Eastern Airlines Flight 401

Eastern 401, enroute from New York-JFK to Miami, crashed in the Everglades shortly before midnight on December 29, 1972. A brand-new L-1011, it was the first crash of a wide-body jet in history. A burned-out indicator light had caused the crew to circle the airport to confirm that the landing gear had locked. While distracted, the improperly programmed autopilot was disengaged and the plane flew into the swamp with a loss of 103 passengers and crew. The crash is probably most famous for its legendary ghosts; crew and passengers on other Eastern flights reported seeing the captain and first officer on planes which used recycled parts from the crashed L-1011. The myth was written into a novel and television movie.