The so-called “Ghosts of Flight 101” study is arguably the most amazing and reliable investigation into the ghost phenomenon ever to be published. An Eastern Airlines Tri-Star airliner, Flight 401, went down in a Florida swamp in December 1972. Two of the 101 individuals killed in the crash included the pilot, Bob Loft, and the flight engineer, Don Repo.
Soon after the crash, crew members on other Eastern Tri-Star aircraft, particularly those fitted with pieces recovered from Flight 401’s wreckage, reported seeing the spirits of Loft and Repo more than twenty times. Loft and Repo’s ghosts were generally characterized as being incredibly lifelike. In addition to being reported by those who knew Loft and Repo, their ghosts were later recognized from images by those who had never met Loft and Repo.
The aviation industry was familiar with the bizarre stories about the phantom airmen of Flight 401. Even the US Flight Safety Foundation bulletin from 1974 included a description of the eerie events. With the cooperation of numerous cautious airline employees, best-selling author John G. Fuller of The Ghost of Flight 401 conducted a thorough study into the hauntings. As a result, a ton of strong testimony was generated.
A few small design flaws in the controls were discovered to be the cause of the disaster, and Lockheed quickly fixed them. However, the inexplicable incidents didn’t start to be reported until some of the aircraft’s intact components were later recycled onto other airplanes.
Even though Eastern Airlines won’t talk about it, many people who claim to have seen the tragic couple on L-1011s have been interviewed by academics. According to rumors, Loft and Repo have dedicated their afterlives to keeping an eye on the crew and passengers of these Lockheed passenger jets.
A lot of the testimonies are really convincing. Many came from people in positions of great authority, including pilots, flight attendants, and even an Eastern Airlines vice president who supposedly met with a captain he mistakenly believed to be in charge of the flight before realizing that he was the late Loft.
Other sightings are credible because there are numerous witnesses to them. The captain of an aircraft and two flight attendants claim to have spoken to Loft before takeoff, seen him before takeoff, and watched him disappear. This event left them feeling so scared that they decided to cancel the flight.
A flight attendant was asked about a calm, inattentive man wearing an Eastern Airlines uniform who was seated next to a female customer. The man then vanished in front of both of them and several other passengers, leaving the woman inconsolable. She recognized Repo as the officer she had seen when she was subsequently shown a page of photographs featuring Eastern flight engineers.
Another incident happened just before takeoff on one of the L-1011 passenger jets that had been modified using salvaged components. Repo appeared to the flight engineer in the middle of the regular pre-flight check and told him, “You don’t need to worry about the pre-flight; I’ve already done it.”
Repo and Loft don’t seem to be satisfied with just being passengers on these planes. Their approach is frequently much more active, especially in Repo’s situation. There is testimony from a flight attendant who saw a man in a flight engineer’s outfit, whom she later recognized as Repo, fixing a galley oven. This is in addition to his appearance with a pre-flight engineer, whom he appeared to have been assisting. Her story would appear to have more support given the flight engineer’s assurance that he had not fixed the oven and that there had not been another engineer on board. A flight engineer who had reached the compartment below the cockpit to look into a knocking he had heard there also noticed Repo there.
Another time, Repo’s visage could be seen staring out at Faye Merryweather from an oven in the Tri-Star 318’s galley. She called for two coworkers, one of whom was the flight engineer who had once known Repo and whom she quickly recognized. She was understandably worried. They were all told by Repo to “watch out for fire on this airplane.” Later, the aircraft experienced significant engine failure, forcing the cancellation of the flight’s last leg. It’s important to note that the Tri-Star 328’s galley had been recovered from Flight 401’s debris field.
All of the sightings were reported to the Flight Safety Foundation, an impartial organization, which noted that the claims were from knowledgeable and reliable pilots and crew. We think they’re important. The flight engineer “confirmed the appearance of the deceased flight engineer (Repo).” Later, the fire that started on that same aircraft was noted in Federal Aviation Agency records.
At JFK airport, an Eastern Airlines vice president boarded a Miami-bound TriStar and spoke with a uniformed captain seated in First Class. Then the phantom disappeared as he instantly recognized the captain as Loft.
Another incident took place when Repo assured a captain, “There won’t ever be another crash. We won’t permit it to take place.
A female traveler was seated next to an Eastern Airlines flight attendant who appeared sick and was pale but who did not communicate. The man vanished in front of several people as she shouted for a stewardess. After being given images of Eastern Airlines engineers, the woman recognized the man as Repo.
The aircraft corporation, which adamantly refused to work with the ghost investigators, greatly hindered further investigation into the well-documented paranormal encounters.
It should be emphasized that throughout documented history, there have been numerous reports of ghost sightings. The study of “after-death communications” (ADCs) by near-death investigators Bill and Judy Guggenheim throughout the 1990s contributed to the generalization of the phenomenon of ghost sightings.
