lornajarrettblanchard

–11-12  Assoc. Press/Ron Word. “10 years since state’s worst mass murder.” Polkonline.com.[2]

–11-12  Wikipedia. “James Edward Pough.” 7-8-2012 modification.

—     10  Minshew, C. “The worst mass shootings in U.S. history.” Denver Post, 7-20-2012.[3]

 

Narrative Information

 

Wikipedia: “James Edward “Pop” Pough (February 16, 1948 – June 18, 1990) was an American mass murderer, who, on June 18, 1990, killed nine people and wounded four others in a General Motors Acceptance Corporation car loan office in Jacksonville, Florida, before committing suicide. The day before he had already killed a prostitute and her pimp, wounded two teenagers and robbed a convenience store.

 

“The shooting at the GMAC office was the worst single day massacre by a lone gunman in Florida history, surpassing the murder of eight machine shop employees in Hialeah by Carl Robert Brown on August 20, 1982….

 

“He was arrested twice in 1965 for vagrancy, and twice again in 1966, once for attempted robbery and a second time for assault for murder, after attacking a construction worker who owed him a quarter. In 1968 Pough was arrested for dangerously displaying a knife and was fined $75, and in July 1969 he was fined $10 after being charged for gambling. In 1970 he was arrested, but not prosecuted, for motor vehicle theft and vagrancy-prowling by auto.

 

“On May 8, 1971 Pough got into an argument with his best friend, David Lee Pender, who had called his girlfriend a bitch.  In the following scuffle Pough grabbed a .38-caliber pistol from his girlfriends purse and shot Pender three times, who eventually died in hospital. According to relatives he never managed to get over the fact that he had killed his friend. Pough was initially charged with murder, though the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. In the end he pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years probation, but the judgment of guilty was withheld by the court subject to the successful completion of probation.

 

“Due to Pough’s violent behavior in the past, it was also ruled that he should never be allowed to own a gun, though this was never forwarded to police. As a consequence Pough was not considered a felon and therefore was able to purchase several handguns, among them the .38-caliber revolver he later used to commit suicide, which was registered with the police on June 4, 1979. In 1977 Pough was twice in court being charged for bad debt. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a 1982 employment compensation fraud case.

 

“In December 1988 Pough traded his old car for a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, though he soon had difficulties to make his payments, so in January 1990 the car was voluntarily repossessed by GMAC. He received a bill for $6,394 of outstanding fees in March, and again on April 6, which was the last contact between him and the office. About two months prior to the shootings Pough purchased a M1 carbine at a local pawnshop….

 

“After the death of his mother three years prior to the shootings Pough was said to have changed for the worse. Stating that he had nothing left to live for, he argued he would “take someone with him when he leaves this world”. Frequently he had violent outbursts, which were directed against his wife, Theresa, and twice he threatened her by putting a gun to her head. In January 1990 they separated, as Mrs. Pough feared for her safety and on March 2, she was granted an injunction that disallowed James Pough to get in contact with her for a year. As a consequence he withdrew even more and rarely socialized.

 

“Pough started his killing spree in the night of June 17 at about 12:50 a.m. Armed with his M1 carbine wrapped in a blanket he walked up to a group of men standing at a street corner in the northwest section of Jacksonville, not far from his home, killed Louis Carl Bacon, a pimp, with two shots in the chest and left. A couple of minutes later he attacked prostitute Doretta Drake, who was chatting with two other women in a vacant parking lot just two blocks from the first crime scene. After hitting Drake with his car, throwing her on the sidewalk, Pough stepped out of his Buick and killed her with a single shot to the head, again from the M1 Carbine, before driving away. Police assumed that the reason behind these killings was a failed sex-for-money deal. A short time later Pough also shot and wounded two youths, 17 and 18 years of age, after asking them for directions…

 

“Later that morning Pough entered a convenience store, threatened the clerk with a pistol and, stating that he doesn’t have anything to lose, demanded all the money. After getting what he had asked for he left again…

“On the morning of June 18 he visited his mother’s grave a last time and then called his supervisor that he wouldn’t come to work, because he had something else to do.

 

“At about 10:44 a.m. Pough parked his car at the General Motors Acceptance Corporation office located at 7870 Baymeadows Way in Jacksonville. He entered the building through the front door, armed with his M1 carbine, a .38-caliber revolver, several loaded magazines and his pockets packed with ammunition, and, without saying a word, immediately began shooting with the M1 carbine at two customers at the front counter. Julia Burgess was killed and 25-year-old David Hendrix was wounded by four shots. Walking through the open office he then systematically, though discontinuously moved from desk to desk and shot at the GMAC workers, often deliberately aiming at people hiding under their tables.

 

“Drew Woods was the first to be shot at his desk, followed by Cynthia Perry and Barbara Holland nearby, as well as 42-year-old Phyllis Griggs, who was injured. When the GMAC employees realized what was going on, many of them escaped through a back door of the building, while Pough started picking off those ducking for cover, and shot, one after the other, Janice David, Sharon Hall, Jewell Belote, Lee Simonton, Denise Highfill, Ron Echevarria and Nancy Dill. He then put the .38-caliber revolver to his head and committed suicide. In just about two minutes Pough had fired at least 28 rounds from his rifle, hitting 11 of the 85 workers at the office, as well as the two customers. Six of his victims and the gunman himself died at the scene, while another three died at hospital, the last being Jewell Belote, who succumbed to his wounds nine days after the shooting.

 

“When searching Pough’s car police recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol, two magazines and ammunition, as well as twelve pieces of nylon rope, each having a length of 24 inches, which led police to the assumption that Pough initially might have intended to take hostages. When police arrived at Pough’s home it had been ransacked already, though they found a calendar with two dates circled in red: May 8, the day he killed his friend Pender, and June 18.” (Wikipedia.  “James Edward Pough.” 7-8-2012 modification.)

 

AP/Ron Wood article identifies the fatalities.

 

Sources

 

Associated Press/Ron Word. “10 years since state’s worst mass murder.” Polkonline.com. Accessed on Internet Archive WaybackMachine on 4-30-2016 at: https://web.archive.org/web/20070927020004/http://www.polkonline.com/stories/061700/sta_mass-murder.shtml

 

Minshew, Charles. “Interactive timeline: The worst mass shootings in U.S. history.” Denver Post, 7-20-2012. accessed 7-22-2012: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21123777

 

Wikipedia. “James Edward Pough.” 7-8-2012 modification. Accessed 7-22-2012 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Edward_Pough

 

 

[1] James Edward Pough shot and killed two people on the 17^th. The next day he killed six at the GM scene, then himself. Three died  later. Thus nine died as result of  June 18 attack. In all there were 11 murders and one suicide.

[2] Two killed on 17^th, nine on 18^th, then a suicide – thus 11 murders and 12 total deaths.

[3] “James Edward Pough shot 14 people, killing 10 and wounding four at a General Motors Acceptance Corp. office in Jacksonville, Fla.”

— 26  NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 6, June 1990, p. 8.

— 26  NOAA, Shadyside Ohio.

— 26  Ohio Historical Society. “June 14, 1990: Shadyside Flood.” 4-29-2016.

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC: “Heavy rain falling on already saturated soils caused flash flooding (mainly on the 14^th) in parts of southeastern Ohio, the West Virginia panhandle, and western Pennsylvania; however, none was as severe as the flooding which occurred in the vicinity of Shadyside. An estimated 3 to 4 inches of ran fell between 8:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. (EDT) on the headwaters of Wegee and Pipe Creeks; the resultant 10- to 30-foot wall of water which began at the headwaters between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. reached the Ohio River about 10:00 p.m. Twenty-four people died in the Wegee and Pipe Creek watersheds; two others died in flooding which occurred along Cumberland Run, a small stream on the other side of the ridge separating it from the Wegee and Pipe Creek watersheds. Numerous vehicles were demolished, 80 residences were destroyed, and another 251 homes and businesses sustained damage in varying degrees.

 

“No official prior record of flash flooding existed along Pipe or Wegee Creeks; however, these streams common to western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The extremely saturated soil conditions prior to the flood event undoubtedly contributed to the immediate runoff and flooding. One interviewed resident described ankle-deep

 

NOAA: “A deadly flash flood occurred in eastern Ohio near the town of Shadyside on the evening of June 14, 1990. Over 3 inches of rain… fell along Pipe and Wegee Creeks in a short period of time (under 2 hours). There were 26 known deaths in Ohio during this event, of which 24 were along Pipe and Wegee Creeks with the remaining 2 along the Cumberland Run about 8-10 miles west/northwest of Shadyside.

 

“With the rain falling in such a short amount of time, witnesses reported a wall of water between 10 and 30 feet rapidly moving downstream about 45 minutes after the onset of the heavy rain over the headwaters….

 

“Shadyside is located in the western foothills of the Appalachians and characterized by small hills with steep slopes and narrow valleys. Most residents lived along the narrow flat land along the creek, adding to the potential danger. About 80 houses were completely destroyed, 79 sustained major damage and 172 houses sustained minor damage.”  (NOAA, Shadyside Ohio)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press/Rich Harris. “Grief Over Daughter Drives Mother to Suicide.” 11-24-1991. Accessed 4-30-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1991-11-24/news/mn-136_1_disaster-recovery

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 6, June 1990. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Accessed 4-30-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-3DEF0238-200F-4ADD-8D02-DC6A8E62C67B.pdf

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Shadyside Ohio Flooding, June 14, 1990. Accessed at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/shadyside.html

 

Ohio Historical Society. “June 14, 1990: Shadyside Flood.” Archived 4-29-2016. Accessed from archive 4-30-2016 at: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:RhlYrnjFy4wJ:ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/swio/pages/content/1990_shadysideFlood.htm+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

 

 

 

[1] Sixteen months later the mother of one of the victims, a girl of 12 years, committed suicide on spot where daughter’s body was found. (AP/Rich Harris. “Grief Over Daughter Drives Mother to Suicide.” 11-24-1991.)

— 87  Blumenthal, Ralph. “Fire in the Bronx; 87 Die in Blaze at Illegal Club…” NYT, 3-26-1990.

— 87  Duwe, Grant. Mass Murder in the United States: A History. McFarland, 2007, p. 28.

— 87  Hashagen. “The Deadliest Fires to Strike New York City and…FDNY,” WNYF, 60/1, p29.

— 87  History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, March 25, 1911. Fire Kills 145 at Triangle…

— 87  Moore/Tracy. “Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez…” NY Daily News, 3-18-2015.

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

— 87  National Fire Sprinkler Association. F.Y.I. 1999, 6.

— 87  NY Daily News. “Fire kills 87 people at the Happy Land Social Club…” 3-17-2015.

— 87  New York Times. “The Century’s Worst Fires.” March 26, 1990.

— 87  Robinson, Kathleen. “The Happy Land Social Club Fire.” NFPA Journal, Jan-Feb 2013.

 

Narrative Information

 

Blumenthal: “Eighty-seven people, crammed into an illegal Bronx social club, were asphyxiated or burned to death within minutes in a flash fire early yesterday morning. The police later arrested a man who they said had set the blaze with gasoline after a quarrel there. It was the worst loss of life in a fire in New York City since the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire of 1911, exactly 79 years ago to the day. It was the worst fire in the nation since 97 people were killed in a hotel fire in Puerto Rico on Dec. 31, 1986.

 

“The club – the Happy Land Social Club, at 1959 Southern Boulevard, off East Tremont Avenue – had no state liquor license. It was ordered closed for fire hazards and building-code infractions 16 months ago, city officials said, but continued to operate. Ejected After Argument Police Commissioner Lee P. Brown identified the arrested suspect as Julio Gonzalez, 36 years old, of 31 Buchanan Place in the Bronx. Lieut. Raymond O’Donnell, a police spokesman, said Mr. Gonzalez had argued with a former girlfriend who worked at the club and had been ejected by a bouncer, but then returned with gasoline and set the fire.

 

“His girlfriend and at least three others survived. But the flames cut off the only open door and filled the club with smoke. Some victims suffocated so rapidly that they were found with drinks in their hands. ”Some looked like they were sleeping,” said Firefighter Richard Harden of Ladder Company 58, one of those who put out the blaze. ”Some looked horrified. Some looked like they were in shock. There were some people holding hands. There were some people who looked like they were trying to commiserate and hug each other. Some people had torn their clothes off in their panic to get out.”

Watched the Firefighters

 

“Detective Lieut. James Malvey of the 48th Precinct said last night that Mr. Gonzalez, in a videotaped statement for the District Attorney’s office, told of picking up a plastic jug at the club after threatening, ”I’ll be back.” Mr. Gonzalez, the detective said, filled the jug with $1 worth of gasoline at a nearby service station and returned. ”He threw the gasoline on the floor,” Detective Malvey said. ”He threw in a couple of matches. The fire just crawled in and he left.” He said Mr. Gonzalez ”didn’t know how bad it was when he left, but he came back and watched the firemen fight the fire.”

 

“The detective said Mr. Gonzalez, who the police said had been drinking before the fire, offered no resistance when he was arrested at home. ”It was like he was being picked up for a traffic warrant,” he said. ”It was nothing. He was sleeping.” But later, the police said, Mr. Gonzalez was crying and ”remorseful.”  ”Basically, he’s saying he did it,” Lieutenant O’Donnell said at the 48th Precinct station house. Mr. Gonzalez was charged last night with arson and murder, the police said. The number of counts of murder he will be charged with will be determined by the District Attorney’s office, officials said.

 

“When the fire hit the two-story club favored by Hondurans and other Central American immigrants in the East Tremont section, many patrons just dropped to the floor where they stood or sat, some with their legs still entwined around bar stools, firefighters said.  The black smoke choked the darkened dance floor and suffocated people quickly. The dance floor itself, which in other times had been a place of flashing lights and undulating bodies, was transformed into a macabre pile of victims, wearing their Saturday night outfits, entangled in the grotesque stillness of their final moments.”  (Blumenthal, Ralph. “Fire in the Bronx; 87 Die in Blaze at Illegal Club; Police Arrest Ejected Patron; Worst New York Fire Since 1911.” New York Times, 3-26-1990.)

 

Robinson: “….The [NY] Times reported that the club had been shut down by inspectors because it was a “firetrap,” in the blunt assessment of Charles Smith, Jr., the city’s buildings commissioner. Officials said the club had no sprinklers, fire exits, emergency lights, or exit signs, and that it had reopened illegally. After entering the front door, patrons went down a narrow hallway past a ticket window and coat check, then into a small room with a dance floor and a bar. Stairs at the back of the first floor led to another dance floor and a bar on the floor above, where most of the patrons had congregated….

 

“The club filled with smoke, asphyxiating victims “so rapidly that they were found with drinks in their hands,” according to the Times….

 

“Many fell where they were, piling up on the dance floor, while others tried to reach the exit. Firefighters found 68 bodies upstairs and 19 on the stairs or the ground floor. Only five people managed to escape. One of them was Lydia Feliciano [ex-girlfriend of the arsonist].

 

“On November 15, 1990, Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson ruled that the building’s three landlords were not criminally responsible for the fire, noting that criminal liability probably rested with Elias Colon, the owner and operator of the club, who died in the fire. Two months later, however, New York City Mayor David Dinkins filed misdemeanor charges against the other two landlords. Both eventually pleaded guilty “to failing to install a proper sprinkler system and to illegally converting the premises into a two-story social club,” even though they “contended that they were not guilty because they were unaware the building had been converted,” according to The New York Times.

 

“Gonzalez was arrested, charged, and convicted on 87 counts of murder, 87 counts of arson, and assault in August 1991. He was sentenced to 25 years to life on each count, and is eligible for parole in 2015.” (Robinson, Kathleen. “The Happy Land Social Club Fire.” NFPA Journal, Jan-Feb 2013.)

 

NY Daily News, 3-26-1990: “….It was the deadliest fire in the city in 79 years…. ‘There was no way out; they never had a chance,’ said Thomas Doyle, executive director of the Emergency Medical Service…. Nearly all the victims – 61 men and 26 women – died of smoke inhalation, but authorities said several were trampled in the stampede for the door…. The building, at 1959 Southern Blvd. in East Tremont near the Bronx Zoo, had been hit with a “peremptory vacate order” in November 1988 for lack of exits and for improper lighting and was being condemned, officials said…. The fire came on the 79th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. first in Greenwich Village, in which 146 people were killed….

 

“Smith said [Building Commissioner Charles Smith] there were supposed to have been three exits. The club had sprinklers upstairs, but no fire alarms. Records show police were told to see if the weekends-only club was operating last November. They drove by on Wednesday, Nov. 1, and found it closed….” (New York Daily News. “Fire kills 87 people at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx in 1990.” 3-17-2015 (republication of article first published 3-26-1990).

 

Moore and Tracy: “The man responsible for sparking the infamous Happy Land fire in the Bronx 25 years ago next week has lost his first  bid for freedom, officials said Tuesday [March 17]. Julio Gonzalez, who was convicted of…murder following the fire that killed 87 people on March 25, 1990, was denied parole last month, state corrections officials said.

 

“His hopes for an early release from prison were dashed after a parole board found that Gonzalez would “not live at liberty without again violating the law” and his release was “incompatible with the welfare of society,” according to state documents. Gonzalez, now 60, torched the building after an argument with his former girlfriend Lydia Feliciano, who was one of six people to escape the flames and survive the inferno inside the illegal club…. “I got angry, the devil got to me and I set the fire,” Gonzalez said during a videotaped interview with detectives at the time….‘The anger was towards the man  that had me leave,’ Gonzalez said at his parole hearing, which was done over a video conference call from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y.  ‘He told me he was going to hit me. And I told him I was going to leave but I was coming back.’ ‘At that moment I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing,’ he said about setting the fire. ‘But,  regarding the club, I didn’t realize how many people were inside.  When I got there, there were some people there, but, you know, there was two floors there. I didn’t know that there were two floors in that place.’….

 

“The disaster spurred the city to form a social club task force with 200 inspectors. Today, the city deploys MARCH (Multi Agency Response to Community Hotspots) to inspect and close hazardous locations, officials said….

 

“The parole board denied the request, citing that throughout his 25 years in prison, Gonzalez hadn’t bothered to get a GED or learn English.

 

“Gonzalez can apply for parole again in November 2016, officials said.” (Moore, Tina and Thomas Tracy. “Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez denied parole on eve of horrific Bronx inferno’s tragic 25^th anniversary.” NY Daily News, 3-18-2015.)

 

Sources

 

Blumenthal, Ralph. “Fire in the Bronx; 87 Die in Blaze at Illegal Club; Police Arrest Ejected Patron; Worst New York Fire Since 1911.” New York Times, 3-26-1990. Accessed at: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/26/nyregion/fire-bronx-87-die-blaze-illegal-club-police-arrest-ejected-patron-worst-new-york.html

 

Duwe, Grant. Mass Murder in the United States: A History. McFarland, 2007.

 

Hashagen, Paul. “The Deadliest Fires to Strike New York City and the FDNY,” WNYF, Vol. 60, No. 1, 2000, pp. 28-30.

 

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, March 25, 1911. “Fire Kills 145 at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.”  Accessed 12/06/2008 at:  http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=03/25&categoryId=disaster

 

Moore, Tina and Thomas Tracy. “Happy Land mass murderer Julio Gonzalez denied parole on eve of horrific Bronx inferno’s tragic 25^th anniversary.” New York Daily News, 3-18-2015. Accessed 5-31-2015 at: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/happy-land-mass-murderer-julio-gonzalez-denied-parole-article-1.2152515

 

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 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 Daily News. “Fire kills 87 people at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx in 1990.” 3-17-2015 (republication of article first published 3-26-1990). Accessed 5-31-2015 at: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/dozens-die-fire-illegal-bonx-social-club-1990-article-1.2152091

 

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

 

Robinson, Kathleen. “The Happy Land Social Club Fire.” NFPA Journal, Jan-Feb 2013. Accessed 5-31-2015 at: http://www.nfpa.org/newsandpublications/nfpa-journal/2013/january-february-2013/news-and-analysis/looking-back

 

 

 

–6  AP. “Bus, Car Collide on Interstate 65; Six Die.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN, 2-26-1990, 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

“Indianapolis (AP) — Six people were killed and 14 injured Sunday when a car bolted across in interstate median on the south side of Indianapolis and was struck broadside by a Greyhound but, police said.

 

“Dead are driver Rhea Fallon, 17; her husband, David Fallon, 20; Amy Farmer, 14; Christopher Farmer, 16; David Yates Jr., 21; and Theresa Maloney, 18, all of Indianapolis, said Cpl. Gary Miller of the Indiana State Police post at Indianapolis. The Fallons were married Feb 18, police said. Amy Farmer was Mrs. Fallon’s sister and lived with the Fallons and Christopher Farmer and David Yates were cousins of Mrs. Fallon and Amy Farmer, police said.

 

“All six occupants of the 1983 Ford Mustang were dead at the scene, police said. The bus, which carried 26 people, was headed from Louisville, Ky., to Chicago when the accident occurred just before 3 p.m., police said. Fourteen passengers on the bus were injured in the crash, authorities said….

 

“The Mustang was headed south on Interstate 65 when Mrs. Fallon lost control and swerved across the grassy median, police said.” (Associated Press. “Bus, Car Collide on Interstate 65; Six Die.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN, 2-26-1990, p. 1.)

 

Source

 

Associated Press. “Bus, Car Collide on Interstate 65; Six Die.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN, 2-26-1990, p. 1. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-feb-26-1990-p-1/

 

–22-23  Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.

 

Indiana           (9-10)

–9-10  Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

—     8  Rushville Republican, IN. “Eight deaths blamed on snow storm.” 2-26-1990, p1. (All on 24^th)[1]

Breakout of fatalities by locality and cause:

—   1  Avon, Hendricks County. Exposure; found outside sub-freezing temp., 24^th; died 25^th.[2]

—   2  Chalmers area, White Co. Rd 700W, Feb 24. Electrocution; car slides on icy road into utility pole.[3]

—   1  Martin County. Vehicular accident “caused by slick and icy roads.”[4]

—   3  Parke County, Feb 24. Vehicular accident “caused by slick and icy roads.”[5]

–1-2  Wabash County, Feb 24. (Blanchard tally from differing sources.)

–2  Feb 24. Vehicular accidents “directly attributable to the lowered visibility.” NCDC.[6]

–1  Feb 24. Vehicular accident “caused by slick and icy roads.”[7]

—   1  Warsaw, Kosciusko County. Vehicular; man lost control of truck on “slick street.”[8]

 

Michigan        (   1)

–1  Grand Rapids, Feb 23. Woman; stopped to help motorists, hit by car “during the blinding snow.”[9]

 

Ohio               ( 12)

–1  Ashtabula Co., Rt. 20, 10;45 pm, Aug 23. Two-car accident; icy road; Stephen Arundel, 21.[10]

–9  Tipp City north area, I-75, Feb 24. Pileup shortly after “blizzard slammed into Ohio…”[11]

–2  Wood Co., Feb 24. Storm-related accident; afterwards on-coming semi hit car killing 2 women.[12]

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC on Indiana: “All of Northern and Central Indiana…[Feb] 24 0600 EST-1700 EST…2 [killed]…Wind and Blowing Snow…Strong winds in excess of 40 mph combined with brief periods of heavy snow caused extensive blowing and drifting snow across central and northern Indiana. Frequent periods of reduced visibility to zero caused numerous motor vehicle accidents on interstaters, state, and county roads. In northeastern Indiana winds were clocked to near 50 mph during the afternoon. This resulted in numerous accidents with 105 people being treated for injuries at local hospitals. One accident on Interstate 69 in Huntington County resulted in 65 injuries alone. Conditions were so hazardous that the Indiana State Police recommended against any travel in northeast Indiana. Two motorists were killed in automobile accidents in Wabash County directly attributable to the lowered visibility. In northwest Indiana snow accumulated 6 to 8 inches with wind gusts to 47 mph at South Bend which caused whiteout conditions, numerous accidents, and forced the closure of many highways. The Indiana Toll road was closed for several hours during the afternoon because of drifting snow and accidents. Numerous roads were also closed in other sections of north-central Indiana and north of the Indianapolis area. State Road 31 was closed near Grissom AFB with wind gusts in excess of 60 mph also reported at Grissom AFB. Considerable damage to signs was also reported throughout the area.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990, p. 55.)

 

NCDC on Michigan: “All Michigan…[Feb’ 23 1800 EST…Heavy Snow High Wind…A fast moving storm over southern Wisconsin on the evening of the 23^rd was located over northwest Ohio by 0700 EST on the 24^th. An Arctic from accompanying this storm caused near blizzard conditions for several hours as the storm moved through Michigan. Numerous reports of wind gusts between 40 and 50 mph were received. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor reported wind gusts to 74 mph. Near zero visibilities across lower Michigan from midmorning into midafternoon contributed to a record number of accidents. According to Michigan AAA’s five year daily record of accidents reported for one day, this day (over 5,000 accidents) exceeded the near-record set about a week earlier. Many trees were badly damaged. Many minor injuries were reported due to auto accidents and one Grand Rapids woman died when she stopped to help other motorists involved in a multiple vehicle collision. She was struck by a passing car during the blinding snow. No other deaths were reported with this storm. The state police reported about 500 auto accidents during this storm. Several were chain-reaction collisions where as many as 100 cars collided, as happened near Pontiac. The strong winds downed many power lines so almost 4,000 homes were without power. Snowfalls were difficult to measure due to high winds and temperatures that plunged into the low teens in the south during the afternoon. However, 9.5 inches was reported in Allegan County, in the southwest Lower Michigan. Most areas of the state had 4 to 8 inches. In the Saginaw area 5 foot drifts were reported.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990, p. 63.)

 

NCDC on Ohio: “Central Lakeshore, Northeast Lakeshore, Northeast Inland, East Central…[Feb] 24 Afternoon-Evening…Blizzard…A cold front brought a period of heavy snow and very strong winds to northern and eastern Ohio during the afternoon and evening of the 24^th. Ahead of the cold front, winds were from the south at 10 to 20 mph. After frontal passage, winds jumped to between 30 to 40 mph with gust to 60 mph. These winds along with the snow and rapidly falling temperatures created blizzard conditions across much of northeast and eastern Ohio. Trees and power lines were blown down in isolated area, which caused some power outages. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches across northeast and east-central Ohio.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990, p. 81.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Icy roads, blinding snow were culprits in crash.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH, 2-27-1990, p. 2. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/xenia-daily-gazette-feb-27-1990-p-2/

 

Associated Press. “Woman Dies From Exposure.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN, 2-26-1990, p. 10. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-feb-26-1990-p-10/

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 12-12-2018 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-6F48946C-6DFD-458A-8A18-8A9A6F3AB1F0.pdf

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Mother and Son, 3, Electrocuted after Traffic Accident.” 2-26-1990, p. 1. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-feb-26-1990-p-1/

 

Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Six Killed In State Accidents.” 2-25-1990, A10. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-feb-25-1990-p-10/

 

Rushville Republican, IN. “Eight deaths blamed on snow storm.” 2-26-1990, p. 1. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rushville-republican-feb-26-1990-p-1/

 

Sandusky Register, OH. “Authorities still totaling crash counts.” 2-26-1990, p. 1. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sandusky-register-feb-26-1990-p-1/

 

Schmidlin, Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. Kent State University Press, 1996, 362 pages.

 

Titusville Herald, PA. “Icy Highway Contributes to Fatal Crash.” 2-26-1990, p. 5. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/titusville-herald-feb-26-1990-p-5/

 

 

[1] “At least eight deaths have been attributed to a weekend winter storm that brought strong winds and drifting snow to Indiana. All eight were killed Saturday in automobile accidents caused by slick and icy roads.”

[2] Eva Callahan, 79, went outside to retrieve newspaper, wearing a housecoat, and fell down some steps. A passerby found her two hours later. (AP. “Woman Dies From Exposure.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN, 2-26-1990, p. 10.)

[3] Carol F. Cornell, 29, of Brook, and her three-year-old son were electrocuted when they got out of their car and stepped on downed wires from a utility pole they car had knocked down. (Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Mother and Son, 3, Electrocuted after Traffic Accident.” 2-26-1990, p. 1.)

[4] Rushville Republican, IN. Eight deaths blamed on snow storm.” 2-26-1990, p. 1.

[5] Rushville Republican, IN. Eight deaths blamed on snow storm.” 2-26-1990, p. 1.

[6] National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990, p. 55.

[7] Rushville Republican, IN. Eight deaths blamed on snow storm.” 2-26-1990, p. 1.

[8] Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “Six Killed In State Accidents.” 2-25-1990, A10. Rick D. Minnix, 31, killed.

[9] National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 32, No. 2, Feb 1990, p. 63.

[10] Titusville Herald, PA. “Icy Highway Contributes to Fatal Crash.” 2-26-1990, p. 5.

[11] Sandusky Register, OH. “Authorities still totaling crash counts.” 2-26-1990, p. 1. “The patrol said at least 32 vehicles were involved in the accident, which also injured at least 50 people.” See, also: Schmidlin and Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland, 1996, p. 73; and AP. “Icy roads, blinding snow were culprits in crash.” Xenia Daily Gazette, OH, 2-27-1990, p. 2.

[12] Sandusky Register, OH. “Storm.” (continued from A1), 2-26-1990, p. 2.

–11 AP. “11 servicemen die in training mission.” Times-News, Twin Falls, ID, 2-24-1990, A3.
–11 Aviation Safety Network. US Army UH 1J and OH 58 crash near Punta Diego, Pan. Canal

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1990:
“Date: 21-Feb-1990
“Type: Bell UH-1H Iroquois
“Owner/operator: 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, US Army
“Registration: 69-15851
“MSN: 12139
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
“Other fatalities: 2 [OH-58]
….
“Location: near Punta Diego, 80 km SW of Colon Panama Canal
“Phase: En Route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Fort Kobbe, Howard Air Force Base, Panama
“Destination airport: Fort Kobbe, Howard Air Force Base, Panama
“Narrative:

“A/C was part of a 4-ship lift peacekeeping mission over jungles on the Atlantic coast of Panama. A/C crashed into a mountain near Punta Diego, 80 km SW of Colon, Panama Canal Zone while searching for the OH-58 Involved (69-15851) that crashed into the same mountain. All nine person on board (crew of two plus seven troops) were killed:

WO1 Richard T. Block [Pilot]
WO1 Vincent C. Gibson [Pilot]
SPC Joel L. Meints [Chief Engineer]
PVT Jude W. Johnson [C]
PV2 Charles D. Allison
SPC Rodney L. Blodgett
SGT Sidney T. Dew
SPC Kurt M. Magill
SGT Antonio B. Solis

“The wreckage of both helicopters, along with the 11 fatalities (9 in the Iroquois. plus 2 in the Kiowa), were found two days later (February 23 1990).”

Newspaper

Feb 24, AP: “Washington (AP) – Two U.S. Army helicopters crashed during a training mission in Panama, killing all 11 servicemen aboard, U.S. military authorities said Friday. The U.S. Southern Command in Panama said the aircraft encountered thunderstorms Wednesday night while flying on the Atlantic side of the isthmus, but gave no other details about the circumstances of the accidents. U.S. search teams found an Army OH058 observation helicopter Thursday morning in heavy jungle terrain near Punta Diego, about 50 miles southwest of Colon. The other, a UH-1H Huey helicopter, was discovered about four miles away Friday afternoon. All four crew members and five passengers in the Huey were dead, the Southern Command statement said….

“Both occupants of the observation helicopter also were killed. They were identified as Warrant Officer James W. Carl, the pilot, and Capt. Richard D. Tyndall….

“Both helicopters were based at Fort Kobbe, adjacent to Howard Air Base.” (Associated Press. “11 servicemen die in training mission.” Times-News, Twin Falls, ID, 2-24-1990, A3.)

Sources

Associated Press. “11 servicemen die in training mission.” Times-News, Twin Falls, ID, 2-24-1990, A3. Accessed 7-26-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/twin-falls-times-news-feb-24-1990-p-3/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1990. US Army UH-1H and OH-58 crash near Punta Diego, Panama Canal, 21-Feb-1990. Accessed 7-26-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/77045

–7  AP. “Cameras assist search for bodies.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 2-26-1990, p. 2.

–7  Associated Press. “Divers hunt for 7 bodies.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 2-20-1990, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

Feb 20: “Convict Lake, Calif. — Seven people apparently drowned in this freezing Sierra lake Monday [Feb 19], three of them teen-agers on a holiday skating party and four would-be rescuers….The victims lingered in the water for up to 15 minutes before succumbing, one witness estimated. ‘We could see them bobbing around,’ said volunteer firefighter Jim Lambert, one of the rescuers. “The captain (on the ice) could hear someone saying, ‘Throw me a rope!’ ”

 

“One of the survivors, identified by several sources as volunteer fire chief Chris Baitx, plunged through the ice as he tried to reach the teen-agers, who were residents of a nearby nonprofit[1] probation-type camp. Attached to Baitx was a 14-foot aluminum ladder, which pulled him down. Three times, he made his way back to the surface and punched his arms and head through the ice long enough to gather a breath before the ladder dragged him down again, a witness said. After his third effort, a diver was able to pull him to safety….

 

“The three youths were clients of Camp O’Neal, which handles troubled youngsters ages 13 to 16 from throughout California. The camp is located across U.S. 395 from the lake….

 

“The incident apparently began shortly after noon at Convict Lake, a picturesque vacation spot in the mid-Sierra that is favored by trout fishermen. The lake is set in a granite bowl just north of Crowley Lake and southeast of Mammoth Lakes. Full details of the trip were not know Monday, but Strelneck said initial information indicated that several children from Camp O’Neal went over to the lake early Monday. Other sources said they were skating on the lake that had frozen just over the weekend….

 

“…witnesses said that when the children were about 200 yards offshore, the ice apparently broke and they plummeted into the frigid water. The first rescuers were camp counselors who were either playing with the children or immediately nearby. Two of them also fell through the ice and apparently died, Strelneck said. The second wave of rescuers brought the Forest Service employee, who lived at the lake, and the volunteer firefighter who also was believed to have died….At its height, the search effort included 60 to 70 people — local volunteer firefighters, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies…” (Los Angeles Times. “7 Apparently Drown in Freezing Sierra Lake…” 2-20-1990.)

 

Feb 20: “Mammoth Lakes (AP) — Divers slipped into frigid Convict Lake today to hunt for seven bodies, three of them teen-agers on a holiday outing and four would-be rescuers who crashed through ice sheets into the murky waters. The teens — all 13- to 16-year-olds from a nearby camp for youthful offenders — were on an outing when they apparently fell through thin ice around noon Monday [Feb 19]…

 

“Eleven divers began the recovery operation today at the remote Sierra lake, said sheriff’s spokes-woman Gail Merritt. Markers near holes in the ice, about 200 yards offshore, showed where the victims slipped through. Body recovery could be hampered because the extreme cold may force the bodies to the bottom of the lake, which is 140 feet deep at its deepest point, said Mono County Sheriff-Coroner M.A. Strelneck Jr.

 

“The 30-member recovery team included representatives of various agencies: Divers from Washoe County, Nev., military personnel and helicopters from China Lake and Sacramento, and an ice boat from the Truckee Fire Department.

 

“The ski resort community was stunned by the tragedy, which ranks among the worst of its kind in the United States in at least a decade. Restaurant manager Remington Slifka was troubled. ‘Taking the kids out on the ice without knowing the conditions is a tragedy,’ said Slifka. ‘The thing about Convict Lake is that it’s day to day…One day it will be icy, the next day it will be water.’

 

“Two 13-year-old boys, one from Tulare County and the other from Redlands, and a 14-year-old from Tulare weren’t named because of their ages. Strelneck said the adults were Dave Meyers, 53, of Bishop; Randy Porter, age unknown, of June Lake; Clay Cutter, age unknown, of Convict Lake; and Vidar Anderson, 58, of Long Valley. ‘It was horrifying,’ said Pierre LaBossiere, a reporter who watched three of the four men go into the icy waters of Convict Lake, never to reappear.

 

“One youth, separate from the three who could not be rescued, fell into the water, but escaped by crawling back onto the ice, LaBossiere said. The 15-year-old youth was treated for hypothermia at Centinela  Mammoth Hospital and released Monday, said a hospital official who declined to give her name. A paramedic was hospitalized overnight for observation, she said.

 

“Would-be rescuers used a combination of rubber boats and ropes to try and reach the youths in the water, but to no avail. The lake froze over the bodies, said Strelneck. The hole they fell through froze over within hours, said Strelneck. Two Camp O’Neal counselors fell into the lake as they tried to save the youths, Strelneck said. A U.S. Forest Service worker and a volunteer firefighter followed them into the frigid water. None were immediately identified.

 

“A fourth teen-ager who fell through clambered back onto the ice and walked to safety, LaBossiere said….The youths were playing on the ice about 200 yards from shore when the surface gave way, Strelneck said. Arriving soon after the boys fell through the snow-covered lake surface, LaBossiere said he saw one youth bobbing on the surface in an ice hole. ‘Two rescue people were kneeling on the ice,’ said LaBossiere, a reporter for the Mono County Review Herald. ‘About 20 minutes later, one guy went into the ice.’ As he and dozens of others on shore watched helplessly, two other adult rescuers plunged into the lake in failed attempts to reach the teen-ager still floundering in the icy water. ‘It was horrible,’ he said. ‘They were trying to figure out any way to get across the ice. It was such an incredibly long distance. They couldn’t just stick a rope out there.’

 

“Forest Service spokeswoman Margaret Gorski said the accident happened in the center of the lake, which is a mile long and an eighth- to a quarter-mile wide.

 

“About 70 would-be rescuers used rubber boats and ropes to try to reach the youths, but to no avail. The firefighter who fell in was a member of the volunteer Long Valley Fire Department…

 

“The state-run probation camps are for young people convicted of relatively minor offenses.

 

“Convict Lake, just south of the Mammoth ski resort, got its name from a shootout between a posse and convicts in the late 1800s.

 

“People ski and skate on the lake in winter, LaBossiere said.” (Associated Press. “Divers hunt for 7 bodies.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 2-20-1990, p. 1 and 12.)

 

Feb 21: “Mammoth Lakes — Rescue workers who pulled the first of seven bodies from frigid Convict Lake called on deep-diving experts to help plumb the numbing waters for six others still trapped under the ice today. A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department diving team, with special equipment designed for ice-cold waster and capable of reaching depths of 300 feet, left for the Sierra Nevada lake Tuesday night [Feb 20], said Deputy Chris Wahla.

 

“The bodies of three teens from a nearby youth camp and three of the adults who tried to rescue them were still missing in the lake, believed to be as deep as 140 feet, authorities said. The body of Clayton Cutter, 31, a US Forest Service ranger who lived near Convict Lake, was found by divers who searched in pairs for 10-minute spans Tuesday….

 

“Twelve teenagers and two adults from Camp O’Neal, a residential facility for troubled youths had been on a Presidents Day outing when disaster struck….

 

For those watching from the shore, horror turned to hysteria, as the tragedy was compounded again and again. ‘It was a bad scene and it just kept getting worse,’ said Chris Baitx, 31, chief of the Long Valley volunteer fire department. Baitx also slipped beneath the splintering sheets of ice while attempting to rescue the floundering victims, but he was pulled to safety by a diver for the June Lake Search and Rescue Team. He was released Tuesday after spending the night at Centinela Mammoth Hospital in Mammoth Lakes. Baitx had been trying to pull out one of the camp counselors when the ice suddenly collapsed beneath him, and he found himself trapped under the ice. ‘I had to bet the ice out with my hands,’ Baitx said. ‘I was sure I was gone. I was thinking of my wife and kids and are they going to be OK, because I’m history.’….

 

“The still-missing adults included Dave Meyers, 53, of Bishop; Randy Porter…of June Lake; and Vidar Anderson, 58, of Long Valley. David Christopher Sellers, 15, of Tulare, Shawn Rayne Diaz, 15, of Dinuba, and Ryan Charles McCandless, 13, of Redlands also were among the missing….

 

“The Los Angeles team’s five divers, unlike the scuba divers who recovered Cutter’s body, use insulated rubberized diving suits with 300-foot breathing hoses, Wahla said. They can dive deeper and remain in the icy water longer. ‘We’re one of the few agencies in the state that has this equipment and the expertise to use it,’ Wahla said.

 

“Cutter’s wife, Terry, had watched from their balcony as her husband ran across the frozen lake to try to aid the floundering teenagers and two camp counselors, who were bobbing and thrashing in holes broken in the ice. ‘Just watching those heads bobbing up and down was too much,’ Baitx said. ‘We figured we should have waited for the rescue team. But wen people are bobbing up and down, you know what’s next.’….” Associated Press. “One body recovered from Convict Lake.” .” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-21-1990, A3.

 

Feb 21: “The Associated Press. Mammoth Lake — US Forest Service officials say they don’t have standards for ice thickness to protect people venturing onto frozen lakes like the one that cracked open and swallowed up seven people ‘It’s more or less left up to people’s own judgment,’ Fred Richter, Nordic supervisor for the US Forest Service here, said Tuesday.

 

“Officials at the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the State Department of Parks and Recreation said those agencies also have no set standards for frozen lake safety.

 

“Strict standards rigorously enforced with warning signs, patrols and periodic ice measurements are the norm in cold-weather cities in the eastern United States and Canada. Minneapolis requires 4½ to 5 inches and restricts the public to few well-patrolled areas. New York City requires 5 inches of ice thickness in bodies of water over 3 feet deep. In Canada, Winnipeg demands at least 12 inches and Edmonton 15 inches. (AP. “California lacks safety standards for venturing onto frozen lakes.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-21-1990, A3.)

 

Feb 22: “Mammoth Lakes — Deep-diving, cold water experts recovered five more bodies from iced-over Convict Lake using sophisticated underwater camera gear to spot the submerged victims. After pulling what was the sixth of seven drowning from the lake late Wednesday, authorities halted the recovery effort to give exhausted divers a chance to recuperate….The remaining body is that of Dave Meyers, 53, of Bishop. The deaths caused by thin ice came Monday, Meyers’ first day as a counselor at Camp O’Neal, a facility for troubled youths. Three teen-agers from the camp were the first to plunge into the bone-chilling waters of the high-altitude lake….

 

“The victims’ friends and relatives questioned US Forest Service policies that leave judging ice thickness up to individual common sense at the hundreds of lakes in the rugged Sierra Nevada range. ‘They definitely need signs out there,’ said Tracey Wood, a fried of Cutter. ‘I know people are going to be rebellious, but before they advertise a lake for ice skating they better let people know how thin the ice is.’ Convict Lake brochures tout its ice skating…” (Associated Press. “Underwater camera help divers retrieve 5 more bodies at lake.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-22-1990, A3.)

 

Feb 23: “Mammoth Lakes — Camp O’Neal, the facility overseeing three teen-agers who drowned in Convict Lake, has been repeatedly cited for violations of state licensing standards, authorities said. Violations included improperly supervising and medicating residents, failing to adequately train staff members and not properly clothing youngsters. ‘There have been some pretty chronic problems there,’ said Kathleen Norris, a state Department of Social Services spokeswoman….The…Department…which licenses the camp to treat emotionally-troubled youths, was one of several agencies investigating the tragedy. Camp director Bobbi Trott maintained the camp has been the target of overzealous inspectors from the state’s Riverside licensing office.

 

“Last month, state officials accused Camp O’Neal of tranquilizing youngsters against their will. A state inspector reported one youth was ‘lethargic and overmedicated’ and another vomited when given medication. The camp was cited for lack of supervision last December when an inspector discovered a resident had attempted sexual acts with nine other youths, according to state reports. The facility also was cited for inadequately staffing in 1988 when there were 21 reported incidents of youths leaving the grounds without permission.” (AP. “Convict Lake camp cited for violating standards.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-23-1990, A3.)

 

Feb 26: Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (AP) — Aided by a sophisticated underwater video camera, divers spotted and retrieved the body of the last of seven victims who died after plunging into an icy lake. The body of Dave ‘Grandpa’ Meyers, one of four would-be rescuers who perished trying to save three teen-agers who fell through thin ice on Lake Convict on Feb 19, was recovered Sunday [Feb 25]. Divers recovered the other six bodies last week.

 

“Meyers, 53, of Bishop, was a counselor at Camp O’Neal, where the three teen-agers were residents. Also killed were another counselor, a volunteer firefighter and a forest ranger.

 

“Camp O’Neal, near the lake in the Sierra Nevada 250 miles north of Los Angeles, is a home for youngsters placed by county social service agencies as well as youths who have committed minor crimes and are on probation.” (Associated Press. “Cameras assist search for bodies.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 2-26-1990, p. 2.)

 

March 16: “Newport Beach — The attending psychiatrist at Convict Lake’s Camp O’Neal, where three teen-age residents drowned last month, was arrested Thursday [March 15] on suspicion of sexual abuse of one of his Newport Beach patients, police said. Dr. James H. White, 47, was arrested on a $500,000 felony warrant charging him with oral copulation on a victim under the influence of an anesthetic substance in an incident at his Corona del Mar home, Sgt. Any Gonis said.

 

“A 29-year-old man filed a complaint with police March 5. He told police he was being treated by White for stress from a back injury suffered last summer and the doctor had invited him to stay at his home. The victim claimed that he was under medication given to him by the doctor when the alleged oral copulation occurred. He told police he did not know about it until later when he found pictures and video-tapes of the incident among the doctor’s belongings. The patient also told police that he saw pictures and videotapes of other unidentified men who appeared unconscious as White allegedly performed sex acts on them….

 

“White was the consulting psychiatrist at Camp O’Neal near Convict Lake…He also was director of the camp’s non-profit foundation, according to state records.

 

“Tulare County probation officials…expressed concern about medical supervision of mood-altering drugs prescribed by White for the juvenile residents because he lived in Newport Beach. Camp officials said White visited the camp once a week and did not prescribe drugs over the phone.” (Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Convict Lake camp’s psychiatrist arrested.” 3-16-1990, p. 38.)

 

March 17: “Mammoth Lakes, Calif. (UPI) — The state shut down a camp for troubled boys Friday following an investigation into the drowning deaths of three boys and four would-be rescuers last month in an ice-covered Sierra lake. The investigation found that boys had been sexually abused and drugged at Camp O’Neal, and uncovered other violations of state regulations.

 

“Investigators concluded that the Feb. 19 drownings at Convict Lake resulted from a ‘lack of appropriate care and supervision’ by the staff, said Kathleen Norris, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social Services.

 

“Social workers removed the last 16 teenagers from the camp Friday morning and suspended the facility’s operating license. Worried county officials had earlier pulled the rest of the youngsters from the camp, which houses 34 youths.

 

“Bobbi Trott, executive director of the private, non-profit camp, said the state’s action was unfounded and vowed to appeal. ‘The kids were real upset. They were in tears. They didn’t want to go. This is their home. This has happened real suddenly,’ Trott said.

 

“A group of boys from the camp and two counselors were playing on the frozen lake during a Presidents Day hike when several of the teens split off from their supervisors and walked to the lake’s center….

 

“Mono County District Attorney Stan Eller said he is reviewing a 120-page report on the drownings to determine whether criminal charges are warranted….

 

“The state investigation into the drowning uncovered that staff member Susan Spier allegedly sexually abused a camp resident in 1988 and allegedly made sexual advances toward other boys. Trott allegedly halted an internal investigation by camp staff into the incident.

 

“The state investigation also substantiated reports that at least four younger boys at the camp allegedly ere sexually abused by an older teenage resident in 1989.” (UPI. “State closes camp where 7 were drowned.” Times-Standard, Eureka CA. 3-17-1990, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “California lacks safety standards for venturing onto frozen lakes.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-21-1990, A3. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-21-1990-p-3/

 

Associated Press. “Cameras assist search for bodies.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 2-26-1990, p. 2. Accessed 12-13-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ironwood-daily-globe-feb-26-1990-p-2/

 

Associated Press. “Convict Lake camp cited for violating standards.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-23-1990, A3. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-23-1990-p-3/

 

Associated Press. “Divers hunt for 7 bodies.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 2-20-1990, p. 1 and 12. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal-feb-20-1990-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “One body recovered from Convict Lake.” .” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-21-1990, A3. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-21-1990-p-3/

 

Associated Press. “Underwater camera help divers retrieve 5 more bodies at lake.” Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. 2-22-1990, A3. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-feb-22-1990-p-3/

 

Los Angeles Times. “7 Apparently Drown in Freezing Sierra Lake…” 2-20-1990. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1990-02-20/news/mn-1121_1_holiday-skating-party

 

Mammoth Times, CA. “Book on Convict Lake drowning accident both heals, hurts.” Feb 2012. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pqeQPCJkOc8J:https://mammothtimes.com/content/book-convict-lake-drowning-accident-both-heals-hurts+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-b-1-ab

 

Orange County Register, Santa Ana, CA. “Convict Lake camp’s psychiatrist arrested.” 3-16-1990, p. 38. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-mar-16-1990-p-38/

 

United Press International. “State closes camp where 7 were drowned.” Times-Standard, Eureka CA. 3-17-1990, p. 5. Accessed 12-14-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-mar-17-1990-p-5/

 

 

[1] Not accurate. Camp O’Neal was a for-profit “therapeutic school” for troubled youth. It closed down shortly after this tragedy “under a storm of controversy over allegations of neglect, abuse, and sexual impropriety.” (Mammoth Times, CA. “Book on Convict Lake drowning accident both heals, hurts.” Feb 2012.)

— 7  NTSB Identification: CH191FA088B. Probable cause approval date: 5-15-1992.

— 7  NTSB. Special Investigation Report…Safety of Parachute Jump Operations. 2008, p.3.[1]

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Identification: CH191FA088B, 2-3-1991, Osceola, WI: The pilots of 2 Cessna 182 aircraft took off from RWY 10 in formation. One of these N6384A, had 4 skydivers aboard. After takeoff, the pilot of N6384A discontinued formation flight and departed to the southeast, while the other Cessna departed northeast. At about the same time, a Piper PA-28, N4676R, was approaching the airport with a dual student & instructor aboard. Subsequently, the two aircraft converged and collided about 1-1/2 mile southeast of the airport. No known witnesses saw the collision; the altitude and headings of the aircraft were not verified. During impact, the two aircraft became entangled and they impacted the ground at the same location. An investigation revealed evidence that the high wing Cessna and the low wing PA-28 converged laterally, while on flight paths that angled toward each other. (NTSB Identification: CH191FA088B. Probable cause approval date: 5-15-1992.)

 

NTSB Special Investigation Report: “CH191FA088B [NTSB ID], Cessna 182…midair collision, failure of private pilot and pilot of other airplane to see and avoid each other…5 [fatalities) plus 2 on other airplane).” NTSB. Special Investigation Report…Safety of Parachute Jump Operations. 2008, p. 3.)

Sources

 

National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB Identification: CH191FA088B. Washington, DC: NTSB, probable cause approval date: 5-15-1992. Accessed 4-29-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X16418&key=2

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Special Investigation Report on the Safety of Parachute Jump Operations (NTSB/SIR-08/01). Washington, DC: NTSB, Adopted 9-16-2008, 64 pages. Accessed 2-22-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SIR0801.pdf

 

 

[1] From: “Table 1. Fatal parachute jump operations accidents since 1980.”

— 73  FAA. Avianca Airline B707 Flight 52 at Long Island, NY. “Accident Overview.” No date.

— 73  NTSB, AAR, Avianca…Fuel Exhaustion, Cove Neck New York, January 25… 1991, p. v.

— 73  NationMaster.com, Encyclopedia, “Avianca Flight 52.”

— 73  NY Times (Lueck). “U.S. Joins Airline in Plan for Settlement in 1990 Crash.” 11-17-1992.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Executive Summary: “On July 19, 1989 [Jan 25, 1990][1] at approximately 2134 eastern standard time, Avianca Airlines flight 052, a Boeing 707-321B with Columbian registration HK 2016, crashed in a wooded residential area in Cove Neck, Long Island, New York. AVA052 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Bogota, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, with an intermediate stop at Jose Maria Cordova Airport, near Medellin, Colombia. Of the 158 persons aboard, 73 were fatally injured.

 

“Because of poor weather conditions in the northeastern part of the United States, the flightcrew was placed in holding three times by air traffic control for a total of about 1 hour and 17 minutes. During the third period of holding, the flightcrew reported that the airplane could not hold longer than 5 minutes, that it was running out of fuel, and that it could not reach its alternate airport, Boston-Logan International. Subsequently, the flightcrew executed a missed approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. While trying to return to the airport, the airplane experienced a loss of power to all four engines and crashed approximately 16 miles from the airport.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the flightcrew to adequately manage the airplane’s fuel load, and their failure to communicate an emergency fuel situation to air traffic control before fuel exhaustion occurred.  Contributing to the accident was the flightcrew’s failure to use an airline operational control dispatch system to assist them during the international flight into a high-density airport in poor weather.  Also contributing to the accident was inadequate traffic flow management by the Federal Aviation Administration and the lack of standardized understandable terminology for pilots and controllers for minimum and emergency fuel states.

 

The Safety Board also determines that windshear, crew fatigue and stress were factors that led to the unsuccessful completion of the first approach and thus contributed to the accident.

 

“The safety issues raised in this report include:

 

1. Pilot responsibilities and dispatch responsibilities regarding planning, fuel requirements, and flight following during international flights.
2. Pilot to controller communications regarding the terminology to be used to convey fuel status and the need for special handling.
3. ATC flow control procedures and responsibilities to accommodate aircraft with low fuel state.
4. Flightcrew coordination and English language proficiency of foreign crews.” [p. v.]

 

[On page 13 it is noted that the fatalities consisted of 65 passengers (including one infant), three flight crew (all), and five cabin crew (out of six), for a total of 73. Also notes there ere 81 serious injuries.]

 

[On pages 78-79, after the NTSB statement of Probable Cause, is the following:]

 

“Jim Burnett, Member, filed the following dissenting statement:

 

Although I support the probable cause and recommendations as adopted, I have voted against the adoption of this report because it fails to adequately deal with the role of the air traffic control (ATC) services in this accident scenario.

 

Air traffic control services were inadequate in four respects.

 

1. The Washington ARTXX R50 controller failed to inform the flightcrew of AVA052 of additional holding in the Washington ARTCC area.
2. The JFK tower local controller failed to transmit the RVR[2] and the latest windshear report to the flightcrew of AVA 052.
3. The JFK tower local controller failed to forward to the N90 FV controller the remark by the flightcrew concerning their fuel situation.
4. The Controller-in-Charge in the JFK tower failed to ensure that the ATIS[3] contained the pilot reports of windshear as required.

 

While I can accept the argument that such unsatisfactory service was not causal to this accident, this pattern of substandard service reflects poorly on the ATC system and raises serious safety concerns.

 

Although the reasons for this pattern of substandard service have not been developed in the report, I suspect that it has little to do, in this case, with the experience level of the controllers and a great deal to do with controller workload under the weather conditions and with the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration flow control intentionally allowed a greater flow of traffic, bound for JFK, into the system than could be safely and efficiently accommodated by the system.

 

“Christopher Hart, Member, filed the following partial concurring/dissenting statement:

 

I concur in part with the probable cause as adopted, but I dissent in part because I do not agree that as contributing factor is ‘the lack of standardized understandable terminology for pilots and controllers for minimum and emergency fuel states.’ We do have standardized understandable terminology – ‘Mayday’ internationally, and ‘Emergency’ in English – that would have adequately communicated the existence of a dangerous situation, and the problem was that the pilots failed to use this terminology with the controllers.

 

(NTSB, AAR, Avianca…Boeing 707…Fuel Exhaustion, Cove Neck New York…, 1991.)

 

FAA: “….According to the lead flight attendant, seated in 2C, who survived with serious injuries, there was no warning to the cabin from the flightdeck regarding the low fuel status, loss of engines, or the impending emergency landing.  Therefore, passengers were not briefed on brace positions, other than during the preflight briefing, or on evacuation procedures. However, after the failure of all four engines and generators, the ability of the flightdeck to communicate with cabin of the PA system would have been lost….

 

“Seventy-two of the 74 passengers who survived sustained serious injuries.  These injuries consisted of multiple lower leg fractures and dislocations, head injuries, hip fractures, spinal fractures, and multiple lacerations and contusions.  The legs of passengers were believed to have impacted the lower seat back frames of seat units in front of them.  Simultaneously, passenger seats most likely collapsed and twisted downward and to the left, resulting in hip and spinal fractures.  As the impact sequence progressed, separation of the seats from their floor attachments pushed passengers forward into passengers, seats, and other wreckage debris, causing head injuries and lacerations….

 

“The captain, first officer, and flight engineer died from blunt force head and upper torso trauma.  The captain and first officer seats had no shoulder harnesses installed.  On March 6, 1980 the FAA required all flightdeck seats to be equipped with combined seatbelts and shoulder harnesses; however, ICAO standards do not address these restraint systems.

 

“Five of the six flight attendants were fatally injured as a result of blunt force injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, and limbs.  Three of the five flight attendants’ locations could be established based on the statement of the surviving flight attendant.  One was seated in the L-1 one attendant seat, the second was in passenger seat 2A, and the third was in passenger seat 3C. Sixty-four adult passengers and one 4 month old infant died as a result of blunt force injuries….” (FAA. Avianca Airline B707 Flight 52 at Long Island, NY. “Accident Overview.” No date.)

 

NationMaster.com: “.…Flight 52 had been in a holding pattern over New York for over one hour due to fog limiting arrivals and departures into John F. Kennedy International Airport. During this hold, the aircraft was exhausting its reserve fuel supply which would have allowed it to divert to Boston in case of an emergency or situation such as this one….

“Around 77 minutes after it had begun holding, New York Air Traffic Control asked the crew how long they could continue to hold, to which the first officer replied “…about five minutes.” The First Officer then stated that their alternate was Boston, but since they had been holding for so long they would not be able to make it anymore; the controller then cleared the aircraft into runway 22L.

“As Flight 52 flew the approach, they encountered wind shear at lower than 500 feet and the plane descended below the altitude needed to safely descend into the runway. Air traffic controllers had only informed the flight of wind shear at 1500 feet and not at lower altitude. This forced the crew to announce a missed approach, yet, at this point, the plane did not have enough fuel to make another approach….

“The crew alerted the controller that they were low on fuel and in a subsequent transmission stated “We’re running out of fuel, sir.” The controller asked the crew to climb to which the first officer replied “No, sir, we’re running out of fuel.”

“Moments later, the number four engine shut off, quickly followed by the other three. With the aircraft’s power supply now drained, the cabin’s lights shut off and the aircraft was plunged into darkness. Within seconds, the entire aircraft had lost all power, causing it to plunge into the small village of Cove Neck, New York in northern Long Island, 15 miles from the airport.

“The aircraft struck and slid down a hill in the town, splitting into two pieces as it reached the bottom. The impact flung the cockpit into a nearby building. Due to the lack of jet fuel, the aircraft did not burst into flames, probably saving the lives of the 85 survivors. By the end of the ordeal, 73 passengers and crew lay dead, and another 85 had been injured.

 

“The recovery efforts for Flight 52 proved to be difficult since the aircraft had crashed in an area that was hard for emergency crews to reach. The weather conditions and the darkness of night made the search crews’ task even more challenging. In addition, the cockpit had snapped off and was embedded in the side of an unoccupied house….” (NationMaster.com, Encyclopedia, “Avianca Flight 52.”)

 

NationMaster.com: “Avianca Airlines threatened to sue the FAA for the actions of the air controllers, who they felt were negligent in misunderstanding the pilots reports. The FAA countered stating that the crew never declared a fuel emergency until the final minutes before the crash, and had never reported the amount of fuel they had left when asking for priority landing, making it impossible for air traffic controllers to give them correct priority status. It was also determined that the crew never attempted to divert to the alternate destination of Boston despite being aware they would be in a holding pattern for up to forty-five minutes, though this may have been due to the fact the pilots misunderstood their priority confirmation. After some deliberations, a settlement was reached where the FAA paid for 40% of the settlements with the passengers and their families; the rest was paid by Avianca.”[4] (NationMaster.com, Encyclopedia, “Avianca Flight 52.”)

Sources

 

Federal Aviation Administration. Avianca Airline B707 Flight 52 at Long Island, NY. “Accident Overview.” No date. Washington, DC: FAA, U.S. Department of Transportation. Accessed 5-2-2016 at: http://lessonslearned.faa.gov/ll_main.cfm?TabID=4&LLID=70&LLTypeID=2

 

NationMaster.com. Encyclopedia. “Avianca Flight 52.” Accessed 12-19-2008 at:  http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Avianca-Flight-52  [Note: URL found to be inoperable when checked 5-2-2016.]

 

National Transportation Safety  Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Avianca, The Airline of Columbia, Boeing 707-321 B, HK 2016, Fuel Exhaustion, Cove Neck New York, January 25, 1990 (NTSB/AAR-91/04). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted April 30, 1991, 295 p. Accessed 5-2-2016 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9104.pdf

 

New York Times (Thomas J. Lueck). “U.S. Joins Airline in Plan for Settlement in 1990 Crash.” 11-17-1992. Accessed 5-2-2016 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/17/nyregion/us-joins-airline-in-plan-for-settlement-in-1990-crash.html

 

 

 

[1] Elsewhere in the report the correct date of the crash is given.

[2] Runway Visual Range.

[3] Automatic Terminal Information Service.

[4] See: NY Times (Thomas J. Lueck). “U.S. Joins Airline in Plan for Settlement in 1990 Crash.” 11-17-1992.

 

— 10  Hawk Eye, Burlington, IA. “10 Killed, 2 Hurt in Van Accident.” 1-24-1990, p. 5B.

— 10  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

— 10  New York Times. “10 Farm Workers Die in Van Plunge.” 1-25-1990.

— 10  Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Van Plunges into Canal; 10 Killed.” 1-25-1990, p. 8A.

 

Narrative Information

 

Jan 24, AP: “Clewiston, Fla. (AP) – A can carrying farm workers ran off a rural road and slid into a canal today, killing 10 people and injuring two, authorities said.  ‘All of them were still in the van when we got there,’ said sheriff’s Lt. Bill Chamness.  ‘They were drowned.’  The driver and a front-seat passenger survived, but nine males and one female died after the van ran off the foggy road at a curve and into the canal about six miles south of this Lake Okeechobee farm community, Chamness said.  ‘We think it was probably due to dense for,’ he said.”  (Hawk Eye, Burlington, IA. “10 Killed, 2 Hurt in Van Accident.” 1-24-1990, 5B.)

 

Jan 25, AP: “Clewiston, Fla. (AP) – The driver of a panel van carrying Mexican farm workers escaped but 10 others died after the vehicle plummeted over a curve and into a fog-shrouded canal, authorities said.  No charges were filed by early today, but authorities said the driver, Rentilio Escobedo, 28, remained under investigation.  Fines were possible, too, if the vehicle is found unsuitable for transporting laborers.  “It’s like something out of a scary movie,” said Fernando Lupo, a migrant worker in La Belle, where most of the victims lived. “I cannot think of a worse way to die.”

 

“The 1979 van apparently was en route to citrus groves when Escobedo failed to make a sharp curve in the dense fog and plowed into the 12-foot-deep canal, surrounded by sugar cane fields about 100 miles north of Miami.

 

“Escobedo apparently escaped out the driver’s side door, but his wife, Manuela, died in the passenger seat.  His 50-year-old uncle, Nicolas Escobedo, managed to squeeze out the rear doors, police said.  Neither man was seriously injured.  The van was submerged about 15 minutes before rescuers received word Wednesday morning, police said.  “Some of them had stuck their arms out trying to get out, but they just didn’t make it,” said sheriff’s Lt. Bill Chamness. “When the deputies dove in to get them, they were already dead.”

 

“The bodies of the nine men and one woman, ranging from age 16 to 37, were taken to Fort Myers for autopsies.  Police withheld their names early today pending notification of relatives in Mexico.  Police initially speculated the accident occurred because of the fog, but the driver told investigators he lost control because the steering failed.”  (Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Van Plunges into Canal; 10 Killed.” 1-25-1990, p. 8A.)

 

Jan 25, NYT: “A van carrying farm workers plunged off a curve and into a canal in heavy fog here this morning, drowning 10 migrants from Mexico….

 

“”We think it was probably due to dense fog,” Lieutenant Chamness said. ”In the accident area, there’s a curve. Evidently they got on the curve quicker than they thought, and instead of turning they went straight into the canal.”….The driver ”made no attempt to turn,” he said, ”and he’s driven this road many times.”….

 

“Lieutenant Chamness said the van had gone straight for 50 yards instead of making the curve on a county road about six miles south of this Lake Okeechobee farm community about 100 miles northwest of Miami. The road cuts through a sugar cane district intersected by irrigation and drainage canals, he said.

 

“The accident occurred about 7:30 A.M., but the sheriff’s office did not receive word until 7:46. The surviving passenger, Nicolas Escobedo, 50 years old, said the accident ”happened very fast.”

”We were on the road,” he said, ”and then the next I knew we were under water.”

 

“Mr. Escobedo said that all the workers had been living in nearby LaBelle and that many were related. Eleanor Hough, spokeswoman at Hendry General Hospital here, said the driver’s wife was one of the victims.”  (New York Times. “10 Farm Workers Die in Van Plunge.” 1-25-1990.)

 

Sources

 

Hawk Eye, Burlington, IA. “10 Killed, 2 Hurt in Van Accident.” 1-24-1990, 5B. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/burlington-hawk-eye/1990-01-24/page-15/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

New York Times. “10 Farm Workers Die in Van Plunge.” 1-25-1990. Accessed 5-2-2016 at:  http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/25/us/10-farm-workers-die-in-van-plunge.html

 

Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Van Plunges into Canal; 10 Killed.” 1-25-1990, p. 8. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/robesonian/1990-01-25/page-8/