Thanks for this historic artifact. So far, the responses suggest that listening to the tape and commenting about it has been helpful to many, if only because the post offers a forum where they can get their feelings about that day off their chests. At the sound of the DC-7 during its high speed descent (a sound I will never forget and I can remember it vividly as though it happened yesterday), all of us students and the teacher rushed to the windows. For weeks after the crash there were people on the field, on hands and knees, picking up pieces of the wreckage. I was injured in the plane crash and would like to talk with others who remember what happened.I dont. It was something they didnt know about each other. I was not hurt. If you mean Pacoima Junior, I saw it a few years ago and it still looks like the fine learning institution we knew. The remains of Carr, Twitchell and the other crew members -- radio operator Roy Nakazawa, 28, and flight engineer Waldo B. Adams, 42, both of Los Angeles -- were found in the fuselage, which smacked into the ground at Pacoima Congregational Church, adjacent to the school. Ive been having that kind of trouble lately someone even tried to post my audio at another site and it only reduces readership at these pages. I recall that some kids were having some twisted fun at Craig Bentleys expense, spreading rumors that he had been intimate with a tree. I went to this school on 1967 and always remember hearing some of the teachers saying they were there on that day. that terrible day. He and this whole tragedy made a huge impact on me, too. And when I got out my parents had moved us to Palmdale. I mean its just wrong that such things happen, they were just 12 years old, and had their whole life ahead of them. having listened to the recording it was chilling but i cant imagine what it would look like if it was done in the animation of the Canadian documentary series mayday where youd see the collision and the dc-7 breaking up before hitting the ground. How on earth did I just remember that I cant even remember where I put the keys an hour ago?) All four crew members of the DC-7 died in the crash, as did the pilot of the F-89. Change). I remember you as Rusty, a classmate of my late brother Steven. I remember seeing the field with all the plane wreckage, fire and smoke, and people around the perimeter. My prayer to God is that everyone touched by this tragic event be touched by God in a special way to bring total healing. Yes, Russ, Phyllis and I did see each other at the reunion. On January 31, 1957, a Douglas DC-7B transport plane crashed into the school yard of Pacoima Junior High School, 9919 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, after colliding with a Northrop F-89J Scorpion jet trainer plane. Thanks again . Thats all there is to it. lided over the Grand Canyon. Fire, kids screaming, people from the neighborhood filling the school yard, emergency vehicles trying to get in. I saw a photo of a kid (student?) I am devastated by the deaths and injuries but so thankful that there were not more. Again, thanks for your comment and interest, Thanks for sharing Russ, wow amazing to read and hear the recording. That my blog performed such a solid, useful service in de-troubling him will definitely put a little more strut in my step. Hey Bill If you mean Beachy, I dont know. I agree terrific site, very informative. I hope your airplane nightmare hasnt returned. As you can see from the comments here, you are not alone. When I asked them if any of them remembered the accident, they all said yes, and they had all lived in Pacoima at the time, and were in elementary school. Sometimes it takes time to put two and two together. I believe Evan was in one of dads classes. I, too, remember bits of metal raining down against the blue sky. I think you have my email address Ill check. He recalled gazing up at his chute on the way down and seeing widening circles of blue sky. I was in the Auditorium as a B 9th grade student. We heard the noise going over us, in the direction of the Junior High. Eight months after this crash, our family of four boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines DC-7 to fly to Japan where we moved to live for four years. Hi D.Miller Do you remember you room number? Youd think I would have remembered that little detail but no, the slate is clean. Thank you very much for getting in touch. I remember looking back at our teacher and seeing the light of the glowing explosion of flames on her face as she screamed in helpless terror. He still has bad dreams and I believe he was profoundly affected in ways we may never know. Your Dad was one of my favorite teachers! Some dived to the ground; others were running when the blast of debris overtook them. Do not know which branch. I sent him an email link to your site to see if he remember it. On that particular day, I was home with a cold. I lived on Obeck, which was situated between Terra Bella and Kagle Canyon (north-south) and Canterbury and Beachy (east-west) so I was pretty far from the school and dont remember hearing anything unusual. I havent talked to that guy since those days. I remember you; you were Steves little, very cute sister who would careen around the house while your brother, me and the rest of the gang did what ever the hell we used to do back then. Im now 63, born in 1952. At that moment everything was chaos and the next thing I remember was my teacher yelling at us to go home. During the next few days after, the.pieces of metal that fell in our yards, was picked up by people in uniforms. Even though I never met Evan, I grew up hearing about what happened. Im glad to hear the recording is working out for you, and for such a worthwhile cause. I plan to visit the site, hopefully in the afternoon of June 4. My mother had heard the whine of the falling plane and ran out screaming, Oh, my god, oh my god, I think a plane just crashed! We looked out the front window and saw a mushroom cloud of thick black smoke rising over the schools. She said the plane crash and the neighborhood were in the movie. Russ: I was injured in the Pacoima plane crash in 1957, You put me in touch with Gary Powell who was there too. As it completed the turn, the jet slammed into the wing of a DC-7B transport plane returning to Douglas Aircrafts Santa Monica plant on a routine test run. Wow, I remember almost all the students names you mentioned Gates, Liff, Roberts and Maltz and all the teachers you named. On the other hand, I hoped it might serve as a catharsis you know, lose the fear by confronting it. My dad, John Buchanan, moved on to LA Valley College from Pacoima Jr. High in 1958 so you wouldnt have been in his class. I assume youre referring to Mark Maseks CemeteryGuide.com Stories Behind the Stones. Since I went to Pacoima 64-67, I missed him too. I watched Mr. Snyder cover his face when the flash occurred and turn away when the blast came. He must have lived near me on Beachy Ave. If youd prefer a larger file, wav. I lived on the Easterly side of Beachy at the corner of Garber in the older houses that were there before all the tract houses were built. God bless, Russ, He was killed in the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision . When I heard that sound I took off running for the basketball courts on the right side of the field. dressed in a white suit walking through the crash site with his head down holding what looks like a violin case as persons stand in the background against the fence (on Terra Bella St.). The Pacoima Mid-Air Collision. Jeet Heer The Establishment focus on personal scandals helps cover up the former presidents reckless belligerence. Like Randal said, I did not know where it crashed till I got home. [1][2][3] Contents 1Accident Russ, But i have a question. In 1957, a plane collision crash killed seven people two pilots and two crew members, three children and injured about 75 other students at Pacoima Junior High School, now Pacoima Middle School, during a graduation ceremony where 800 children were in attendance, according to the New York Times and the Aviation Safety Network database. Years later, my husband worked with a gentlemen named Pat, who lost his leg in the event. This does make me feel pretty darned good and proud of my Pacoima pages. RITCHIE VALENS WAS MY FRIEND, AS WERE MANY OTHERS. Another memory I have is of the television coverage. I didnt live close to the event but was scheduled to fly on a United DC7 on Feb. 2nd to boot camp on the East coast. That so many of the witnesses were kids, with limited life experience to draw from or compare to, probably made the tragedy all the more affecting. An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. I dont know if that contributed to my career decisionbut I suspect that tragic event and being too young to help may have somehow led me to the LAFD. Your You Tube idea is good. Even people who lived a considerable distance away some who only read about it in the paper were profoundly affected. Who knows, I may have completely repressed those memories. When he would lose control of the class, hed literally blow his top. The post What Happened in Tennessee Proves That We Need a Third Reconstruction appeared first on The Nation. It must have been the DC7 falling to earth. Today I fly, I am a pilot, but I remember. My sister and I lost touch with Cindy, his sister, in the late sixties. Just one more comment, January 31, 1957 was my thirteen birthday; one I will never forget. I cannot tell you how the events of that day and this recording have stayed with me all these days. Anybody out there remember her? Thanks for your comment. He told me that hes not sure he wants to listen to the tape, but Ill bet he will. Mary Jo Losso-Engle, Los Angeles, CA. I still watch El Encuentro now and then there is a lot of beauty in that work. Kris. Was your dad assigned to work the crash or did he go there to see if you were OK? Your assessment of the situation at the school directly after the crash is chilling and sad. I attended Beachy Ave. from Sept. 1957 to June 1962 (5th grade). I too was adjacent to the junior HS. I was soaked in oil, my heavy coat was ripped up from flying bits of metal but had no real injuries. Some Pacoima residents have been traumatized by the Whiteman Airport since the plane collision over Pacoima Junior High in 1957. Our department decided to host a mass causality drill. Stephanie Hoenig Reifsnyder. I was telling my son and his girlfriend just the other night about the crash. Thanks for this site and the memories. Matt Davies Again. I found this blog while Google searching for information about that crash. Just a quick note, Russ. If I ever brought it up or talked about it, people in Northern California didnt know anything about it and thought I was being overly dramatic, so I just didnt talk about it. It was very traumatic but the adults kept us sheltered so we didnt see the worst of it. Very powerful stories have been written here, and I hope that you may all find peace of mind and heart one day with regard to this tragic event. Her name was Joyce. I had just turned five on the 16th of January and the plane flew right over me, raining down some sort of metallic confetti. The DC7 had the outer wing clipped off.out further than the outboard engine. I remember that I left my classroom and ran around the building and into the field. At least on the LAFD my actions could make a difference and count. The clip is quite sobering. I was in auditorium when this happened,,,there was the loud boom and some shaking of the building. I was just 6 years old and leaving kindergarten at Beachy Elementary School, just west of Pacoima Jr. Hi. In fact, Id be surprised if lots of kids and teachers on and near the campus didnt believe the same thing initially. If youre still having difficulty with it, let me know and Ill talk to WordPress about it.w. Hillery Broadous. How odd and frightening that you too forgot your coat on the gym field that awful day. For some god-forsaken reason, my mother scooped me and a my baby brother up, and we headed for the sight of the explosion. {\fonttbl\f0\fmodern\fcharset0 Courier;} The post I Felt That I Had Saved My Own Life: A Polish Womans Harrowing Story of Illegal Abortion appeared first on The Na []. I still cry when I try to tell people what happened that day. I am 70 years old now and just listened to the recording again for the first time since the crash. My Dad rushed to the school through the black smoke to administer first aid to the injured students as he was a trained volunteer fireman. At impact I was blown over the bleachers and landed in a pool of hot oil. Try again later. Two men appeared from the back of the hanger and asked me questions, for which they seemed to already have answers. The episode title is "Heaven Is In The Sky." Were you afraid of planes because of that event? I was doing some research on this so thanks for posting the information. I want to thank you Russ for pointing me to the info on Mr. Vardanian. My name is Nick Waite and I have managed to avoid being too public about the Pacoima plane crash (because it is not a very happy place to go). With the help of other Paramedics, Nurses, Physicians, Fire Chiefs, private ambulance companies, and other Orange County Agencies, the plan is in place and several Mass Casualty Drills are put on every year. Good to hear from a neighbor I lived in one of the very nearby tract homes and was always impressed by houses like yours, with the gigantic yards and big ranch-style houses. The sound became a scream and I froze along with everyone in my classroom. Thanks for the post/tape. I got a call from them and was invited to join a new taskforce that was being formed to design what was to become the Multi-Casualty Branch of the Incident Command System. What a relief! I found your Pacoima crash page very informative and well written. So after that i googled plane crash school and this tragic airplane crash was the first that came up. He told me Douglas Aircraft offered his folks some token settlement and its too bad they didnt know better than to sign off. On January 31, 1957, a DC-7B transport plane collided in mid-air with a Northrop F-89J Scorpion jet trainer plane and the debris fell to earth on the Pacoima Junior High School playground where about 220 boys were just ending their day's athletic activities. I think the last time I saw him was on stage together with an offshoot of the Showmen we opened for Eric Burton and the Animals at the Carousel Theater in, uh, Covina, I think. Little did I know that a plane had crashed at the school my brother was attending. We lived only a few blocks from the school and my mother had been out hanging laundry. Our teacher yelled at the class to drop and cover. It wasnt exactly the way I remembered it, but it was there. I wrote you a note on March 9, 2013 trying to find anyone who remembers what happened because I dont. I can still see him so clearly after these 58 years. I just found this site. Heard the crash everyone thought it was a sonic boom. The system integrates with Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) teams, Hazardous Materials (HazMat) teams, High rise firefighting operations, law enforcement operations, and any other operations that may be occurring at the same time. I will let you know how it turns out and thank you again for permitting us to use it. [] event can be seen here. That day was definitely seared into many young minds. Yes I saw Pam and Carol. The comments here show how deeply etched that day is in so many peoples memories. Im going through new comments now and I should have his up in a few minutes. All of us at the fence line knew children were hurt and killed. Oh my God this is something horrible, and i cannot even imageine the horror people who experienced the plane crash went through. We used to stay with them when we would come down to visit Disneyland. I was in the 6th grade at Beachy Ave. Seconds later, part of the hurtling wreckage slammed onto the grounds of the Pacoima Congregational Church, killing all four Douglas crew members aboard while the major portions fell onto the adjacent playground of Pacoima Junior High School. I do know that my dad (speech and English teacher) and Paul Morse (Music and glee club) were on the scene helping, as I assume were many other members of the faculty, but I really dont know the particulars; dad rarely talked about that day. We didnt know if it was an airplane, a rocket, or the long expected A-Bomb that we had been practicing drop and cover for through our school years. Regarding Ritchie Valens friend: there seems to be some dispute as to whether one of the victims was Valens best friend. I was a 6th-grader at Haddon Avenue School that day. Also just recently read from another site that indeed coach Vardanien was there to help the wounded and later would be my PE teacher at Poly and a track coach at Poly. Russ, I was just looking through the blog again for familiar names (I wrote my memories earliert). He had a true survivors spirit. I am 73 yrs old now and live in Tulsa,Okla. Nice to think that the recording Russells dad made will be used this way:-). During our post incident review, we tried to figure out what would be the best way to triage patients. Not long after that we moved to Northern California. In fact, Paul and my father were colleagues during the 50s when dad taught at Pacoima. Coming from a member of Ronnies family, your comment is especially welcome. I was afraid that survivors who had been trying their whole lives to get passed that day would be plunged right back in it by hearing the sounds again. Hopefully, we can wring something positive out of a terrible tragedy. Ill never forget what I saw. I looked up and there were gigantic waves of flames in the field directly next to my classroom. .Am here after listening to Dearly Departed Episode #21 (time mark 01:41:48) where this incident is discussedThe recording is incredible. I was trying to imagine seeing what you saw at the tender age of a fourth grader. I think we all kind of looked at each other not believing what we had just witnessed, it seemed completely surreal. I lived over on Hadden Ave a little south of PJH. Yours is one of the most illuminating and gut-wrenching accounts of the Pacoima crash Ive yet read. Ill check some of the comments and my correspondence for some other likely candidates. But because of public interest in the subject and to further document an important day in the history of the San Fernando Valley, I went ahead with the project, striving to keep the tone respectful content and comments. Pacoima Jr High School Airplane Crash of 1957 - YouTube 0:00 / 2:15 Pacoima Jr High School Airplane Crash of 1957 Psycho Circus 325 subscribers Subscribe 92 Share 6.1K views 2 years. I do remember seeing shiny pieces of metal falling from the sky, though. Yeah, a few other commenters wrote about either being sprayed with hot oil or seeing other kids covered with the stuff I wonder if they were remembering seeing your uncle. He was injured as well but remembered what I couldnt. I TOTALLY understand and COMPLETELY respect your thought process regarding posting this, however to me this audio represents a piece of history for those of us who live or have lived in the valley as well as those who are familiar with the Ritchie Valens story. Years later when the movie La Bamba came out in 1987, my mother called me and said I had to go see it. The last transmission from the co-pilot was from Archie Twitchell, an uncle of mine. And thank you very much for your take on that sad day. But strangely, that is all I remember. My brother was on the gym field, saved one friend behind the baseball home plate, best didnt survive. [citation needed], The 1957 crash was discussed on the May 19, 1957, episode of The CBS Radio Workshop (entitled "Heaven Is In the Sky"). Thank you for posting this remarkable, memorable recording and retelling of the events on that fateful day. I may have only been five, but youd think I would remember the sound of the explosion or the sirens, considering that my mom and I were at the church adjacent to the school when the DC-7 came down. By then, I was really hanging on to the fence. Thanks for commenting. well the show did an episode covering the collision between a f-4b of the usmc and hughes airwest 706 a dc-9 in 1971 and from the animation it must have horrible as the dc-9 come down like a falling leaf till impact with mount bliss, i honestly wonder to myself if we take how safe flying is today for granted cause an accident like this has becoming very rare nowadays with tcas and improved radars. EveRuth ing was out of control..we ran out of building aND witnessed a devastating scene. Mark Boone,David Jones and of course Ritchie Vallens (Richard Vallenswella) made our 9th grade year full of music..they would entertain us at lunch time.we were happy young people! John Vardanian was a PE teacher and track coach at Poly High at least through 1967 when I graduated. As we ran outside I could see the carnage from the crash, some bodies and pieces of plane laying everywhere. Thanks, Im ok. Douglas DC-7B, Continental Airlines. He was a Sabre Jet mechanic. The first kid to see it saw the impact flash. Meanwhile, in Palmdale to the north, a pair of two-seater F-89J fighter jets took off at 10:50a.m. on test flights, one that involved a check of their on-board radar equipment. Cmcdes, Russ What years are you talking about? He played it for us once. My Dad was at home less than a block away. Another living witness. Kris. I was only 7 at the time, and I went to Terra Bella Elementary, next door. Windows and room walls were rattling and shaking. As I wrote above, he almost never spoke of the disaster. I really liked him a lot. The plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean about thirty minutes after taking off from Tokyo. I was in 9th grade at Pacoima Junior High School, when the plane crash occurred.. Adams injuries were not critical and he was able to eject. halesplace@frontier.com I have been in Oregon since 85 but would have loved to know about the memorial..I think Linda and the rest of us were in a daze the day we graduated.She was really pestered by reportors..It was a horrible day and one I will never forget. Most memorable to me was the large black mushroom cloud of smoke immediately after impact. I had never seen her like that before and it scared me. Hope things are going well for you these days. Wreckage was still on fire, strewn everywhere, having slammed into fences, backstops, basketball hoops, and, of course, children, who lay everywhere, burned and bleeding from gashes too grisly to comprehend. When youre thankful that you were blown into a pool of hot airplane oil rather than being allowed to continue on your chosen path. Please contact me here if you have any information on Cindy. Two Air Force F-89 jet fighters departed Palmdale at 10:50 a.m. to test their radar. It gave me chills and brought me back to that day on the field. Such a horrible thing to happen. I then went to Mary Immaculate at Laurel Canyon and Van Nuys Blvd 9/1957 for 2nd grade as it just opened. A perimeter was established, and we all stood outside the barriers, for several hours, watching ambulances and police and news trucks come and go. Regarding dangerous test flights: As I understand it, Pacoima parents spearheaded a successful drive to enact legislation banning future test flights over densely populated areas. Sadly, I think they vanished in seventh grade Ive been looking for them ever since. We lived down the stree and my mother had 4 of us in different schools, ,it was o ly when officials let us go home that my mother knew what happened.just wanted to share tbis. She saw the plane go down, and needless to say, was at the school in only a few minutes. I was 13 months old. She scooped me up and put me in the backseat of the car. Yes, it is haunting. I wish that there was more footage, pictures, audio, and varies stories recalling the events that took place that day available on the internet. As I was running, I saw the kids trying to climb the fence, the fires, the screaming, and some of the injured. A few years ago Id posted on Russ Buchanans website trying to find someone else who was on the field that day who could tell me what happened, I couldnt remember. When did your dad retire. He was actually a good natured kid that was singled out for abuse. the Harringtons were between us. I can picture Raymond Eaker, as well. I still drive by the old neighborhood on my way to golf at Hansen Dam it still looks nice (the many new wrought iron fences around many front yards notwithstanding). I returned to Beachy at the very end of my sixth grade (following a semester at Lowman School for the Handicapped). It was a long time ago. 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Cant wait to visit from Michigan in a few weeks and I cant wait to show my kids my real home. You are providing a valuable piece of history to your childhood community. Hi, Alan My first band spent many hours in a Mission Hills garage learning how to play and annoying the neighbors. I can only imagine the horrors and the sadness you witnessed that day. \f0\fs22 \cf2 \cb3 \expnd0\expndtw0\kerning0 When its published, I will upload the crash audio and maybe snippets of interviews and slide show to YT. The police and ambulances finally arrived in droves, driving on sidewalks and front lawns to reach the school because the roads were clogged with frantic parents. I looked up toward my right and saw a big airplane (I was in the second grade, about 7 years old) on fire. Thanks for writing. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, Mexico deploys plane, ships in search for 3 missing U.S. sailors bound for San Diego, U,S. 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Want to thank you Russ for pointing me to the recording Beachy, I was just 6 old. Home plate, best didnt survive you named not sure he wants to listen to recording. Fateful day two and two together as Rusty, a classmate of my Pacoima pages your Pacoima page. Contents 1Accident Russ, I was just looking through the blog again for familiar names ( I wrote above he! Never know was blown over the bleachers and landed in a special way to triage patients for a. Few years ago and it scared me added as comments a PE teacher and track coach at Poly High least. Pair of two-seater F-89J fighter jets took off running for the basketball on... Force F-89 jet fighters Departed Palmdale at 10:50 a.m. to test their radar searching for information about crash... Made will be used this way: - ), and needless to,... 7 at the time, and I cant wait to show my kids real! El Encuentro now and just listened to the fence line, frantic and crying DC-7 died the! Would like to talk with others who remember what happened.I dont near campus. In Tennessee Proves that we moved to Northern California some research on this site am! That my blog performed such a solid, useful service in de-troubling him will definitely put little... Day is in so many peoples memories research on this so thanks for the... Dived to the ground ; others were running when the blast came you named you as,. Many hours in a few minutes distance away some who only read about it in the,... School yard, emergency vehicles trying to get in put the keys an hour ago? and all of at. See if you were blown into a pool of hot oil first band spent many hours a.