I remember thinking, please dont put one of those things in my hair or on my clothes. A part of the plane actually did land in the middle of the church, but no one was hurt. From a fellow Beachy-ite, thanks for commenting Hey Monk is there a way to email you then? She gave me Carols email as she lives in Simi as does my sister and she seemed like someone I would like to get to know better. He would have loved to hear that you remembered him as a darn good teacher over 50 years later. I mean its just wrong that such things happen, they were just 12 years old, and had their whole life ahead of them. Looking backwards, connecting the dots, a very personal journey began on the morning of January 31st, 1957. I recall recall seeing a huge I remember it as a warm day,bright sunny day,no clouds and you could see forever. Then, when I got to Pacoima Jr. High the drills just stopped. Thanks for this historic artifact. Cant wait to visit from Michigan in a few weeks and I cant wait to show my kids my real home. Yes I saw Pam and Carol. Yes, it is haunting. I wanted to let you know that we had our disaster drill 2 weeks ago and the recording really caught people off guard. I listened to it on the radio after coming home from school that day and it scared the living daylights out of me. I had two cousins, Kathy & Patricia Zeise, who were in class at Pacoima Jr High that day. Jan. 31, 1957 was a tragic day in the northern San Fernando Valley. By the time they let us out of school, the bodies and the injured were taken away, we saw them fly over our heads in the helicopters, but the wreckage was still there, everywhere. Marilyn Richards. The clip is quite sobering. I too have heard the American Legion reference. They were very good and practiced all the time. Thank you for adding your vivid account to the discussion. The Scorpion burst into flames. After just watching The Ritchie Valens movie again, I binged this site. Hope all is well, you can send me email or face book, maybe we can compare life stories! I remember seeing a couple of kids from the junior high that were lingering by the fence in the field. We used to stay with them when we would come down to visit Disneyland. I couldnt tell from your message if you saw her there or not. Unfortunately it was not well publicized and many more would have like to attend. On January 31, 1957, the DC-7B, earmarked for delivery to Continental Airlines, took off from the Santa Monica Airport at 10:15 AM on its first functional test flight with a crew of four Douglas personnel aboard. It seems many of the commenters here have vivid recollections of that day. By the way, I went to Pacoima a decade later and there was still lots of music going on. Hello Phyllis, I was in the auditorium getting ready to graduate.LInda Lutrell was a very good friend of mine.I will never forget that day and just now listened to the recording.I was shocked at my reaction to it.I went to grade school and Jr. High with Linda and wouod love to connect with her again,its been years..My name then was Lana Brosamle.Linda was in our little group of girls.Pat Cox, Dorothy Alexander, Marlene Sherman. I hope you were able to contact each other. when the schools power goes out and the recording winds to a stop. The post Does the Harvard Kennedy School Serve the Peopleor Power? We often walked home together from Pacoima Junior High. I was dripping, head to toe, from the oil and now walking with a limp rather than running. In doing so, it began raining debris onto the Pacoima neighborhoods below as the aircraft began to break apart. I was in the 6th grade at Beachy Ave. Link to the other page Arleta/Pacoima will ALWAYS be my home. I miss my father and wonder what life would be like had he not perished; I was only 9 years old at the time. Thats all there is to it. April 21 I went to my 50th San Fernando Class reunion. It was years later when I read the article about Ronnie and it may have been one of the saddest stories. I suppose a teacher or student activated one after impact. Also, you might be interested in the Then and Now site about the crash. lided over the Grand Canyon. A school official tries to calm the students by announcing, It was a jet blast. Thank you for posting this. Who knows? He was killed in the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision . Russ Ive read this from your website and only now listened to the recording My God.. That sent chills up my spine. Thanks again. The young lady was living with her mother who had significant mental health issues of her own. I dont have any memories of the actual crash but two people said they saw me running so I know I was awake for part of it. I read the reports and listened to your Dads tape. I was 8 years old, but was at Plummer Elementary in Sepulveda, nearly 3 miles SW of Pacoima JHS. The two-minute recording opens with Latrelles speech in progress. I was a few blocks away at Montegue Elementary School (I believe 1st Grade) when I heard the roaring noise of the impending crash. Thank you, Russ, for continuing in your efforts. We didnt know till we got hime what had happened. I read that the school does not have any kind of monnoument or something about the accident, which i think is a shame, couse even though such memories are hard to remember i think they should be remembered for the safety of children in the future, i think the school should definitely not just try to push the memories away and try to forget, because. Thank you very much for getting in touch. Wouldnt happen in this day and age. I dont remember Craig Bentley, but he sounds like a kid with interesting hobbies. 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. It sounds like you saw what I saw the falling metallic confetti which is just about all I remember from that day (I was the same age as you). I can only imagine the horrors and the sadness you witnessed that day. And of course was concerned as to the whereabouts of his family. Because we were children, and in an age when you simply go on with life, those I know of have done just that. To be honest i know it might be a burden for you but at the same time it will spread the knowledge about this plane crash even more. Sherman Oaks proved to be worse mostly rich bitch snobs. I found your Pacoima crash page very informative and well written. I want to thank you Russ for pointing me to the info on Mr. Vardanian. Yeah, rather than letting the tape gather another forty years in my garage, I put it out there for those who wonder what a falling airplane sounds like from the ground, but more especially for people like you folks who had a personal connection to the crash. If youre still having difficulty with it, let me know and Ill talk to WordPress about it.w. Needless to say, it was a rough few hours for my mom, who had learned of the crash but had to wait an excruciating two hours before dad called to tell her he and her daughter were OK. Part of an engine crashed through the roof of the church auditorium, smashing windows and destroying that building. as I watched the plane falling from the sky finally losing sight as it fell behind the mountain. Its all over, implying that the deafening sound they had just heard was a sonic boom (it was actually the planes wing exploding just above the ground, spraying hot oil and shrapnel in all directions). Hi, my distant cousin was Evan Clark Meddy Elsner who was killed as a result of this crash. I am rather dismayed to see that you have removed my post. They were among I havent talked to that guy since those days. I lived on Daventry street and attended Telfair Avenue School. I still remember seeing a great deal of plane parts scattered across the gym field. Thanks for this site and the memories. Definitely left a mark on my young memory. All things considered, I think the recordings stark almost brutal reminding of the tragedy has been cathartic for many of these folks. I cant believe I came across this posting. I didnt have a WordPress account at the time I was trying to listen last week. It made an impact on me. She said the plane crash and the neighborhood were in the movie. Thank you very much for commenting and sharing the post with your family. that terrible day. It means a great deal to me. If youre asking for permission to post a link to my site on your Facebook page or on any page, for that matter sure. My uncles story was one that has not been told and I think it added to your blog rather than detracting from it. Maybe that was the problem, because I opened an account to post here and then today, I was able to access the clip easily. In fact, during my young adult years I flew a great deal and almost always enjoyed the experience. I remember how frightened she was about it. Two Air Force F-89 jet fighters departed Palmdale at 10:50 a.m. to test their radar. Nanjala Nyabola Individual good intentions can only carry us so far when the global recycling system is stacked in favor of the oil industry. He and this whole tragedy made a huge impact on me, too. He ran as fast as he could from the sound he said. He was serious about educating his students and always had a very classy demeanor. Apparently, the plane he flew on 1Jan57 had taken off from Palmdale and my dad was at work that day. I had never seen her like that before and it scared me. Even at the tender age of six, a kid knows when an object that big falls out of the sky, something is very wrong. Did the recorded sound of the plane going down sound similar to the sound you remember hearing? I really even though im born 1993 and that is like many decades after the crash, i really feel horrible after searching about it and especially after seeing the photos of the 3 victims. I still watch El Encuentro now and then there is a lot of beauty in that work. Mr. Buchanan, Hi Marilyn, I too remember you! During our post incident review, we tried to figure out what would be the best way to triage patients. Nice to think that the recording Russells dad made will be used this way:-). Because what you heard is the entire recording (digitally dubbed to CD from the original),he must have started recording after the student began to speak. Women and men wept openly and copiously. Thanks for your comment and attaboy, I appreciate it. I wasnt sure if I had invented that memory or not, but yours and other comments lead me to believe I did see exactly that. Unforgettable. My mom was pretty sore that my dad hadnt called her. It was so long ago and still a vibrant memory. Im not sure if any of the commentors here are depicted in the clippings, but it should prove an interesting read. I cant tell you how much this website has affected me. I was walking out the school gate when I heard and then saw the DC 7 crashing. During the next few days after, the.pieces of metal that fell in our yards, was picked up by people in uniforms. My mom moved me to the other end of the valley because of the violence. One of the guys started pointing to the sky to the northwest and we saw the DC7 plummeting to earth. 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. 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. One of three students. If my dad thought he was in trouble for being AWOL at work, my mother was about to finish his day. My mom opened her house up for families to make phone calls to their relatives. I was just lineing up for the end of the period after playing soccer. Sincerely, Susan Masters Kowalewski, Batavia, Illinois. He still has bad dreams and I believe he was profoundly affected in ways we may never know. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, L.A. Then and Now The day fiery disaster fell from the sky, Opinion: Why the Trump indictment isnt as legally dubious as many claimed, Wall Street Journal reporter appeals his detention in Russia on spying charges, They found work in Russia. Everyone dove under their desks and covered their heads.I did not. I had chills up my spine when I heard your recording, like it was yesterday. My Mom rushed across the street to get me, a little irritated with me it seemed. Anyway, I may remember Nanci. Except I went to Pacas (Pacoima for those Sherman Oaks folks) in the mid-60s. I miss that school so much. Of the many times I have related the story to people through the years, my most vivid recall has been of the line in Lindas commencement speech about having only one life to live. I also remember seeing ceiling tiles falling and hanging lamps swaying back and forth. Then and Now column in Sunday's California section about a collision between a fighter jet and a transport plane over Pacoima in 1957 incorrectly stated that the accident generated more. I havent seen it in years. I was in the 9th grade in the orchestra practicing in the auditorium when this happened. As for the students, I remember Craig Bentley, Suzanne Maltz (vaguely rings a bell), Dennis Liff and Jim Roubal. I returned to Beachy at the very end of my sixth grade (following a semester at Lowman School for the Handicapped). For some reason I stopped running and put my head down on the back of the portable bleachers. Such a sad day for so many! Some kids hid under their desks, others dog-piled on the floor in front of the teacher, I was one of those. I have a little bit to add to the story. It was designed for folks that were interested in Vocational Instruction and Vocational Course Development. Russ, It was a miracle that the plane didnt crash into the elementary school as well as the gym field. Adams injuries were not critical and he was able to eject. Thanks. From the take-offs of the doomed airplanes, through to the profiles of each victim, you told the story of that tragic day dramatically, accurately and compassionately. Some dived to the ground; others were running when the blast of debris overtook them. Well over half a century after the tragedy, you remember your easel and paints, your dad being in the dog house for not calling and about a million other details. That was eerie as hell. When the plane hit I was running. In January 1957, a Douglas DC-7B collided with a U.S. Air Force F-89 jet over the San Fernando Valley. But that day seems indelibly etched into the brains of those who were there, including my sister and father. Back then, my dad moonlighted as a news broadcaster at KGIL and, I believe, one of the radio network affiliates. Most other California Counties have developed similar plans and most fire agencies now participate in these exercises. Your account is the first Ive heard of the tape being played on the radio, though it makes perfect sense. Thanks for writing and for your kind words for the victims and their families. I ran across another site that mentioned that there was an American Legion awards ceremony going on a the time of the crash. It sounds like he was at the same place on the field as I was. Then my family went to Europe for a year and a half. John Vardanian was a PE teacher and track coach at Poly High at least through 1967 when I graduated. Read this from your message if you saw her there or not not well publicized many. Coming home from school 1957 collision over pacoima day seems indelibly etched into the brains of those who were class... Rich bitch snobs these exercises mom was pretty sore that my dad was Plummer! 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