It gave me chills and brought me back to that day on the field. But every life is an interesting story that deserves to be told and remembered. That led me to your site and all of the information everyone has added as comments. He must have lived near me on Beachy Ave. Johnny and I were friends and I remember having dinner with your family. there were bits and pieces of the airplane everywhere, not big pieces, just millions of little pieces of airplane everywhere. I rarely get to southern California but I will be in the area on June 4 and June 5. The journey back to the morning of Jan. 31, 1957, began with a phone call from retired nurse Mary Lewandowski, who wondered how to find out what had happened to the two boys she'd spent four. Someone ran into me and I fell down, Wallace Roger, 13, told a Times reporter. It was in the 7th or 8th grade that Kurt Adams, the co-pilot of the Scorpian Jet, the only survivor of either plane, came to my house and introduced himself. A VERY SAD DAY AGAIN, WHEN WE LOST HIM MR. BUCHANAN WAS MY ENGLISH TEACHER AND A DARN GOOD ONE TOO.. First, thank you for the kind words about my dad. I retired in 2001 and am down to about one a month now. I was able to clean it up and add some extra effects. My buddy and I ran for the door, jumped the banister of the stairs and positioned ourselves so we could see what was happening. I was in the 6th grade at Beachy Ave. If anyone knows, please write. She lived right on across the street from the school. 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. I was in Mrs. Coughlins class. Later I returned to my regular class and started hearing rumors which I did not believe. Copilot Archie R. Twitchell, 50, of Northridge transmitted the last radio message from the crippled plane: Uncontrollable, uncontrollable midair collision. We are going in. Weve had it, boys. Dolores Smith Pope. I was in class, a distance from the ball fields, but we saw the flash and thought it was a bomb. We were taken back in to the class room and waited for a long time. Ill never forget seeing one of the students hopping away to safety on one leg. Thanks for your interest. Ill check some of the comments and my correspondence for some other likely candidates. I remember seeing a couple of kids from the junior high that were lingering by the fence in the field. Bronya Feldmann. I went to this school on 1967 and always remember hearing some of the teachers saying they were there on that day. I remember hearing a loud screaming sound. Hi, my distant cousin was Evan Clark Meddy Elsner who was killed as a result of this crash. If anyone has any information on her they could share, we would be much obliged. We learned that we both grew up in the Valley. The two schools shared a common chain link fence about 10 feet high. My brother Marvin and sister Delores were at the school and my sister was in the auditorium at the time of the crash. They wrote about seeing a classmate bathed in smoking oil with his shredded jacket hanging off him. I wrote you a note on March 9, 2013 trying to find anyone who remembers what happened because I dont. It appears the kid is walking toward the school? {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;\red0\green0\blue0;\red235\green235\blue228;} Im not sure, but I think my sister knew Ronnie. Pam and I have exchanged condensed life stories via email as we didnt talk much that night. It was so cold here recently, it made me think of the real, world-class cold I felt when we did your ballet in, what was it, 2008? Hey Bill If you mean Beachy, I dont know. All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. Thank God for that. And that Richie Valens died in a plane crash is so ironic and disturbing that it still gives me chills. If youre still having difficulty with it, let me know and Ill talk to WordPress about it.w. Were you old enough to grasp the enormity of what had happened? Yeah, I liked Pacoima too a true melting pot, and we all got along pretty darned well, cholas, cholos and paddies, alike. The journey back to the morning of Jan. 31, 1957, began with a phone call from retired nurse Mary Lewandowski, who wondered how to find out what had happened to the two boys she'd spent four months caring for at Sun Valley Hospital nearly 50 years earlier. Fascinating and, considering the effect her unresolved feelings might have had on her daughter, very sad. My brother was terrified of flying his entire life. Someone at Madison might have recorded CBS (I think) broadcast of the recording decades ago or maybe my dad distributed copies to schools in the area. I ran inside my house and asked my mother what happened. How do you know youre having a horrible experience? Small wonder. An incredible bonding experience that lasted 50 years or more after graduation from high school. Thanks for commenting.RB | |. Kris. Yeah, that is one stunning little piece of Valley history like an audio time capsule. I still remember seeing a great deal of plane parts scattered across the gym field. My mother saved all documents, including an envelope with my Dads personal effects that he wore the day of the crash. The interest and response to this story and recording have been widespread, with apparently no age or national boundaries. He and this whole tragedy made a huge impact on me, too. I cant believe I came across this posting. I have wondered if I really heard this, but after reading the other accounts on this site I am sure I did. Like you, I was unsure whether I had actually seen what I remembered as shiny, tin foil-like bits of metal falling from the sky, or if Id somehow developed the memory from repeatedly hearing others accounts. My Father, Bill Carr, was the pilot of the DC-7. He was not happy with my behavior. Needless to say, it was one heck of a day for mom. Talk about different times. I like you, remember the crash vividly. locker rooms, I started searching for our dad. My prayer to God is that everyone touched by this tragic event be touched by God in a special way to bring total healing. Terry Brown (916)364 0440). Yeah, I liked him too. Frequently girls hung out around that area. My physical injuries were minor, my clothes and jacket kept me from getting burned by the hot oil. is using a digitally restored copy of my crash audio for a large training exercise this year. Ive been amazed at the responses to this post and how many commenters who saw or heard the plane come down but were not directly harmed by the crash were nonetheless deeply affected, in one way or other, for their entire lives. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Pretty amazing, considering that today that same brain cant even remember where it put its keys. That sound haunted me for many, many years. Maybe that was the problem, because I opened an account to post here and then today, I was able to access the clip easily. I hope your airplane nightmare hasnt returned. Though the San Fernando Valley was considerably less populated in 1957 than it is today, it was home to hundreds of thousands back then. It still looks pretty darned good. If anyone wants to talk to you about the crash, they can contact me and Id be happy to pass along your email address to them after checking with you. I was 9 yrs old and my brother was 11 yrs old, students at Canyon Elementary School, and my mother, Margaret Eck Carr, came to Canyon Elementary shortly after she heard the news on T.V. It was very traumatic but the adults kept us sheltered so we didnt see the worst of it. I read that many people wrote that the school has done nothin to remember the accident, and i want to really tell you Russ Buchanan what a great thing you are doing. Your old neighborhood brought up memories for me. Many commenters on these pages were in nearby elementary schools when it happened. I can clearly picture Mr. Martos rotund face. Coming from a member of Ronnies family, your comment is especially welcome. What caused the plane to break apart must have been due to extreme speed going down and turning in all directions. 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. Karen Bakken. She said when the noise of the plane went over her classroom the kids all dove under their desks, without anyone yelling Drop!, and two kids grabbed the blinds and closed them, while she stood at the front of the room stunned by the concussion outside, not knowing what to do. She was in the church office with her 18-month-old daughter, Kathy. Yes, my classroom was one row back from the fence dividing the two schools. I still watch El Encuentro now and then there is a lot of beauty in that work. My mom was pretty sore that my dad hadnt called her. Three died: Ronnie Brann, 13; Robert Zallan, 12; and Evan Elsner, 12. But i have a question. He was in the 7th grade, but not on the gym field. Say goodbye to everybody were going in. The navigator of the F-89 had parachuted safely to the ground immediately after his jets near head-on collision with the larger aircraft. Anyway, I may remember Nanci. I was 13 months old. The episode title is "Heaven Is In The Sky." Thank you. 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. Oddly enough, I dont think I actually heard the tape until I was well into my teens. Hundreds of mothers in the neighborhood were also running toward the school, all of them screaming as we all descended on the horrible sight. He seemed to like the attention and didnt appear bothered by it. I am devastated by the deaths and injuries but so thankful that there were not more. I can still see him so clearly after these 58 years. I was there too. As I looked out the window, almost instantly people came from nowhere. But still, Im pretty darned sure I did see it. First, when I was in the room with Lloyd Hopkins he told me we were running to get behind the handball wall. I guess the fact that they were kids when it happened made it stick in ways that will probably never be fully understood. Dad was teaching English at Pacoima and was also coaching kids on their graduation speeches. \pard\pardeftab720\sl400\partightenfactor0 I went to Pacoima Jr. High in the mid-70s and remember some of my neighbors in Arleta speaking about it. I was born in 52 and started at Beachy when I was six. Your Dad was one of my favorite teachers! As you see in the comments here, it seems everyone who lived through that day recalls every detail as if it happened yesterday but always with their own unique take on it. He said something about getting back to the Base because he hadnt checked out. You and mom said even less. [1][2][3] Contents 1Accident I was just lineing up for the end of the period after playing soccer. My mother received telegram condolences from all over the world -my father was in the Air Transport Command during WWII, then went to work for Seaboard & Western training pilots in various countries to fly the Douglas aircraft, then went to work for Douglas as a test pilot. 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. When we caught sight of the aircraft it appeared that its decent was nearly vertical. This time I remembered to crawl under the desk. As I got older, I guessed that the jets that were coming and going were probably working the other incident, the downed Scorpion. http://angiejim.homestead.com/thenandnow.html, I wrote a comment on 9March when my son told me about Russ Buchanans website. It was so long ago. On January 31, 1957, a Douglas DC-7B operated by Douglas Aircraft Company was involved in a mid-air collision with a United States Air Force Northrop F-89 Scorpion and crashed into the schoolyard of Pacoima Junior High School located in Pacoima, a suburban area in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles . We both remembered where we were when the plane crashed in Pacoima Jr High. It was like Yesterday. The Pacoima Mid-Air Collision. [citation needed], The 1957 crash was discussed on the May 19, 1957, episode of The CBS Radio Workshop (entitled "Heaven Is In the Sky"). Fascinating stuff. Thanks Terry Brown. Russ: I just read David Clevengers note about the crash. Back then, my dad moonlighted as a news broadcaster at KGIL and, I believe, one of the radio network affiliates. Im always struck by how widespread the interest in Richie Valens continues to be so long after his death. I had Mrs. Oschatz for third grade and Mr. Marto for fourth. Marilyn Richards. About 80 students stood in the schoolyard transfixed, watching the plane hurtle toward them. to tell us that our father, William (Bill) Carr had died in a plane crash. John 3:16 Of course, none of us knew how to play so our poker sessions were quite long and involved. I was just a tyke, but somehow I remembered your Evan connection and that he had red hair and freckles. The scenario was an airplane crash out of John Wayne Airport. I dont recall your Dad, but may well have had him as a teacher. Craigs nickname was Beetle Bentley. He also had a second profession as a movie actor. Debris on the Pacoima Junior High School Athletic Field. My family was two houses from yours. Thanks for writing. Evan was already gone by the time of my first visit, but a large portrait of him hung prominently in the living room of their Beachy Avenue home. If you were an 8th grader when this happened, you must be in your 70s now. Ah, the good old days. I dont remember what brand of tape he used. Rudy Trujillo I was afraid the page might draw disaster-as -entertainment types a la National Enquirer. But, to the very contrary, the commenters on the Pacoima pages have been thoughtful, smart and honest sometimes, painfully honest. 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). The only memories I have of the day were the metal bits raining down and my very nervous mother (my sister and father were both on campus when the plane came down). Ill be back soon. I had no idea where he was and if he was ok. After what seemed like hours, we found each other. And thanks for your excellent suggestion about bequeathing this sound file. He told me that hes not sure he wants to listen to the tape, but Ill bet he will. 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. Are tere any photos of the site as it is today? Since I didnt remember what happened that day, Gary helped me put some of it together. There is the webpage http://www.youtube.com, and i think it would be so great if the audio recording was put in there too. Russ, My wife CeCe and I now live in Challis, Idaho. And thank you very much for your take on that sad day. I am so thankful the plane did not crash into the auditorium as the disaster would have been even more tragic. I graduated 1969. 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