lornajarrettblanchard

— 16 ASN. Accident Description. USN Lockheed EC-130Q, off Wake Island AP, 6-21-1977.
— 16 Baugher. US Navy…Marine…BuNos Third Series (150139 to 156169). 10-29-2011.
— 16 Gero, D. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, pp. 123-124.
— 16 Oakland Tribune (Contra Costa Edition), CA. “Wake Island Plane Crash.” 6-21-1977, 1.
— 16 Pacific Stars and Stripes. “Turtle finds EC130Q wreckage.” 8-12-1977, p. 13.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules…156176 (c/n 382-4280) flew into water on takeoff from Wake Island Jul 21, 1977. All 16 onboard killed (ASN)” (Baugher. US Navy…Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (150139 to 156169). 10-29-2011.)

Gero: “Date: 21 June 1977 (c.22:30)
“Location: Off Wake Island
“Operator: US Navy
“Aircraft type: Lockheed EC-13Q (156176)

“The airborne command and control aircraft, with a crew of 16 military personnel aboard, crashed in the Pacific Ocean moments after taking off from Wake Island Naval Air Station, on an operational mission. Searchers found only one body; there were no survivors. Also recovered were two power plants, a portion of one wing and some other debris, but the main wreckage of 156176 was lost at sea. Climbing to no higher than 400 ft (120m), the four-engine turboprop slammed into the water approximately one mile (1.5km) from the end of Runway 10, which it had used, exploding on impact and creating a fire that burned for a while on the surface of the ocean. The accident occurred in moonlit darkness and weather conditions consisting of a 2,000ft (600m) ceiling and winds out of the east at 17 knots, gusting to 22. For unknown reasons, the EC-130 had failed to follow the normal climb-out profile. One possible explanation for the crash was the pilots and lost their visual and peripheral references immediately after passing over the departure end of the runway. One endorsement in the Navy investigative report expressed the opinion that the absence of control tower personnel on duty at the time of the take-off, who could have monitored the climb-out of the aircraft, deprived the crew of an additional safeguard.”

Newspapers

June 21: “Honolulu (AP) – A Navy C130 plane with 16 military passengers embed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff today from Wake Island Air Force Base, the Air Force said. Flares were seen at the crash site, indicating there were survivors, according to a spokesman at Hickam Air Force Base here. The plane was based at Agana, Guam, and was en route home when it crashed at 3:26 am PDT. The plane had left Hickam late yesterday afternoon and stopped at Wake for refueling and crew rest. (Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Edition, CA. “Wake Island Plane Crash.” 6-21-1977, 1.)

Aug 12: “Technicians prepare the “Turtle,” a deep-diving vessel being used in the search for a Navy EC130Q aircraft which crashed on take-off from Wake Island June 30, killing the 16 men aboard. A spokesman for the 3rd Fleet said Tuesday the aircraft wreckage has been located by the Turtle in 1,600 feet of water about a mile off the island. Some electronic gear, an emergency distress light and other bits of wreckage have been recovered in the continuing operation, the spokesman said. The Turtle operates from the support ship Maxine D. The Pearl Harbor-based salvage ship Brunswick also is taking part in the recovery operation. The aircraft, assigned to Fleet Air Recon. Sq. 3 at Agana, Guam, was en route to Guam after refueling at Wake when it crashed. The cause of the accident has not been determined. One body was recovered the day of the crash.” (Pacific Stars and Stripes. “Turtle finds EC130Q wreckage.” 8-12-1977, p. 13.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Navy Lockheed EC-130Q…off Wake Island AP…21 Jun 1977. At: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19770621-1

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (150139 to 156169). Oct 29, 2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

Oakland Tribune (Contra Costa Edition), CA. “Wake Island Plane Crash.” 6-21-1977, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/freepdfviewer.aspx?img=31341713

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “Turtle finds EC130Q wreckage.” 8-12-1977, p. 13. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=138492593

–32 CDC. “Follow-up on Legionnaires’ Disease – [US].” MMWR, V26, N52, 12-30-1977, 443.
–32 Garrett, Laurie. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases… 1994, p. 190.

Narrative Information

CDC: “As of December 23, 1977, 150 sporadic cases of Legionnaires’ disease with onset since August 1976 confirmed by 4-fold or greater rise in indirect fluorescent antibody filter, demonstration of the causative bacterium in tissue by the direct fluorescent antibody technique, or growth of the bacterium from clinical specimens have been reported to CDC. These include 32 fatalities. In addition, several states have reported apparently localized clusters of confirmed cases occurring predominantly in the summer and autumn of 1977. The revised totals for these clusters are as follows: Ohio, 10 cases and 1 death; Vermont 32 cases and 17 deaths; Tennessee, 25 cases and 3 deaths; and California, 14 cases and 2 deaths.”

Garrett: “It wasn’t long [after 1976 Philadelphia outbreak] before similar cases of Legionnaires’ Disease surfaced all over the world. First, the CDC spotted isolated cases in eleven different states. By September 1977, the federal agency was busily tracking three hospital outbreaks in Ohio, one in Vermont, and one in Tennessee. The combined fatalities in the Ohio, Vermont and Tennessee outbreaks and sporadic isolated cases in 1977 reached thirty-two by December, about 25 percent of all reported Legionnaires’ cases.”

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Follow-up on Legionnaires’ Disease – United States.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 26, No. 52, 12-30-1977, p. 443. Accessed 5-26-2021 at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23292297?refreqid=excelsior%3A27936c38dfd44a10f267a3ced1f92cd8&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Garrett, Laurie. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases In A World Out Of Balance. NY: Penguin Books, 1994.

— 165  Cincinnati Enquirer. “The Beverly Hills Fire – The Fire That Still Rages.” 5-28-1997.

— 165  New York Times. “The Century’s Worst Fires.” 3-26-1990.

— 165  Greenpeace. PVC Fires List. June 1994.

— 165  National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996.

— 165  National Fire Protection Association. The 1984 Fire Almanac. 1983, p. 137.

— 165  NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. December 2008, p. 23.

— 165  OJP DOJ. Community Crisis Response Team Training Manual: 2^nd Ed.  (Appendix D).

— 165  Robinson. “The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, 1977.” NFPA Journal, May/June 2011.

— 165  Swartz, J. A. “Human Behavior in the Beverly Hills Fire.” Fire Journal, May 1979, p. 73.

— 164  Best, Richard L. “Tragedy in Kentucky.” Fire Journal, Jan 1978, p. 19.

— 164  NFPA. Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, Southgate, KY, May 28, 1977. Fire Investigations.

— 164  National Fire Sprinkler Association.  F.Y.I.  1999, 7.

 

Narrative Information

 

Best: “….On Saturday, May 28, 1977, a disastrous fire occurred at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, that claimed the lives of 164 patrons and employees, and injured some 70 other people. This fire was the worst multiple-death building fire in the United States since the Cocoanut Grove night club burned in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 28, 1942, taking 492 lives.

 

“The Beverly Hills Supper Club, classified according to the NFPA Life Safety Code, NFPA 101, as a place of assembly, was a sprawling, mostly one-story restaurant and night club that covered an area of about 1½ acres. A small part of the building was two stories high, and there was a basement under approximately half of the complex. The original two-story portion was constructed in 1937 and additions were added at various times; a major rebuilding…took place following a fire in 1970. There were no deaths in that 1970 fire.

 

“The building was basically of unprotected, noncombustible construction and did not have automatic sprinkler protection or a fire detection and alarm system. The Club was occupied by about 2,400 to 2,800 people on the night of the fire, with approximately 1,200 to 1,300 people attending a show in the Cabaret Room, a large showroom that featured well-known entertainers. Nearly all of those who died had been in the Cabaret Room when the fire broke out.

 

“The fire originated in the Zebra Room, a small, unoccupied function room on the opposite end of the Club from the Cabaret Room, and burned for a considerable time before it was discovered. The probable cause was determined to be electrical in nature; combustible material in a concealed space in the ceiling of the Zebra Room was the first material ignited. When the fire was discovered, the Beverly Hills Supper Club staff unsuccessfully attempted to fight the fire before notifying the fire department or alerting occupants to leave the building. Most of the patrons were evacuated with the assistance of employees. However, by the time the Cabaret Room occupants were made aware of the fire emergency, they did not have adequate time to escape. Even if they had been notified sooner, there was not sufficient egress capacity provided for occupants to escape. Many were overcome by fire gases and smoke.

 

“Following the fire, an examination and analysis of the facts revealed many facility and operational deviations from national consensus fire codes and standards…. (p. 19)

 

(Best, Richard L. “Tragedy in Kentucky.” Fire Journal, Jan 1978, pp. 18-22, 27-35.)

 

Cincinnati Enquirer, May 28, 1997: “Beverly Hills Supper Club, which touted itself as the Showplace of the Nation, captured attention the night of May 28, 1977, as fire destroyed it and eventually killed 165 people.  It has been 20 years since that dreadful night, but for many, the memories are as bright as the flames.

 

“The fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club was a night of horror and heroism, of unspeakable carnage and unshakeable courage. Whether or not you witnessed the blaze, which eventually killed 165 people, your life was affected by it.

 

“The revolution in class action litigation, the exposure of the dangers of certain kinds of construction materials and the revision of building and fire codes have reached every community in America.

 

“For those who were touched by the horror, memories of the fire at the Northern Kentucky club on May 28, 1977, torments like an unfinished novel. It may be the absence of criminal charges against those responsible for the causes of the fire. It may be lack of a permanent memorial to the victims. And it may be the painful realization that the passage of years, population growth in the Tristate and fresher, bigger national tragedies will inevitably blur the memory of that red-eyed, red-skied night….”  (Cincinnati Enquirer, May 28, 1997)

 

“The Beverly Hills Supper Club was a mecca for high-roller gamblers and a stage for well-known performers. It had all the glitz and glamour that would one day define the Las Vegas Strip…. Celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were visitors to Beverly Hills in the 1950s….”  (Cincinnati Enquirer, May 28, 1997)

 

“Sept. 16, 1977: Gov. Julian Carroll’s special task force files a report calling the Beverly Hills building ”an electrician’s nightmare” and concludes that ”the only participants in the tragedy who were clearly ignorant of the latent danger hidden behind walls and within concealed spaces were the patron-victim.” Structural problems, the report said, included substandard wiring, flammable building materials and a shortage of exits. It said that ”many of these code violations were known by the insurer, the operators and owners, and were noted as concerns as a matter of record in the fire marshal’s office.” Other problems it identified included ”gross overcrowding” and ”myopic” inspection efforts. The task force found it ”baffling” how the state fire marshal’s staff failed to communicate adequately with the state Insurance Services Office that repeatedly inspected Beverly Hills during the 1970s and reported fire hazards….

 

“Aug. 2, 1978: The grand jury concludes that neither criminal negligence nor structural problems were responsible for the deaths. The jury report blames the victims’ ”panic” and notes that Cabaret Room patrons, ”even though notified to evacuate, failed to react and remained seated until the conditions of the room itself indicated the need to exit. By this time in some instances it was too late.”  (Chronology,  Cincinnati Enquirer, May 28, 1997)

 

Greenpeace: “The Beverley Hills Supper Club was a large multi-function entertainment center in the northern Kentucky near Cincinnati. The night of the fire over 2000 patrons were in the Cabaret Room.  There was approximately 6000 feet of PVC insulated wiring in the plenum of the Cabaret Room alone.  The fire was initially fueled by the PVC wiring….

 

“Although the fire was discovered in the Zebra Room about 8:40-8:45 p.m., it had been building in the wall undiscovered for about one-two hours.  By this time, the process of thermal decomposition, which is the initial stage of a PVC fire, had already spread through the wiring to the Cabaret Room.

 

“The reservationist of the Supper Club noticed white-to-gray wispy smoke whirling down from the ceiling of the Zebra Room.  When she entered the room, it wound around her head, and she stumbled out of the room immediately.  Her eyes were so irritated and watery that she could not see, and her nasopharyngeal area burned and filled with fluid.  Her fingernail polish reacted with the smoke and her fingernails were eaten through.  She developed second-degree burns wherever the wispy grey-white smoke touched her….

 

“Between the time the fire was discovered and the time it was announced in the Cabaret Room, the hall between the Cabaret Room and the Zebra Room was used by employees and patrons for exiting.  No flame was openly spreading via the wall surfaces in that hall.  The white and grey-white smoke resulted from processes hidden in the ceilings.  The one surviving lighting technician who saw the Cabaret plenum from his box described the grey-white smoke in the plenum turning dense and black.  No flames were visible until very late in this change, nor was wood or another structural building material burning visibly.

 

“With the announcement, the patrons began to exit rapidly and in an orderly fashion, but a dense black cloud of smoke descended within three minutes on those remaining in the room.  Those who came in contact with it fell to the floor.   Those near one of the exits were again assaulted by the smoke because the air conditioner blew recirculated air from the Cabaret Room directly into the little exit hall.  As soon as the black smoke descended, the patrons still in the Cabaret Room began to scream, which brought the patrons and employees who had already exited around to the outside of the Cabaret Room where they began dragging people out of the exitways and out of a hole punched in one of the walls.

 

“After the Fire Department had been on the scene several minutes, the fire fighters were directed to the rear of the Club outside the Cabaret Room and joined rescue operations.  By this time, the smoke had dissipated and rescuers could actually enter the room to drag bodies out.  The great majority were dead already, although very little material in the room was visibly burning, and rescuers could actually drag bodies out for a long time after the killing smoke had descended.  Often the same pile of bodies contained both dead victims and an unconscious survivor.  After this interval, flames did reach the Cabaret Room which later experienced vast explosions of combustible gases.

 

“A total of 161 people died that night without any direct involvement with the flame and long before carbon monoxide had reached a concentration which affected the rescuers most of whom wore no respiratory masks.  Some of the nonrespiratory symptoms are noteworthy.  Three of the four autopsies revealed kidney damage, one of which was identified as nephrocalcinosis, a common result of acidosis. Four survivors died within two weeks and nine months primarily from severe respiratory impairments: bronchopneumonia, tracheobronchitis, and, in one case, bronchitis obliterans, pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary vasulitis, and pulmonary edema.  The four delayed deaths brought the total to 165….” (Greenpeace. PVC Fires List.  June 1994; cites Journal of Combustion Toxicology.)

 

Robinson: “Despite the confusion of the moment, there was no chaos, a waitress said later, “no screaming, no panicking.” Not until the patrons of the club saw the smoke, that is. “It just rolled into the room,” she said. “It was the blackest smoke I’d ever seen.”….

 

“The patrons in the Cabaret Room didn’t learn of the fire until 9:06, when a busboy interrupted the opening act and told the guests to leave the building through the exits he indicated. As a survivor noted, however, the warning “just didn’t register with people,” many of whom were slow to react. About four minutes later, smoke and flames filled the room, killing those who had not yet left. Nearly all of those who died were in the Cabaret Room when the fire broke out.

 

“Among the factors contributing to the large number of casualties were delays in discovering the fire and notifying patrons to evacuate, the club employees’ lack of emergency training, the lack of fire detection and suppression systems, overcrowding, and the lack of adequate exits.

 

“As of 2007, the site of the Beverly Hills Supper Club remained vacant, a stark reminder of one of the deadliest nightclub fires in U.S. history.” (Robinson, Kathleen. “Slow to React. The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, 1977.” NFPA Journal, May/June 2011.)

 

Swartz: “Two years ago this month – on May 28, 1977 – a fire ripped through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky, eventually killing 165 people.

 

“After the fire, the Kentucky State Police interviewed 630 survivors to determine, among other things, how people in the Club acted after being told of the fire. In addition, the State Police mailed a 22-item questionnaire to a large number of other individuals to find out about occurrences on the night of the fire. Of the questionnaires mailed out, 1,117 were returned to the State Police. The interviews, which were taped, and the completed questionnaires formed the basic data source for an NFPA analysis of human behavior during the Beverly Hills fire….

 

“Staff and patrons alike underestimated the severity of the emergency in almost every case, right up until the last seconds, or even until they were outside the building and looked back at the fire…. (p. 73)

 

“What Was Learned of Importance?

 

“It is my belief that this fire has taught us many things beyond the fact that one must build and maintain public places of assembly in accordance with existing building and fire safety codes. Principal among these, I would put the following:

 

(1) Fire reports or other accounts of fires should delete the term ‘panic’ and report

factually what happened or what people said.

 

(2) Fire safety plans for places of public assembly should examine the roles that people

normally play, and not seek to prescribe emergency actions that are contrary to these

roles.

 

(3) The impact of ‘role assumption’ on expected fire emergency conduct should be

examined.

 

(4) Fire safety education should consider and be based upon people’s erroneous

conceptions about distance being related to safety, and the time needed to escape

from a fire emergency.” (p. 108)

 

(Swartz, Joseph A. “Human Behavior in the Beverly Hills Fire.” Fire Journal, May 1979, pp. 73-74 and 108.)

Sources

 

Best, Richard L. “Tragedy in Kentucky.” Fire Journal, Jan 1978, pp. 18-22, 27-35. Accessed 5-29-2015 at: http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2011/july-august-2011/news-and-analysis/looking-back

 

Cincinnati Enquirer. “The Beverly Hills Fire — The Fire That Still Rages,” 5-28-1997. Accessed at:  http://www.enquirer.com/beverlyhills/index2.html

 

Greenpeace. PVC Fires List. June 1994. Accessed at: http://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/reports/gopher-reports/pvcfires.txt

 

National Fire Protection Association. Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, Southgate, KY, May 28, 1977. Fire Investigations. Batterymarch Park, MA: NFPA, no date. Accessed 5-29-2015 at: http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2011/july-august-2011/news-and-analysis/looking-back

 

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996, 2010. Accessed at:  http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

 

National Fire Protection Association. The 1984 Fire Almanac. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1983.

 

National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.

 

National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc. F.Y.I. – Fire Sprinkler Facts. Patterson, NY: NFSA, November 1999, 8 pages. Accessed at: http://www.firemarshals.org/data/File/docs/College%20Dorm/Administrators/F1%20-%20FIRE%20SPRINKLER%20FACTS.pdf

 

New York Times. “The Century’s Worst Fires.” 3-26-1990. Accessed at:  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2D9113CF935A15750C0A966958260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FSubjects%2FF%2FFires%20and%20Firefighters

 

Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice. Community Crisis Response Team Training Manual: Second Edition (Appendix D:  Catastrophes Used as Reference Points in Training Curricula). Washington, DC: OJP, U.S. Department of Justice. Accessed at:  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/crt/pdftxt/appendd.txt

 

Robinson, Kathleen. “Slow to React. The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire, 1977.” NFPA Journal, May/June 2011. Accessed 5-29-2015 at: http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2011/july-august-2011/news-and-analysis/looking-back

 

Swartz, Joseph A. “Human Behavior in the Beverly Hills Fire.” Fire Journal, May 1979, pp. 73-74 and 108. Accessed 5-29-2015 at: http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2011/july-august-2011/news-and-analysis/looking-back

 

 

— 22 Grazulis, Thomas P. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. 2001, p. 299.
— 22 Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1192.
— 22 NCDC. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 4 Apr 1977, Jefferson County 1500.
— 22 National Weather Service WFO Birmingham, AL. April 4, 1977, Smithfield F5 Tornado.

Narrative Information

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Birmingham, AL: “The tornado began around 3 pm CST, 4 miles northwest of Birmingham near U.S. Highway 78, and then traveled northeast for 15 miles at 60 mph, crossing Interstate 65. At it’s widest point, the tornado was 3/4 of a mile wide. Over 150 homes were damaged with almost 50 completely destroyed. A total of 22 people were killed with over 130 injured. This one storm alone caused over $25 million in damage ($83 million in today dollars). Daniel Payne College near U.S. Highway 78 sustained heavy damage from this massive tornado with estimates over $1 million dollars. The college, opened in 1880, later closed its doors in 1977, likely a result of the enormous cost and amount of damage. There were six other tornadoes on this day including five F2 tornadoes and an F3 tornado across North and Central Alabama. Timely tornado warnings provided by the National Weather Service allowed people to take necessary action well ahead of the approaching storm. The new NOAA Weather Radio program played a huge role in the process. Warnings were broadcast live on the Birmingham KIH-54 transmitter which was just implemented five months prior to this event.” (NWS WFO Birmingham, AL. April 4, 1977, Smithfield F5 Tornado.)

Sources

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, 1,326 pages.

Grazulis, Thomas P. The Tornado: Nature’s Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001, 324 pages.

National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 4 Apr 1977, Jefferson County 1500. NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-5-2009 at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~1704

National Weather Service Forecast Office Birmingham, AL.. April 4, 1977, Smithfield F5 Tornado. Accessed 1-4-2009 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/significant_events/1977/smithfield/index.php

–72 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Georgia.
–72 Gero. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950. P.145.
–63 of 85 on-board.
— 9 on the ground.
–72 NTSB. Aircraft Accident Report, Southern Airways, Inc….New Hope, GA, April 4, 1977.
–70 NationMaster.com. Encyclopedia, List of Notable Accidents and Incidents Com. Aircraft.
–70 Planecrashinfo.com. “1977. Accident Details. Southern Air…New Hope, GA…April 4.”

Narrative Information

NTSB: “Synopsis. About 1619 e.s.t. on April 4, 1977, a Southern Airways, Inc., DC-9, operating as Southern Flight 242, crashed in New Hope, Georgia. After losing both engines in flight, Flight 242 attempted an emergency landing on State Spur Highway 92, which bisected New Hope. Of the 85 persons aboard Flight 242, 62 were killed, 22 were seriously injured, and 1 was slightly injured. One passenger died on June 5, 1977. Additionally, eight persons on the ground were killed and one person was seriously injured; the injured person died about 1 month after the accident. The aircraft was destroyed.

“Flight 242 entered a severe thunderstorm during flight between 17,000 feet and 14,000 feet near Rome, Georgia, while en route from Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia. Both engines were damaged and all thrust was lost. The engines could not be restarted, and the flightcrew was forced to make an emergency landing.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the total and unique loss of thrust from both engines while the aircraft was penetrating an area of severe thunderstorms. The loss of thrust was caused by the ingestion of massive amounts of water and hail which in combination with thrust lever movement induced severe stalling in and major damage to the engine compressors.

“Major contributing factors included the failure of the company’s dispatching system to provide the flightcrew with up-to-date severe weather information pertaining to the aircraft’s intended route of flight, the captain’s reliance on airborne weather radar for penetration of thunder-storm areas, and limitations in the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control system which precluded the timely dissemination of real-time hazardous weather to the flightcrew.” (NTSB, 1)

“….Other Damage…A combination grocery store-gasoline station was destroyed by fire. A truck and five automobiles were destroyed, and an automobile and a house were substantially damaged….” (NTSB, p. 8)

Planecrashinf.com: “The aircraft sustained a broken windshield and loss of power to both engines after penetrating a thunderstorm and encountering hail. The plane crash landed on a highway and exploded in flames. Total and unique loss of thrust from both engines while the aircraft was penetrating an area of severe thunderstorms with heavy precipitation and hail. Contributing factor was the failure of the company’s dispatcher to provide the flight crew with up-to-date severe weather information.” (Planecrashinfo.com.)

Sources
Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Georgia. Accessed 3/8/2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Georgie.htm

Gero, David. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 (Second Edition). London: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996.

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report, Southern Airways, Inc. DC-9-31m N1335U, New Hope, Georgia, April 4, 1977. Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 1-26-1978. At: http://web.archive.org/web/20061116025018/http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR78-03.pdf

NationMaster.com. Encyclopedia. “List of Notable Accidents and Incidents on Commercial Aircraft.” Accessed 12-15-2008 at: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-notable-accidents-and-incidents-on-commercial-aircraft

Planecrashinfo.com. “1977. Accident Details. Southern Air…New Hope, GA…April 4.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1977/1977-18.htm

— 28 Oil City Derrick, PA. “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes,” 4-6-1977, p. 15.
— 22 Blanchard tally from State breakouts below.
— 22 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, 82.
— 22 USGS/NOAA. Flood of April 1977 in the Appalachian Region of [KY, TN, VA, WV]. 1980, p. 1.
— 22 USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in…US, PR…VI, 1970 Through 1989. 2008.
— 20 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 187.
— 19 Associated Press. “Flood Damage Runs into Millions of Dollars,” April 9, 1977.
— 14 Associated Press. “Flooding,” April 7, 1977.

Kentucky (5)
— 5 Burlington Times-News, NC. “Floods’ Effects Remain.” 4-8-1977, p. 2A.
— 5 Daily Times-News, NC. “Flooding: Appalachian Residents Throw Up Sandbags,” 4-6-1977
— 4 North Adams Transcript, MA. “Tornado Storm Kills 19 in Alabama.” 4-5-1977. p. 1.
— 4 Oil City Derrick, PA. “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes.” 4-6-1977, p. 15.

Tennessee (7)
— 7 Burlington Times-News, NC. “Floods’ Effects Remain.” 4-8-1977, p. 2A.

Virginia (7)
— 7 Danville Register, VA. “Cleanup Begins As Flood Waters Return to Banks,” 4-7-1977, 1.
— 2 Daily Times-News, NC. “Flooding: Appalachian Residents Throw Up Sandbags.” 4-6-1977
— 2 Oil City Derrick, PA. “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes.” 4-6-1977, p. 15.
— 1 North Adams Transcript, MA. “Tornado Storm Kills 19 in Alabama.” 4-5-1977. p. 1.

West Virginia (3)
— 3 Burlington Times-News, NC. “Floods’ Effects Remain.” 4-8-1977, p. 2A.
— 2 Daily Times-News, NC. “Flooding: Appalachian Residents Throw Up Sandbags.” 4-6-1977
— 2 Oil City Derrick, PA. “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes.” 4-6-1977, p. 15.

Narrative Information

USGS and NOAA, Abstract: “Heavy rains fell over the Appalachian region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia during the period of April 2-i5, 1977, causing record flooding. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 15.5 in. were observed. The maximum amount of 15.5 in. occurred at Jolo, W. Va., in about 30 hours. This was more than twice the amount which would be expected for a 100-year recurrence-interval storm. Flood discharges along the upper Guyandotte River, Tug Fork and Levisa Fork [KY] in the Big Sandy River basin, Cumber- land River, and Clinch River and Powell River in the Tennessee River basin exceeded those previously known. Severe flooding also occurred along the Holston River and along the North Fork Kentucky River. Recurrence intervals of observed flood discharges were greater than those for 100 years at 29 streamflow-measurement sites. Substantial reductions in peak stages and discharges on Levisa Fork, North Pound River, and Guyandotte River, attained as a result of reservoir storage, were reported by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Maximum daily suspended-sediment discharges on April 5, 1977, on Guyandotte River near Baileysville, W. Va., and Tug Fork at Glenhayes, W. Va., were 54,800 tons/day and 290,000 tons/day, respectively. Twenty-two lives were lost and total property damages reportedly exceed $400 million in the four-State area.” (USGS/Runner) and NWS, NOAA/Chin). Flood of April 1977 in the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 1980, p. 1.)

USGS: “Significant flooding did not occur in 1977 until early April when eastern parts of the Ohio River Basin were inundated by a storm producing excessive amounts of rain. The headwaters of the Kanawha, Guyandotte, Big Sandy, Kentucky, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers located in southern West Virginia, southeastern Kentucky, extreme western Virginia, and northeastern Tennessee were most affected by the storm… Rainfall amounts of between 4 and 15.5 in. fell over the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1977). The maximum rainfall occurred in southwestern West Virginia, over a period of about 30 hours. The 15.5 in. of rainfall was considerably more than the 5.5 in. expected for the 24-hour, 100-year recurrence-interval storm. Record flooding was recorded on the Guyandotte River at Baileysville, West Virginia (station 03202400… and all along the Tug Fork River. Flood discharges at some locations were greater than the 100-year recurrence interval.

“Many small streams in the headwaters of the Tennessee River recorded new maximum discharges of record. No large cities were affected by the flooding, but a number of small towns and populated rural areas were severely damaged; 15 counties in Kentucky, 6 in Tennessee, 17 in Virginia, and 11 in West Virginia were declared Federal disaster areas. There were 22 deaths, and total damages were estimated at $430 million. About 40,000 families were affected in the four-State area (Runner and Chin, 1980 ).” (USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in…US, PR…VI, 1970 Through 1989. 2008.)

Newspapers

April 6: “Rain-swollen rivers inundated towns in the hilly Appalachians Tuesday cutting communications and forcing thousands to evacuate or wait for rescue. At least 28 persons had been killed by rain and wind storms in the region.

“The worst flooding was in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, where the Cumberland, Dig Sandy and Kentucky river topped floodwalls built to protect cities. “This will be the highest flood ever recorded on the upper Cumberland,” the National Weather Service said.
“I’d say it’s the worst in 40 years,” said Lou Bondurant, a Red Cross spokesman in Louisville. “Hundreds of people are being taken lo shelters. Thousands of people are out of their homes.”

“The flooding Tug Fork, a tributary of the Big Sandy, forced the 500 residents of the town of Matewan, near Williamson on the Kentucky border, to flee their homes. Some were reported trapped Tuesday on upper floors of taller structures. A reporter who reached Matewan Tuesday afternoon reported a few two-story houses poking above the water but the rest of the town completely covered. Many houses had tipped over. T. I Varney, a former West Virginia legislator, said the flood meant the end of the town. “1 don’t believe there’ll be any fixing back. I believe this is finished, he said.” Wilson Cisco spent the night in a boat rescuing, stranded Matewan residents. “They were screaming and hollering all over the place,” he said.

“The flooding killed at last four persons in Kentucky, two in West Virginia and two in Virginia; an additional five persons were reported missing in Virginia a before communications were lost in flooded areas.

“Patients at a hospital in Welch, W.Va., were moved to upper floors when the Tug Fork poured into the town, flooding the first floor. Methodist Hospital in Pikeville, Ky., on the Big. Sandy, was surrounded by water, and emergency patients had to be brought in by boat.

“Pineville, Ky., a town of nearly 3,000, was reported covered by 15 feet of water after the Cumberland rose 18 feet above flood stage and poured over the floodwall.

“Williamson, W.Va., with 12,000 residents, was completely cut off from the outside world except for a radio in a forest lookout tower. The weather service predicted a flood crest there of 52-54 feet, 25-27 feet above flood stage and 10 feet above 1963’s record crest. Bob Harvit, general manager of Williamson radio station WBTH, said he watched an elderly man standing in rushing water up to his neck and clinging to the side of the radio station building. “I rushed up front and had our announcer begin a plea for a boat,” he said. One soon arrived. “We don’t know who got him, but it was just in time.”

“The governors of Virginia and Kentucky declared disaster areas in their states The flooding was caused by nearly five inches of rainfall which the National Weather Service said would be followed by temperatures in the 30s. In both Kentucky and West Virginia, a chance of snow and below freezing weather were forecast for Wednesday….

“Virginia’s Department of Highways and Transportation said nearly 200 highways were blocked. It also said at least 18 bridges were known destroyed, and at least 52 more were out of service….

“Water in Williamson covered the roofs of some homes in low-lying areas. Residents of Barbourville and Williamsburg in extreme southern Kentucky were warned Tuesday to evacuate to higher ground as flood crests rolled toward them.” (Oil City Derrick (PA). “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes,” April 6, 1977, p. 15.)

Kentucky

April 5: “Four persons were killed in Kentucky, where flooding was said to be the worst in 40 years, and the Big Sandy River was expected to cause further destruction as it reached a crest above flood stage today. Officials said that Harlan was virtually submerged but for a small knoll in the town’s center and was without power or drinking water.” (North Adams Transcript (MA). “Tornado Storm Kills 19 in Alabama.” April 5, 1977. p. 1.)

Virginia

April 5: “Virginia Gov. Mills Godwin declared a state of emergency in the southwestern part of his state, where at least one person died and where National Guard troops were continuing efforts to rescue thousands of residents stranded by high water.” (North Adams Transcript, MA. “Tornado Storm Kills 19 in Alabama.” April 5, 1977. p. 1.)

April 7: “[VA] Gov. Mills Godwin, who toured the ravaged region Tuesday, asked President Carter Wednesday to declare 13 counties and one city a disaster area. He said preliminary damage estimates compiled in only six counties so far totaled more than $100 million. The governor also said in his letter that seven deaths have been reported and “many persons arc missing”.” (Danville Register (VA). “Cleanup Begins As Flood Waters Return to Banks,” 7 Apr 1977, 1.)

West Virginia

April 11: “Charleston, W.Va. (AP)– A flood damage survey taken by the American Red Cross reveals at least 489 small businesses were lost or severely damaged and 5,806 families suffered property damage in last week’s heavy flooding in Southern West Virginia.

“The Red Cross also said Sunday at least 393 private homes were totally destroyed in a nine-county area ravaged by the flood, while an additional 1,089 dwellings suffered major damage.

“Ray Carmichael, an American Red Cross official, says the estimates are based on a survey taken by the Red Cross beginning last Wednesday. He said the charitable organization conducts the surveys in nearly all of the major disasters it works in order to make long range plans for its relief efforts. “The surveys are generally very accurate,” said Carmichael. “Since we need the information to prepare for our long-range efforts, we take great care to make sure the figures are accurate.”

“Carmichael said the number of small businesses lost – almost all of which are in the Williamson area — is particularly high. “That’s a hell of a tot of businesses (485) to be lost,” Carmichael said. “That shows you how quickly the flood waters came up around Williamson.”

“The nine counties surveyed for damages included Mingo, McDowell, Logan, Wayne, Raleigh, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Mercer, and Wyoming. All were included in President Carter’s declaration of a national disaster area, which was requested by Gov. Jay Rockefeller.

“The Red Cross’ figures show a total of 17,854 West Virginians needed temporary shelter at one time or another last week, indicating that many were homeless for at least a day because of the flooding.

“A total of 3,290 homes suffered at least minimal damage – in addition to the 393 totally lost and the 1,069 that suffered heavy damage. Some 147 mobile homes were also lost or destroyed, while 81 apartments suffered heavy damage or loss….” (Beckley Post-Herald (WV). “Survey Totals Flood Losses,” April 11, 1977, pp. 1 & 3.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Flood Damage Runs into Millions of Dollars,” 4-9-1977. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=77848285

Associated Press. “Flooding,” 4-7-1977. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=95093596

Beckley Post-Herald, WV. “Survey Totals Flood Losses,” 4-11-1977, pp. 1 & 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=87242697

Burlington Times-News, NC. “Floods’ Effects Remain,” April 8, 1977, p. 2A. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=15158001

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Daily Times-News, Burlington, NC. “Flooding: Appalachian Residents Throw Up Sandbags as Water Drives Thousands From Homes,” April 6 1977, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=44852114

Danville Register, VA. “Cleanup Begins As Flood Waters Return to Banks,” 4-7-1977, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=101652366

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

North Adams Transcript, MA. “Tornado Storm Kills 19 in Alabama.” April 5, 1977. p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=62477115

Oil City Derrick, PA. “Floods Drive Thousands From Homes; W. Virginia, Kentucky Towns Are Inundated.” April 6, 1977, p. 15. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=66249727

United States Geological Survey (Gerald S. Runner) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Edwin H. Chin). Flood of April 1977 in the Appalachian Region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia (Geological Survey Professional Paper 1098). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1980. Accessed 4-28-2020 at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1098/report.pdf

United States Geological Survey. Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 Through 1989 (Water-Supply Paper 2502). USGS Kansas Water Science Center, Sep 17, 2008. Accessed 11-12-2016 at: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/reports/wsp.2502.contents.html#HDR1

— 583 Aviation Safety Network. Database 1977.
–335 Pan American World Airways 1736
–248 KLM
— 583 eNotes.com “Tenerife airport disaster.”
— 582 Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p. 21.
— 580 Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Hundreds Dead in Jet Collision.” 3-28-1977, p. 2.
— 576 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 385.
–351 Pan Am
–225 KLM
— 575 Valley News, Van Nuys, CA. “Dutch prober says KLM pilot at fault.” 3-3-1977, sec 1, 3.
— 559 Gastonia Gazette, NC. “Plane Collision Kills Record 559.” 3-27-1977, p. 1.
–~339 U.S. Fatalities (335 fatalities on Pan Am and 4 on KLM)
— 322 U.S. passengers Pan Am. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the Pan Am.”
— 9 NY-based Pan Am Crew. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
— 4 Canadian fatalities, Pan Am. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
— 2 Royal Cruise SFO

Breakout of Fatalities by State of Residence

Alaska ( 2)
Anchorage. Ralph Koslosky. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Ruby Koslosky. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Arizona ( 11)
Glendale. Florence Ruppell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Green Valley. Ruth Culbertson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Phoenix. Hardaway Dinwiddie. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Loraine Dinwiddie. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mary Hess Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ A. W. Miller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. A. W. Miller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Byron Steffarud. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Goldie Steffarud. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Scottsdale. Mr. Duncan Axford. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Arlene Axford. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2

California (250)
Albany. Joseph Jeans. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Martha Jeans. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “PanAm…” 3-29-‘77
Anaheim. Helen Ames. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Aptos. William Monty. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mary Monty. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Bakersfield. Barbara Mitchell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ David Singleton. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Beverly Hills. Russell Dimnock. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Philip Ensminger. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Borrego Springs. Frank Kershaw. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Dorothea Kershaw. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
Burbank. Clifford Morris. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Emilie Morris. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Capistrano Beach. Isabella Parker. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
Chino. Albert Roberts. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Verne Roberts. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ William Weller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Hazel Weller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Corona del Mar. Brita Brandenberg. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Coronado. Emilie Godfrey. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Crescent City. Helen Stuart. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Daly City. Emily Freedman. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Davis. Henry Campbell. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Helen Campbell. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Del Mar. Jessie Bergen Briggs. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
El Cerrito. Mary Bowman. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Emeryville. Maurine Grimwood. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Escondido. Fred Barth. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Kathryn Barth. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Dorothy Johnston. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Charles N. Miller. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
“ Dorothy Miller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Hazel Reed. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Foster City. Ms. S. Yee. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Fresno. James Calandra. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Irma Calandra. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Domenick Guerriero. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Elizabeth Guerriero. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Lorelle Shute. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Richard Sibley. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Richard Sibley. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Fullerton. Marie Robertson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
Glendale. Margaret Gilson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Betty Strandt. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Hemet. Frank Aston. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Marie Aston. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Alta Libert. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
“ Maurice Libert. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Hollywood. Eve Meyer. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Irvine. Mary Webber. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
La Jolla. Walter Edelman. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Jane Hart. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Alexander Lippmann. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Evelyn Lippmann. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Melva Perry. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
La Verne. Jack D. Daniel. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Lafayette. Norman Reid. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Laguna Hills. Ethel Blanche. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mable Brassfield. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Lloyd Chatterton. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Helen Chatterton. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Myra Cochran. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ William Combs. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Leone Combs. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Sherman Ellsworth. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Marian Ellsworth. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Martin Fisher. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Raymond Halldorson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Helen Halldorson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Jean Houston. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Frank Kase. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Gwendolyn Kase. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Karl Larson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Lorraine Larsen. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Benjamin Malin. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Helen Peters. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Elizabeth Reining. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Ethel Selbo. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Francis Simmons. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Kathryn Simmons. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Florence Sparr. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Irene Tyubir. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Helen Vernon. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Charles Ziebell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Fern Ziebell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
Long Beach. Esther Bartholomew. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Fay Blackburn. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Matile Hirshfield. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Milton Hirshfield Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Donald Locke. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Donald Locke. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Ms. Isabelle Lord Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
“ Richard Mueller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Ruby Mueller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Shirley Murdoch. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Dora Torres. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Julio Torres. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Los Altos. Myrtle McClintock. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Glovif Reiter. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Joseph Reiter. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Ruth Roman. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Alvin Shapro. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Lillian Shapro. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Los Angeles. James Basickowski. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Paul Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Madeline Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Gertrude Jordan. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Jerry Lewis. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Lila Lewis. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Richard Moran. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Dorothy Moran. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Sara Rehbock. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Milton Rothstein. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Natallye Rothstein. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Meyer Simon. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Harold Wallace. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Marina Del Rey. Howard Harper. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Mill Valley. Philip Emerzian. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Pat Spomer. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Montclair. Hazel Bebee. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Newport Beach. Robert Guedhart. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Beverly Guedhart. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Monte Johnston. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Patricia Johnston. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
Oakland. Rhelma Araujo. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Marietta Parkinson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Oceanside. Merritt Edmunds. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Marjorie Edmunds. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Orange. Milton Cornell. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Margaret Cornell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Esther Frier. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Oroville. Eleanor Crosby. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Palm Desert. Gloria Kirkorian. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Palm Springs Linda Soyous. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Palos Verdes. Genevieve Foley. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Theodore Younes. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Pasadena. Fred Beutel. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Dorothy Marsden Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “6 Star-News…” 3-29-1977, 57.
Petaluma. Moreen Waters. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Col. Mervin S. Waters. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
Piedmont. Joseph Stringfellow. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Marlive Stringfellow. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Pinedale. Catherine Ellis. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Rancho Mirage. Bernice Harmon. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Rancho Santa Fe. Beth Shaw. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Redondo Beach. Frank Silva. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Frank Silva. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Redwood City. Remy Bernascowi. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Lena Bernascowi. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ George Berne. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Helen Berne. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Alvera Querantes. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Louis Querantes. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Riverside. Clarence Huffman. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Martha White. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Rolling Hills. Geraldine Knox. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Robert Knox. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Rosemead. Mabel Beardslee. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Sacramento. Fred Bellnokini. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Iva Bellnokini. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Cynthia Magante. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Genevieve Pitcock. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Albert Veglia. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mary Veglia. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
San Clemente. Ann Stevenson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Robert Stevenson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
San Diego. Carl Anderson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Leondre Anderson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Margaret Anderson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2.
“ Lt. James Barkdull. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Alice Barkdull. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Stanley Cohen. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Helen Cohen. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Kenneth Crawford. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Ruth Crawford. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Lillian Donald. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Raymond Evans. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Hallie Evans. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Herbert Grupp. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mrs. Herbert Grupp. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Art Hauser. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Helen Hauser. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Lucille Hegdahl. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Alfred Herb. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Eileen Herb. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Charles Pinkstaff. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Aubrey Shulkino. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Sylvia Shulkino. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Aenid Taylor. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Chalmer Taylor. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Maurice Tyler. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Virginia Tyler. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Irene Vedder. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Walter Vedder. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
San Francisco. Gail Lane. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Walter Moore. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
San Jose. Wilbur Cox. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ La Welle Cox. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Katherine Dordich. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Roy Dordich. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mary Dordich. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Stephan Dordich. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Peter Hamann Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Frances Hamann. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Robert Rasch. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Doris Rasch. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Joan Wilkinson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
San Juan Capist. Col. Bradley Clifford. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…plane.” 3-28-‘77, A3
“ Marjorie Bradley. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
San Marino. Mr. Wilton Adams. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Edna Adams. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
San Mateo. Ben Nelson Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Karin Nelson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Emma Thomas. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
San Pedro. Mr. Richard Babron. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Santa Ana. Vera Hohner. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Charles Reed. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Lorraine Reed. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mary Jane Smith. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Wilbur Smith. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Dennis Stecher. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
“ Margaret Stecher. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County…” 3-29-‘77
Santa Barbara Ray Geiberger. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Gertrude McCullough Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “PanAm…” 3-29-‘77
“ Florence Nelson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Roy Vogel. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Santa Cruz. George Fitzgerald. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Francis McRae. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Eleanor Van Resselaer. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Santa Monica. Perry Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Perry Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Liza Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Santa Rosa. Michael Stebben. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Arlene Stebben. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Sepulveda. Fred Paris. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Roberta Paris. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Stockton. Dr. Langley Collis. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mrs. Margaret Collis. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Studio City. Elsie Church. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Torrance. Charles Saygol. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Visalia. Margaret Fox. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Robert Jakoubek. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Walnut Creek. Nancy Lamp. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Watsonville. Carol Boyington. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Anna Chounet. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ James Cocke. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Linda E. Lamb. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “6 Star-News…” 3-29-1977, 57.
“ Roscoe Lively. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Whittier. Mrs. Louise Adams. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Sara Bellah. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Hazel Bellah. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Woodland Hills. W. D. Cornelius. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mrs. Freda Cornelius. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3

Colorado ( 4)
Boulder Creek. William Hempel. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mignonne Hempel. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Littleton. Nancy Langhorn. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Renee Roberton. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Hawaii ( 3)
Honolulu. Edward Bolles. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2.
“ Jeanette Bolles. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Lahaina Maui. Katherine Seacrest. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Illinois ( 1)
Peoria. Francis Hammond. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3

Minnesota ( 1)
St. Paul. Emily Culver. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3

Nevada ( 5)
Ely. Mrs. Ann Beards. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2.
Incline Village. Marge Robinson. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Las Vegas Lucille Gardner. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Jeanne Harlow. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Reno. Charlotte Waltz. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

New York ( 7)
Incline Village. John Hoyt. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
New York. David Waldorf. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ David White. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Rochester. Mr. Don Gillis. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Hundreds Dead…” 3-28-‘77, 2.
“ Mrs. Don Gillis. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Hundreds Dead…” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Terry Twist. Star-News, Pasadena CA. “Hundreds Dead…” 3-28-1977
“ Melissa Twist, 18-months. Star-News, Pasadena. “Hundreds Dead…” 3-28-‘77, 2.

Pan Am Crew: ( 9)
Mari Asia, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Christine Ekelund, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Luisa Garcia Flood, flight attendant. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger…PanAm.”
Francoise Colbert De Beaulieu Greenbaum, purser. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger…PanAm.”
Sachiko Hirano, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Marilyn Luker, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Aysei Sarp, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Carol Thomas, flight attendant. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Miguel Torrech-Pere, flight attendant. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger…PanAm.”

Ohio ( 2)
Moreland. Mr. William Bailey. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
“ Mrs. Naomi Bailey. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2

Oregon ( 6)
Eugene. Helen Retling. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Grants Pass. Bev Johnson. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Medford. Judy South. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ William South. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Stephen Sparacino. Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”
“ Mrs. S. Sparacino. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Texas ( 3)
Dallas. Marty McPartland. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
El Paso. Robert Fyr. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mrs. Francis Fyr. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3

Utah ( 4)
Ogden. Mildred Garner. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Idalee Keller. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Audrey Reed. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Mrs. Le Von Smith. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Washington ( 12)
Bellvue. F. Daily Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Chimacun. Anita Bock. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2
Langley. Hans Henning. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Elly Henning. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Leif Larsen. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Elizabeth Larsen. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Longview. Teresa Brusco. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Mildred Craig. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Oliver Craig. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Seattle. Dr. Robert Efird. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
Vancouver. Carlyle Brown. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3
“ Elizabeth Brown. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 3

Washington DC ( 2)
Mrs. Wilma Achatz. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2.
Mrs. Charlotte Baldwin. Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four…on…plane.” 3-28-‘77, 2

Hometown Not Known (2)
Clara Hicks Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Simon Meyer Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the PanAm.”

Royal Cruise SFO ( 2)
Tony Deliyantis Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Beau Moss. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

British Columbia ( 4)
Kelowna. Walter Mitchell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Evonnee Mitchell. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
“ Aya Tanemura. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77
Windsor Elizabeth Caza. Orange Co. Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am…” 3-29-‘77

Newspapers – Chronological

March 27: “Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands (AP) — Officials of the Spanish air ministry said today that at least 559 persons died in the fiery runway collision of two Pan American and KLM jumbo jets preparing to take off from this Atlantic island. It was the worst aviation disaster in history.

“Ministry officials working at the Santa Cruz airport said there were 60 survivors from the collision of the two Boeing 707’s Sunday afternoon minutes after a heavy fog descended. But these officials said there were a total of 639 passengers and crew members aboard the two planes, while the airlines reported a total of 645 aboard.

“All the survivors were aboard the American plane. Most of its passengers were from the West Coast of the United States.

“Both planes were on charter flights, loaded with vacationers.

“Hospital officials said most of the victims died of burns.

“Capt. Victor Grubb, the pilot of the Pan American plane, reported from his bed in Santa Cruz General Hospital that he was taxiing slowly down the main runway at the time of the collision. ‘The crew saw nothing right up to the moment of impact,’ Grubb said.

“The Dutch pilot died in the fiery collision, along with the 238 other persons aboard, KLM said. Most of them were Dutch.

“Investigators were en route to Tenerife from the United States, the Spanish mainland and the Netherlands to try to determine the cause of the collision. The U.S. Embassy in Madrid sent an eight-man delegation including a doctor, and three U.S. Air Force C130 transports were ordered from bases in Spain and West Germany to the Canaries to help move the dead and injured.

“However, the airport at Santa Cruz was closed by stormy weather today. All flights were landing at Las Palmas, on Grand Canary island, and those who could not wait were taking a 50-mile ferry ride to get to Tenerife.

“Police and medical workers worked through the storm recovering the shattered remains and trying to identify them. Bodies were being piled in an airport hangar.

“Pan American said its flight carried 396 persons, including 364 passengers who boarded in Los Angeles, 14 who boarded in New York, a crew of 16 and two other Pan Am employes. The airline said six crew members in addition to Capt. Grubbs were among the survivors….

“Both planes were bound for Las Palmas, on Grand Canary island….” (Gastonia Gazette, NC. “Plane Collision Kills Record 559.” 3-27-1977, p. 1.)

Mar 28: “Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands (AP) — The death toll from the fiery runway collision here of Pan American and KLM jumbo jets climbed to 580 in history’s worst aviation disaster, airline spokesmen said today.

“Most of the dead were believed to be Americans.

“A spokesman for Pan American in New York said 330 of the 396 persons aboard its Boeing 747 perished. A KLM spokesman at the airline’s headquarters in Amsterdam, said all 250 persons aboard its Boeing 747 died, including four Americans.

“Despite the airlines’ figures, Spanish officials on the island placed the death toll at 562. with 72 survivors, including 11 in very serious or grave condition. Pan American said there were 66 survivors aboard its aircraft.

“Most of those aboard the Pan American plane boarded in Los Angeles, officials said.

“There were conflicting reports on the cause of Sunday’s collision on the fog-shrouded runway. The Spanish news agency Cifra quoted airport sources as saying a misunderstanding of control tower directions by the American Pan Am pilot may have been a factor. But Spanish officials told a news conference the “key point of the investigation” was whether the KLM jet had permission to take off.

“KLM identified the four on the Dutch plane as Mr. and Mrs. Don Gillis, Mrs. Terry Twist and her 18-month old daughter Melissa, all from Rochester, N.Y. It said Gillis was production control manager for a Xerox plant in eastern Holland.

“The whole (American) plane was on fire and people were crying and screaming trying to get out,” said James Naik, 37, of Cupertino, Calif. “Within just a few seconds the metal started to come apart.”

“The Spanish news agency Cifra quoted airport sources as saying the flight recorder from the American plane showed the airport control tower had ordered Pan American pilot. Capt. Victor Grubbs of Centerport, N.Y., to move onto the main runway. The sources said the U.S. plane apparently misunderstood the order and taxied onto another runway where the KLM plane was taking off, Cifra said.

“But Manuel de Prado, president of the Spanish national airline Iberia, said the KLM plane had been ordered to taxi to the end of the main runway, turn 180 degrees and prepare for takeoff. The Pan Am plane was told to follow down the runway and turn off onto a taxiway. De Prado said he did not know whether the KLM plane had permission to take off. “This is the key point of the investigation,” said Tenerife Gov. Antonio Oyarzabal.

“Asked about a possible language problem, a spokesman for the control tower said the controllers talk to air crews exclusively in English.

“In New York, a Pan American spokesman said the airline expected “anything substantive” concerning the cause of the collision to come from a U.S. government investigating team sent to the crash site “and anything else we view with concern.”….

“[A] survivor, Roland Brusco Jr. of Longview, Wash., said the passengers were told the KLM jet
was to hold its departure while the Pan American plane taxied across the runway to await its turn for takeoff. “According to our pilot, the other plane was to hold at the other end of the runway.” Brusco told the Portland Oregonian newspaper by telephone. “We pulled out and followed them. Just as we got to the off ramp, where we would get out of the way, well, communications must have gotten mixed up.”

“He said the Pan American plane was taxiing when “all of a sudden we were turning and someone was screaming that KLM was taking off. Everyone was screaming.”

“John Hackette of Nashville, Tenn., said his fiancée, stewardess Joan Jackson, told him the Pan Am pilot saw the other jet “and tried to get out of his way but it was too late.”

“Those who survived the holocaust of fire and explosions were thrown from the plane on impact or managed to scramble to safely

“Investigators were en route to Tenerife from the United States, the Spanish mainland and the Netherlands to try to determine the cause of the collision. The U.S. Embassy in Madrid sent an eight-man delegation including a doctor, and three U.S. Air Force C130 transports were ordered from bases in the Canaries and West Germany to move the dead and injured.” (Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Hundreds Dead in Jet Collision.” 3-28-1977, p. 2.)

March 3, UPI: “Santa Cruz De Tenerife, Spain (UPI) — A Dutch investigator says a KLM pilot did not have permission to take off from a foggy runway that ended in the fatal collision with a Pan American jetliner. But KLM questioned the report. “There was no take-off clearance, which is not in accordance with normal procedures,” said F.A. Van Rysen, chief of the Dutch team investigating the fiery crash Sunday that killed 575 persons. Van Rysen said yesterday the Dutch captain merely said, “We are taking off,” and started the fatal run.

“He said the Pan Am captain, Victor S. Grubbs, apparently saw the disaster descending upon his craft and shouted a radio warning that “we are still on the runway.”

“In Madrid, the newspaper Pueblo said Grubbs’ words were: “This man is crazy. What is he doing? He is going to kill us all.”

“At the time of the crash, the Pan Am plane was on the runway taxiing to an access ramp. The KLM plane was to have waited at the end of the runway until the Pan Am plane was out of the way.

“In the Netherlands, KLM said in a statement, “It is unthinkable that the KLM pilot would have taken off without permission.” The airline demanded confirmation of the report from the tapes in the two planes’ flight recorders, which have not yet been analyzed.

“The latest casualty figures show 575 people died in the crash of the two Boeing 747 jetliners – the worst in aviation history. Both planes were filled with tourists heading either for the warm beaches of the Canaries or a shipboard cruise in the Mediterranean.

“Van Rysen’s statement came in a news briefing after he had joined U.S. and Spanish officials in the Canary Islands for a private review of tape recordings of the final moments of the tragedy. “We presume there was a misunderstanding in the KLM cockpit regarding the Pan American (plane’s) position on the runway,” he said.

“A Pan Am spokesman said the pilot of the American plane had radioed that he was still on the runway before the impact and “was using correct procedures given by the control tower.”

“As the 400-ton Dutch jetliner roared toward liftoff at 186 mph, it slammed into the Pan Am plane in a mushroom of explosions, flames and black smoke.

“About 70 people — all Americans — survived. Fifty-four of them left yesterday aboard a U.S. Air Force C141 Starlifter “flying hospital” for a flight to various medical facilities in the United States….” (Valley News, Van Nuys, CA. “Dutch prober says KLM pilot at fault.” 3-3-1977, 1-3)

Other Published Sources:

“The Tenerife airport disaster in 1977 was a collision involving two Boeing 747 passenger aircraft on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport (now known as Tenerife North Airport) on the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. With 583 fatalities, the crash remains the deadliest accident in aviation history. All 248 aboard the fully-fuelled KLM Flight 4805 were killed. There were also 335 fatalities and 61 survivors from Pan Am Flight 1736, which was struck along its spine by the KLM’s landing gear, under-belly and four engines. Rescue crews were unaware for over 20 minutes that the Pan Am aircraft was also involved in the accident, because of the heavy fog and the separation of the crippled aircraft following the collision.

“The collision took place on March 27, 1977, at 17:06:56 local time. The aircraft were operating as Pan Am Flight 1736 (the Clipper Victor) under the command of Captain Victor Grubbs, and KLM Flight 4805 (the Rijn) under the command of Captain Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten. Taking off in heavy fog on the airport’s only runway, the KLM flight crashed into the top of the Pan Am aircraft backtaxiing in the opposite direction. The Pan Am had followed the backtaxiing of the KLM aircraft, under the direction of air traffic control, and the KLM’s flight crew had been aware of Pan Am backtaxiing behind them on the same runway. Despite lack of visual confirmation due to the fog the KLM captain thought that Pan Am had cleared the runway and so attempted to take off without further clearance to do so. Several other key factors contributed to the accident.

“For both planes, Tenerife was an unscheduled stop. Their destination was Gran Canaria International Airport (also known as Las Palmas Airport), serving Las Palmas on the nearby island of Gran Canaria. Both are in the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain located in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Morocco.

“Pan Am Flight 1736 had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport with an intermediate stop at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft was a Boeing 747–121, registration N736PA. Of the 380 passengers, 14 had boarded in New York, where the crew was also changed. The new crew consisted of Captain Victor Grubbs, First Officer Robert Bragg, and Flight Engineer George Warns; there were 14 other crew members. The same aircraft had operated the inaugural 747 commercial flight on January 22, 1970.

“KLM Flight 4805, a charter flight for Holland International Travel Group from the Netherlands, had taken off four hours before from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol….The aircraft was a Boeing 747-206B, registration PH-BUF. The KLM jet had 235 passengers and 14 crew members, including 48 children and three infants. Most of the KLM passengers were Dutch; four Germans, two Austrians, and two Americans were also on the plane. After the aircraft landed at Tenerife, a Dutch tour guide named Robina van Lanschot, who lived on the island in Puerto de la Cruz and wanted to see her boyfriend that night, chose not to re-board the 747, leaving 234 passengers on board.” (eNotes.com “Tenerife airport disaster.”)

Sources
Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Database 1977. “Sunday 27 March 1977.” Accessed 7-7-2020 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19770327-0

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

eNotes.com. “Tenerife airport disaster.”

Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979.

Gastonia Gazette, NC. “Plane Collision Kills Record 559.” 3-27-1977, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=77848076

Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “County Suffers 53 Deaths in Canary Islands Crash.” 3-29-1977, p. 55. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166298589

Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Pan Am Lists crash Victims.” 3-29-1977, p. C11. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=168140702

Project-Tenerife.com. “Passenger list of the Pan Am.” Accessed 11-25-2011 at: http://www.project-tenerife.com/engels/panampas.htm

Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “6 Star-News area residents among dead in crash of jets.” 3-29-1977, 57. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=48591330

Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Four from area on wrecked plane.” 3-28-1977, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=48591289

Star-News, Pasadena, CA. “Hundreds Dead in Jet Collision.” 3-28-1977, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=48591289

Valley News, Van Nuys, CA. “Dutch prober says KLM pilot at fault.” 3-3-1977, sec 1, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=20483975

–10 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Pennsylvania. [Inaccurate]
— 9 NTSB. AAR. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Piper PA-31T, N631PT, Bressler, PA, p. 1.
— 9 Owens. “40th anniversary of Bressler…crash that killed 9.” ABC27, Harrisburg, 2-24-2017.

Narrative Information

NTSB Synopsis: “About 0924 e.s.t., on February 24, 1977, a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Piper PA-31T Cheyenne (N631PT) crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 8 at the Capital City Airport, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. The aircraft crashed in a populated area in the town of Bressler, a suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. All occupants of the aircraft, six passengers and two pilots, were killed. A woman was also killed when the house in which she lived was destroyed during the crash. Several private and commercial properties were damaged severely. The aircraft was destroyed.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the flightcrew’s failure to insure that the aircraft was loaded properly and that its center of gravity was within certificated limits. As a result, the aircraft’s control characteristics were degraded significantly by a center of gravity position well aft of the certificated limits. This imbalance led to the pilot’s inability to control a longitudinally unstable aircraft during a climbing turn in instrument meteorological conditions.” (p. 1.)

Sources

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Pennsylvania. Accessed 3-11-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Pennsylvanie.htm

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Piper PA-31T, N631PT, Bressler, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1977 (Report NTISUB/D/104-001). Washington, DC: NTSB, Jan 5, 1978. Accessed 10-1-2021 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7801.pdf

Owens, Dennis. “40th anniversary of Bressler plane crash that killed 9.” ABC27, Harrisburg, 2-24-2017. Accessed 10-1-2021 at: https://www.abc27.com/news/40th-anniversary-of-bressler-plane-crash-that-killed-9/

— 12 Axelrod. “180 Are Injured as 4 Cars Plunge to Crowded Street,” Chicago Trib., 2-5-1977.
— 11 Breen. “Worst ‘L’ Crash in CTA History Happened 39 Years Ago Thursday.” 2-6-2016.
— 11 Chicago Civil Defense/E.P.D.S. Brief History of the Chicago Fire Department.
— 11 Chicago “L”.org. “The Loop Crash, February 4, 1977.”
— 11 Hazucha, A. “Chicago on the Brink: Media Trauma and the 1977 L-Train Crash.” p. 251.
— 11 NTSB. RAR. Rear End Collision of Two Chicago Transit Authority Trains…Feb. 4, 1977. 1977, 1.
— 11 Rogers. “‘This Can’t Be Real’: 40 Years Later, Passenger…” NBCchicago5, 2-3-2017.
— 11 Wikipedia. “1977 Chicago Loop Derailment.”
— 11 Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1950-1999).”

Narrative Information

Chicago “L”.org: February 4, 1977. “On this particular day, switching problems had caused Evanston Express trains to operate counterclockwise around the outer loop track instead of clockwise on the inner, as normal. The problem was corrected at approximately 5:10 pm, but a few Evanston trains that had already begun their trip around the Loop were continuing to operate on the outer track. As can be imagined, the extra trains on the outer track caused some minor delays.

“At approximately 5:25 pm, one such Evanston Express was loading and unloading passengers at the State/Lake station. A Ravenswood train was following and had stopped on the track behind the Evanston Express, waiting for the Evanston to clear the station so that it could pull in. At the same time, an Oak Park-bound Lake-Dan Ryan train was boarding and alighting riders at the Randolph/Wabash station, two blocks away and around the bend from State/Lake.

“The motorman of the Lake-Dan Ryan – one Stephan A. Martin, age 34, a motorman since 1969 – completed his station duties and pulled his train out of Randolph/Wabash. Somehow, it escaped his attention that there was a train stopped on the tracks ahead, although this information was being relayed to him both visually and audibly by the new automatic cab signaling system installed in his motor cab. He proceeded against the restrictive signal at a speed of less than 15 mph (thus staying under signal control), around the Lake & Wabash curve, into collision with the stopped Ravenswood train at 5:27 pm.

“Making matters worse, Martin continued to apply motor power, even after the collision! The 8-car Lake-Dan Ryan, with 2,500 kw of power behind it, pushed against the immovable Ravenswood train. This application of power, coupled with the fact that the train was on a 100 ft. radius elevated curve, caused the tubular coupling bar between the first and second cars to buckle, pushing the rear of the first car and the front of the second into the air. The first three cars were lifted sufficiently upwards and outwards that they jackknifed and crashed to the street below, the fourth car (still coupled to the rest of the train) hanging precariously between the elevated structure and the street below. The last four cars stayed on the tracks, still berthed at the Randolph/Wabash station platform….

“Ambulances and police rushed to the scene in minutes, the ambulances lining up on Lake Street waiting to move the dead and injured. Fire Commissioner Robert Quinn called an immediate extra alarm to hurry needed man power to the intersection, which was blocked by the wreckage. Police and firemen worked for two hours to free persons trapped in the wreckage, chopping holes in the tops of the elevated cars to extricate victims.

“Some people were treated on the street before being loaded into ambulances. Others were taken into nearby stores and restaurants, which were turned into makeshift infirmaries. Joining the city departments already at the scene were Mayor Michael Bilandic and Cardinal Cody, who, along with other priests, administered last rites to some of the victims.

“In all, eleven persons were killed (though the newspapers mistakenly reported twelve, initially) and 180 were injured in what has been the worst “L” accident to date.

“Through the cooperation of several agencies, the site was completely cleared of all wreckage and debris in about twelve hours and normal operations were restored by 6:30am the next morning.

“The cars involved in the accident were impounded at the Skokie Shops yard, pending investigation of the crash. The first four cars, 2000-series unit 2043-2044 and 2200-series unit 2289-2290, were so badly damaged that they were removed from service and eventually scrapped. The rest of the cars were repairable and were eventually returned to service.

“Stephan Martin, the Lake-Dan Ryan motorman, had a poor safety record including such things as a prior derailment and several violations for reading while in motion. He had four marijuana cigarettes in his shoulder bag, and drug tests showed he had used marijuana, but not other drugs or alcohol. His conductor, who had eaten lunch with him, testified they had not smoked marijuana during lunch.

“Martin was ultimately held responsible, though the report from the National Transportation Safety Board did not address the issue of how the accident could have occurred if the cab signal was giving a restrictive indication. Some CTA officials felt the accident could have occurred if Martin had remained at a slow enough speed to override the automatic signal, then quickly applied power when pushing against the immovable Ravenswood train. (The way the cab signals originally worked, a motorman had a couple seconds to slow down or stop — depending on the situation — when he received a restrictive signal or the train’s breaks would automatically engage. But, on occasion, the cab signal system would receive ‘ghost signals,’ an indication that there was a train ahead when there really wasn’t. So, if this was the case, a motorman could proceed ‘on-sight’ at under 15 mph against a restrictive signal as long as he makes a full stop first.)

“The popular theory of what happened goes like so: the motorman, while approaching the Randolph/Wabash station, got a restrictive signal indication and the alarm in his cab went off. But, making the normal station stop, he inadvertently overrode the signal, which allowed him to proceed. He left the station and proceeded under 15 mph, which prevented the automatic braking from engaging. What happened next is open to speculation. Some say that Martin, who was known to talk to passengers (especially female ones) while motoring, was doing just that while approaching the Ravenswood train ahead and didn’t see the impending collision. When his train struck the stopped Ravenswood, it is believed that he either panicked and accidentally applied more power instead of braking or that the sheer force of the impact threw him forward and, as a result of his hand being on the Cineston controller, threw the control forward as well.

“These exact details cannot and perhaps will never be 100% confirmed. But, as a result of this accident, motorman can no longer proceed on their own ‘on-sight’ against a red signal. A new rule, Rule 6.4, was put in the CTA rule book. This regulation says that when a motorman receives a false red signal, he must call the Control Center to get permission to proceed. A light in the cab labeled ‘R6.4’ lights up and only on permission from control can he proceed at under 15 mph against the signal. This situation is often referred to as “getting an ‘R6.4’.”

“Such an accident is unusual for a number of reasons, but especially for how such a complicated automatic signal system was unable to prevent the occurrence. It also stressed that any signal system, no matter how complex, cannot prevent every circumstance and reasserted the importance of proper and thorough training. Thus, this type of incident is unlikely to be repeated any time in the future…” (Chicago “L”.org. “The Loop Crash, February 4, 1977.”)

Hazucha on the collision and derailment: “….It was now 5:29 P.M., the height of Chicago’s rush hour. For reasons never determined, at that moment an eight-car- Lake-Dan Ryan train rounded the northeast corner of the Loop at roughly six miles per hour and rammed into the rear end of the Ravenswood train. The first four cars of the Lake-Dan Ryan train, each filled to standing-room capacity with between and seventy-five commuters, slowly began to sway, and an instant later they heaved and slipped the tracks, toppling to the street twenty feet below. Two of the cars landed on their sides near the intersection of Wabash and Lake; the other two hung at an angle from the tracks, each with one end still on the elevated platform and the other end resting on the pavement at street level. During the ensuing terror and confusion – 266 people were injured and 11 were killed, among whom were two pedestrians crushed by the falling cars….” (p. 251.)

NTSB Synopsis: “About 5:27 p.m., c.s.t., on February 4, 1977, Chicago Transit Authority Lake-Dan Ryan train No. 930 struck the rear of Ravenswood train No. 415, which was standing on the elevated rail structure at the intersection of Wabash Avenue and Lake Street. The four lead cars of the eight-car Lake-Dan Ryan train overturned and fell from the elevated structure to the street. One end of each of the two rear cars of the Ravenswood train derailed. Eleven persons were killed and 266 persons were injured. Property damage was estimated to be $1.2 million.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the motorman to exercise due care in meeting his responsibilities and the unauthorized operation of the Lake-Dan Ryan train into a signal block occupied by the standing Ravenswood train, at a speed that was too fast to stop after the operator sighted the standing train.” (p. 1.)

NTSB Investigation (section), The Accident: “….The motorman [of the offending train] saw the Ravenswood train ahead with its lighted marker lights. Following his usual procedure, the motorman operated his train so that it was one station behind the Ravenswood train. He said that he saw the Ravenswood train with it left the Randolph Street Station and passed through the curce at Wabash Avenue and Lake Street.

“According to the motorman’s testimony, ‘When I stopped at Randolph, I did not see the train prior to my stopping at Randolph and Wabash. I thought he was in State and Lake because I felt assured that he had already cleared the curve because I did not see him in the curve.’ He also know from experience that a Ravenswood train would be diverted to another route at Tower 18 and that it would no longer be of concern to him.

“When the Lake-Dan Ryan train entered the Randolph Street Station, just south of the curve, the cab signal aspect should have changed from a ‘yellow 35’ to a ‘yellow 15’ which would have allowed a maximum speed of 15 mph. However, when the train passed the four-car mark on the [end, p2, continues p.4. after illustration] platform, the motorman said that the cab signal changed directly from a ‘yellow 35’ to a flashing red aspect and that he did not hear an audible overspeed alarm. He continued moving into the station and stopped the train at the eight-car mark.

“When the conductor signalled him to proceed, the motorman applied minimum power and moved out of the station with the cab signal displaying a flashing red aspect; he did not receive authorization to proceed from CTA central control. He stated later that he believed that he was not required to obtain permission to move on the flashing red cab signal because there were other locations on the CTA system where a train could be operated on a flashing red cab signal without first having to obtain permission. He also cited a CTA training brochure on ‘Cab Control Signalling’ which does not state that operators must obtain permission to move on a flashing red cab signal as giving him authority to move…According to his testimony, he believed that flashing red cab signal aspect was the best proceed signal that he could obtain because he said that it was the only signal he had ever received at Wabash Avenue and Lake Street. He also stated that he did not know of a ‘yellow 15’ cab signal aspect, but that he was familiar with a ‘yellow 25’ aspect. A ‘yellow 25’ cab signal aspect is not used on the West-South Line.

“When the Lake-Dan Ryan train entered the offset curve…to the right at a speed of about 10 mph, the motorman moved the cinestom to the coast position. This is a normal operating procedure. He was standing at the car controls, as CTA operating rules required. When the train entered the curve to the left, the motorman saw the rear car of the standing Ravenswood train. He claimed that this was his first view of the train since before he entered the Randolph Street Station. He also said that his view from within the operating compartment was obstructed by the windshield wiper motor, the door at his left, and the train-phone equipment. He further stated that he could not have seen the rear of the Ravenswood train from his location in the cab before he entered the curve, because the train was hidden from his view by a building in the southwest corner of the intersection…When he sighted the train, he testified that he immediately applied the maximum service brakes; he claimed they were not effective, however. He then applied the emergency brakes. He said he heard the magnetic track brakes drop but that the train still did not seem to slow, and it struck the Ravenswood train at 7 to 9.5 mph…” [end of p. 4]

NTSB “Crew Information” section: “The motorman’s operating record contained several rule violations, such as not being on train at scheduled time; improperly displaying the front marker lights; not securing safety chains; improper use of emergency brakes; rough stops; wearing an improper uniform; reading while train was in motion; and failing to stand in cab at required locations. In two instances he operated past a stop signal; the train derailed in one case. He had been reinstructed in operating rules several times and he had been suspended from duty at times because of rule violations. One accident was attributed to him. His record contains at least one commendation for alertness and his work record had shown some improvement during 1975. The motorman indicated that he had rested well the night before the accident, and that he was not under any emotional or mental stress at the time….” [p.9.]

NTSB Analysis section: “….From some point between Tower 12 and Randolph Street Station, he [motorman of the Lake-Dan Ryan train] saw the lead cars of the Ravenswood train as it began to round the curve at Wabash and Lake. He testified that he knew that the train would be diverted at Tower 18 and that it would no longer be a concern for him. However, he failed to observe that the train stopped before clearing the curve. The train was standing where it was visible from the Randolph Street Station, even though he testified that, ‘When I stopped at Randolph, I did not see the train prior to my stopping at Randolph and Wabash. I though he was in State and Lake because I felt assured that he had already cleared the curve because I did not see him in the curve.’ The test train run reenacting the events leading up to the accident could only lead the participants to the conclusion that the motorman of the Lake-Dan Ryan train should have seen the Ravenswood train. Since he did not see the train until just before the collision, he obviously was not fully alert to the conditions ahead. He stated it was his belief that the train ahead was gone. This belief may have been strengthened by his receiving proper cab signal aspects for a clear track condition on his entry into Randolph Street Station….

“The stopping test made with a train consist similar to that of the Lake-Dan Ryan train indicates that even if the motorman had not sighted the standing train until after he left the Randolph Street Station and had accelerated up to 15 mph, his train could have been stopped short of the collision point….” [pp. 15-16]

“A dynamics analysis based on the fact that the lake-Dan Ryan moved the standing Ravenswood train forward 25 feet when they collided indicates that the Lake-Dan Ryan train was moving at 9.5 mph into the curve. The resulting potential energy and the location of the cars in a sharp curve led to jackknifing between cars. The dynamic forces reacted greatest between the first and second cars, since their coupling was in the sharpest portion of the curve. When these cars began to jackknife because of the forward force from the rear, they began to fall over the side of the elevated structure. The second car apparently pulled the first car backward causing it to fall; while it was being pushed by the third car, the second car forced the third car to the right. The third car pulled the fourth car off the structure and the fifth car apparently was being pulled off by the fourth car when it was stopped by the station platform….” [p. 18.]

“The motorman said that he operated the train around the Wabash and Lake curve in a normal manner. It is unlikely that an eight-car train that entered the curve at from 8 to 10 mph could coast completely through the curve. Therefore, it is logical to assume that at some point, propulsion power was reapplied to maintain the train’s speed. If power was being applied at the time of the impact, it more readily explains the heavy electrical arc that was reported. It also would account more readily for the reaction of the cars following the collision. It is possible that the motorman could have inadvertently applied power instead of the brakes when he first saw the Ravenswood train, or he may have struck the cineston with his body when the trains collided….” [p. 19]

Wikipedia: “February 4, 1977 – Chicago Loop derailment Chicago, Illinois, United States: In the worst accident in the system’s history, a Chicago Transit Authority elevated train motorman disregards cab signals and rear ends another train on the Loop curve at Wabash and Lake Streets during the evening rush hour. Eleven people are killed and over 180 injured as four cars of the rear train derail and fall to the street below. The motorman was discovered to have marijuana in his possession, although it was never determined if he was impaired in any way.” (Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1950-1999).”

Hazucha on reactions: “”The editorials that appeared in the newspapers in the wake of the disaster were on balance quite unforgiving in their criticisms of the CTA and its operations. Noting that the L’s ‘fail-safe’ cab signaling system did not prevent the crash, the Sun-Times bluntly declared ‘It should be modified to prevent Titanic-like failures.’ Arguing that elevated trains represent an outdated and unsafe technology, the editorial concluded, ‘the day of trains above Loop trees should be over. We can’t think of a better time to begin the transition to a Loop subway system.’ Five days later the Sun-Times reiterated its appeal that CTA build a Loop subway, pointing out that CTA leaders ‘spent $25 million for a ‘fail-safe’ system that was supposed to guarantee that such crashes couldn’t happen.’ The L disaster, said the Sun-Times, ‘is a reminder to all CTA employees that their own lives and others are in their hands.” A third editorial appearing more than a month later criticized the CA for failing to train its motormen properly in the safe operation of elevated trains. Citing the National Transportation Safety Board’s report that gave CTA employees a failing grade for ‘confusion and a lack of understanding of operating rules and of the cab signal indications,’ the Sun-Times argued that CTA official ‘may have been too quick…to put sole blame on one man.” (p. 261.)

Breen or Aftermath: “….’The transit authority installed barrier girders on the four sharpest curves of the rail system; retrained train operators cited for moving violations; and began requiring its train operators to get permission from the control center before proceeding past a red signal ‘on sight,’…‘Also, the CTA conducted a fairly large safety study.’” (Breen, Justin. “Worst ‘L’ Crash in CTA History Happened 39 Years Ago Thursday.” DNAinfo.com, 2-6-2016.)

Newspaper

Axelrod and Enstad: “….The dead and injured included pedestrians who were crushed beneath cars that slammed to the pavement at Lake Street and Wabash Avenue. ‘I saw a couple of people who were underneath the car trying to run, but they didn’t make it,’ said Renel Conner, 25, an attendant at a nearby parking garage….

“Police and fire units worked for two hours to free persons trapped in the wreckage, chopping holes in the tops of the elevated cars to extricate victims. Edward Nelson, 2d battalion fire chief said several of the dead were pedestrians. ‘The first victims we saw were sisters who were thrown out of the train and onto the street,’ said Thomas Drish, Nelson’s driver. ‘One was dead and the other had back, leg and arm injuries and was too shocked to say anything’.” (Axelrod and Enstad. “180 Are Injured as 4 Cars Plunge to Crowded Street,” Chicago Tribune, Feb 5, 1977.)

Sources

Axelrod, David and Robert Enstad. “180 Are Injured as 4 Cars Plunge to Crowded Street,” Chicago Tribune, Feb 5, 1977. Accessed 9-29-2021 at: http://www.chicago-l.org/articles/1977crash1.html

Breen, Justin. “Worst ‘L’ Crash in CTA History Happened 39 Years Ago Thursday.” DNAinfo.com, 2-6-2016. Accessed 9-30-2021 at: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160204/downtown/worst-l-crash-cta-history-happened-39-years-ago-thursday-video/

Chicago Civil Defense/E.P.D.S. Brief History of the Chicago Fire Department. Accessed 5-7-2009 at: http://www.chicagocivildefense.org/historyofthecfd.html

Chicago “L”.org. “The Loop Crash, February 4, 1977.” Accessed 1-8-2010 at:
http://www.chicago-l.org/mishaps/loop.html

Hazucha, Andrew. “Chicago on the Brink: Media Trauma and the 1977 L-Train Crash.” Chapter 9, pp. 247-276 in: Biel, Steven (Ed.). American Disasters. New York: New York University Press, 2001.

National Transportation Safety Board. Railroad Accident Report. Rear End Collision of Two Chicago Transit Authority Trains, Chicago Illinois, February 4, 1977 (Report Number: NTSB-RAR-77-10). Washington, DC: NTSB, 11-29-1977, 37 pages. Accessed 9-30-2021 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR7710.pdf

Rogers, Phil. “‘This Can’t Be Real’: 40 Years Later, Passenger Recalls Deadly CTA Derailment of ’77.” NBCchicago5, 2-3-2017. Accessed 9-29-2021 at:

‘This Can’t Be Real’: 40 Years Later, Passenger Recalls Deadly CTA Derailment of ’77

Wikipedia. “1977 Chicago Loop Derailment.” Accessed 9-29-2021 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_Chicago_Loop_derailment

Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1950-1999).” Accessed 7-18-2018 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1950-1999_rail_accidents

— 16 AP. “Breckenridge fire arson, fire chief says.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN. 3-23-1977, 12.
— 16 AP. “Remains of 14 victims found.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN, 2-2-1977, p. 1.
— 16 AP. “Search for Hotel Fire Victims Goes On.” Albert Lea Tribune, MN, 1-31-1977, p. 3.
–~16 AP. “Wind, Cold Hamper Search for Victims…Blaze.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN, 1-30-1977, 1.
— 16 Jones, Jon C. “A Brief Look at the Hotel Fire Record.” Fire Journal (NFPA), May 1981, 41.
— 16 McDermott. “Stratford Hotel – An Echo of the Past.” Wahpeton Daily News, 1-31-2017.
— 16 National Fire Sprinkler Association. F.Y.I. 1999, p. 7.

Narrative Information

Jan 28, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – Twenty-two persons were unaccounted for after a fire swept an old three-story hotel in blizzard-like conditions before dawn today. Hugh Mikkelson, the mayor of the small town on the North Dakota border, said it might be several hours before a death count could be made. He said a crane would have to be brought in ‘to start lifting debris.’

“About six hours after the fire broke out, only one person had been accounted for. Douglas Johnson, described as a veteran railroad worker, was rescued from a second-floor window of the Stratford Hotel by Policeman Jim Worner [also reported as Warner], the first on the scene. Worner saw Johnson trying to get out of the window. A fire truck arrived, Mikkelson said, and Worner got a ladder and brought Johnson from the window. Mikkelson said Worner then tried the burning building by a back door but was ‘blown out, when the onrush of cold air hit the hot air in the building.’

“The mayor said the fire was reported in the western Minnesota city of 4,200 about 4:30 a.m. A telephone call came from a woman believed to have been Catherine Stade, owner of the hotel. Mrs. Stade, an elderly widow, ‘hasn’t been located.’…

“Mikkelson said he had a list of 22 persons who were unaccounted for but it was not known how many had been in the hotel. The names, he said, included persons who had planned to stay overnight in the Breckenridge area and whose whereabouts today was not known by relatives. Four members of the hotel staff also were on the list.

“Mikkelson said the fire, of unknown cause, apparently started on the first floor and spread rapidly to the upper levels. ‘It was completely out of control when the fire department arrive,’ the mayor said.

“Fire departments From Fergus Falls and Moorhead, Minn., and Wahpeton and Fargo, N.D., helped Breckenridge firemen fight the flames. When the fire broke out, Mikkelson said, the wind was gusting to 40 miles per hour and the wind chill factor was 85 below zero. About 10 firemen were treated for frostbite.

“The mayor said the Stratford was known as a ‘railroad hotel,’ where workers on the Willmar-Breckenridge run often stayed. However, the Burlington Northern Railroad said none of its employes was missing.” (Associated Press. “22 Missing in Hotel Fire.” Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN, 1-28-1977, p. 1.)

Jan 30, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – A search for 16 persons believed killed in a hotel fire Friday was suspended about 4 p.m. (CST) Saturday. No bodies had been found. Officials said the search was called off because of heavy smoke still coming from the ruins and bitterly cold weather. A temperature of zero with winds up to 30 miles per hour had resulted in a wind chill factor of 70 below zero, the National Weather Service said. The search was scheduled to resume around 10 a.m. Sunday. Earlier, a deputy state fire marshal said it was possible that some bodies ‘may not be recovered until spring.’….

“Mayor Hugh Mikkelson named 16 persons, down from Friday’s estimate of 22, whom authorities speculated might have been hotel guests. The list was compiled from telephone calls from relatives and friends of persons who might have registered at the 67-year-old wood frame and brick building.

“Douglas Johnson, 41, Aberdeen, S.D., is believed to be the only guest who survived. Johnson, a light sleeper, said he was awakened by a cracking noise such as a fuse box shorting out. Unable to flee down the hotel’s smoke-filled hallway, he broke out a window and police reached a ladder up to his second-story window. Authorities and Johnson said they heard no cries elsewhere in the building. ‘We assume smoke asphyxiated the victims and they never had a chance to get to the windows and cry for help,’ said Fire Chief Dick Thompson….” (Associated Press. “Wind, Cold Hamper Search For Victims of Hotel Blaze.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN, 1-30-1977, 1.)
[Note: there is a “tentative list” of the sixteen missing persons below this story.]

Jan 31, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – A plastic tent and portable heaters were to be placed over the frozen ruins of a hotel fire Monday to thaw the debris and help searchers locate the bodies of 16 persons. Subzero temperatures and biting winds caused the rubble – sprayed with more than a million gallons of water by fire-fighters – to freeze in ice-covered chunks in the basement of the three-story Stratford Hotel….

“The first fragmentary charred bones of one of the victims was uncovered late Sunday [Jan 30]. ‘If this is a representative sampling of the remainder of what may be in there, we’ll never know who died,’ said Wilkin County Medical Examiner Bill Brooks. Brooks said the bones were ‘just barely identifiable as human remains. It’s so badly incinerated that it’s next to nothing.’….

“Tallman [Asst. State Fire Marshal] said the wood-frame and brick hotel had its last fire safety inspection in 1976 and said no irregularities were found. The building passed inspection under a ‘grandfather clause’ in the state fire code relating to safety standards, Tallman said. ‘Any new building today is much more safe than this old building,’ he said ‘There is only so much you can do with older buildings’ to upgrade safety requirements.

“Here are the persons missing and presumed dead in the fire:

Marvin Ben, Lakefield, Minn.;
Howard Decker, Grand Forks, N.D.:
Oakley Hennagir, Fargo, N.D.;
James Keeping, Lake Park, Minn.;
Don Luick, Wahpeton, N.D.;
Leroy Muth, Rothsay, Minn.;
Gordon Pederson, Tracy, Minn.;
Cyrus Crawford, Veblen, S.D.;
Dan Schwanke, Grey Eagle, Minn.;
Douglas Stanley, Milnor, N.D.;
Ronald Wagner, Hawley, Minn.:

Louise Anderson,
Catherine State, [owner]
Anton Twedt,
Elizabeth Twedt, and
Annie Bergsjoe, all of Breckenridge, Minn.”

(Associated Press. “Search for Hotel Fire Victims Goes On.” Albert Lea Tribune, MN, 1-31-1977, p. 3.)

Feb 1, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – Portions of four of five bodies have been recovered from the ruins of the burned Stratford Hotel, Breckenridge Mayor Hugh Mikkelson said today, and one of the bodies has been identified. Authorities recovered the body of LeRoy Muth of Rothsay, Minn., Sunday afternoon. Identification was made possible by a jacket Muth often wore and by parts of a checkbook in his pocket.

“Mikkelson said parts of three or fur more bodies were discovered Monday…

“Muth’s body is so far the first whole body recovered from the frozen debris…Muth was an electrician and head lineman with the City of Breckenridge…Muth apparently commuted to work from Rothsay which is about 12 miles north of Breckenridge. Mikkleson said Muth was the city’s newest employe, having begun work last August….

“Wilkin Cunty Medical Examiner Bill Brooks said most bones found in the frozen debris of the three-story hotel were incinerated and useless for identification….” (Associated Press. “Bodies recovered in Breckenridge fire.” The Pioneer, Bemidji, MN. 2-1-1977, p. 1.)

Feb 2, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – Firemen were to continue the search today for what may be the last two bodies remaining in the rubble of the Stratford Hotel, which was destroyed by fire last Friday. The remains of 10 bodies were discovered Tuesday. Four others had been found Sunday and Monday. Authorities believe that 16 persons failed to get out of the old, three-story hotel….” (Associated Press. “Remains of 14 victims found.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN, 2-2-1977, p. 1.)

March 23, AP: “Breckenridge, Minn. (AP) – Breckenridge Fire Chief Dick Thompson said today investigators have discounted all natural causes in the fire that destroyed the Stratford Hotel here, killing 16. Only one persons escaped the Jan. 28 blaze. Thompson said Minnesota State Fire Marshal C.C. ‘Rusty’ Tallman plans to talk with several more people about the fire. However, ‘the rapid start and all the witnesses we’ve talked to leave us no alternative than to believe it was arson,’ Thompson said.” (Associated Press. “Breckenridge fire arson, fire chief says.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN. 3-23-1977, p. 12.)

Sources

Associated Press. “22 Missing in Hotel Fire.” Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN, 1-28-1977, p. 1. Accessed 9-26-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-evening-tribune-jan-28-1977-p-1/

Associated Press. “Bodies recovered in Breckenridge fire.” The Pioneer, Bemidji, MN. 2-1-1977, p. 1. Accessed 9-27-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bemidji-pioneer-feb-01-1977-p-1/

Associated Press. “Breckenridge fire arson, fire chief says.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN. 3-23-1977, p. 12. Accessed 9-27-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fergus-falls-daily-journal-mar-23-1977-p-11/

Associated Press. “Hotel Burned Quickly.” Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, MN, 1-28-1977, p. 1. Accessed 9-26-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-evening-tribune-jan-28-1977-p-1/

Associated Press. “Remains of 14 victims found.” Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, MN, 2-2-1977, p. 1. Accessed 9-27-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fergus-falls-daily-journal-feb-02-1977-p-1/

Associated Press. “Search for Hotel Fire Victims Goes On.” Albert Lea Tribune, MN, 1-31-1977, p. 3. Accessed 9-27-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-sunday-tribune-jan-31-1977-p-3/

Associated Press. “Wind, Cold Hamper Search For Victims of Hotel Blaze.” Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN, 1-30-1977, 1. Accessed 9-26-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brainerd-daily-dispatch-jan-30-1977-p-1/

Jones, Jon C. “A Brief Look at the Hotel Fire Record.” Fire Journal (NFPA), May 1981, pp. 38-41.

McDermott, Carrie. “Stratford Hotel – An Echo of the Past.” Wahpeton Daily News, 1-31-2017. Accessed 9-26-2021 at: https://www.wahpetondailynews.com/news/stratford-hotel—an-echo-of-the-past/article_125a94d0-e6ff-11e6-b912-d3628c9f96dc.html

National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc. F.Y.I. – Fire Sprinkler Facts. Patterson, NY: NFSA, November 1999, 8 pages. Accessed at: http://www.firemarshals.org/data/File/docs/College%20Dorm/Administrators/F1%20-%20FIRE%20SPRINKLER%20FACTS.pdf