The Crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 -

35th Anniversary & Memorial

On Monday, December 3rd 2007, survivors of Eastern Air Lines flight 401 gathered at the Metro-Dade Firefighters' Memorial Building in Miami to honor Robert "Bud" Marquis, and to remember those who lost their lives in the crash nearly 35 years ago. The National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation gave Marquis a humanitarian award for being the first to respond to the crash, and in a touching tribute, members of The Southern Airboat association presented Marquis with a completely rebuilt airboat - the same one he had used to rescue crash victims in 1972.

"I think it's nice, but I don't think I really deserve a lot of hullabaloo over this," Marquis, 78, of Homestead, said of the award. "This is way in the past."

Some of those he saved were there, including flight attendants Mercy Ruiz and Sue Tebbs, as well as Beverly Raposa, the flight attendant who rallied passengers to safety after the crash. Also in attendance was Ron Infantino, David Kaplan and the Casado family.

"The survivors feel very forgotten," said Gail Dunham, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Air Disaster Alliance, which comprises family members of the victims of well known commercial crashes. "They feel they never had a memorial service."

So, why did it take so long to honor Marquis -- and friend Ray Dickinson, who also responded?

"It has always bothered me that there was nothing done with 401," said Dummett, a retired Miami-Dade firefighter and founder of the American Airboat Search and Rescue Association, now living in Lake Wales.

Dummett hopes that the event will inspire a permanent memorial to Eastern Flight 401, similar to the ValuJet Memorial off the Tamiami Trail in the Everglades. ValuJet 592 went down in May 1996, killing all 110 on board.

Then, on Saturday, December 29, a fleet of over 100 airboats carried survivors, their families and others to the crash site for a special memorial.

Photos of the 35th anniversary memorial gathering at the crash site, December 29, 2007. Above Left - Ron Infantino stands among survivors. Abover right - Over 100 airboats participated in the evenet. Below Left - In red, stewardess Beverly Raposa at the memorial. Below Right - Gatherers take a moment to honor Robert 'Bud' Marquis. All photos by Southern Airboat, who coordinated the event.

If you are interested in helping remember the victims of flight 401 by establishing a permanent memorial marker in the Everglades, please join our grass-roots effort.

Donate to:

Eastern Airlines Historical Foundation Inc.
C/o Roland Moore, President
1221 Brickell Avenue #2660
Miami, Florida 33131

Above: Flight attendants Beverly Raposa and Mercy Ruiz sit on a patch of ground in the Everglades where their flight crashed 35 years earlier. Below: The Casado family tour the crash site. Christina (center) was two-months-old at the time of the crash, making her the youngest survivor . Photos: AL DIAZ | MIAMI HERALD