
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| Susan again. My off peak flight took off
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| | A haunting of this intensity and
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| on a late Sunday afternoon with a
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| | frequency reveals how woefully inadequate
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| completely different crew. There were
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| | our attempts to understand or investigate
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| maybe thirty people on board and we ended
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| | the paranormal have been. This is
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| up with an experienced Flight Attendant.
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| | especially true of those who do not care
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| She was kind of bossy, so I sat and read
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| | to acknowledge paranormal events in the
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| quietly.
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| | first place. Rather than believe their
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| At some point, I took out the folded
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| | own people, Eastern chose to ignore the
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| pages that Susan gave me. I tucked them
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| | ghost reports and recommend mental health
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| into a notebook I purchased at the
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| | evaluations and treatment for those who
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| airport and had been trying to decode the
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| | saw them. If the ghosts that appeared
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| worn mimeo sheets for days. It proved
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| | after the 401 crash have taught us
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| difficult and was very frustrating, but I
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| | anything, I would hope it is that simply
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| thought I would use the flight time back
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| | ignoring paranormal events will not make
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| to Florida to try again. While I was
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| | them vanish into thin air.
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| using a magnifying glass to try and make
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