At the NTSB public hearings in March 1973, Mr. Johnson was asked why he didn't warn EAL 401 of its low altitude when he first noticed the 900 foot reading on his radar screen. Mr. Johnson testified that he wanted to see another sweep of the radar before making any judgements, that the readouts often differed from the actual altitude. "It's like when your TV picture rolls once, you don't unplug it and take it to the TV man. You wait for a pattern of operation." He went on to say that in his opinion, the pilots appeared to be in command of the flight, as evidenced by their calm demeanor and rapid response to his instructions and questions. "There was no indication that the crew was unaware of its altitude," Johnson testified. This statement drew attention from an examiner who asked, "how would they indicate that they weren't aware of their altitude?" Johnson stammered for a moment and then sheepishly said, "I don't know."
Johnson's supervisor, Carl E. Joritz, Chief of the Miami Air Traffic Control Center, later pointed out that it is not the controller's duty to monitor the distance between the airplane and the ground, but rather the distance between airplanes. Although technically true at the time, the supervisor admitted that all controllers have a moral obligation to alert flight crews of an emergency situation. When Johnson was asked if he was treating Flight 401 as if it were an emergency situation, Johnson replied, "no." Joritz also testified that pilot groups have asked controllers not to bother them if they are having trouble landing.
Ironically, on June 21, 1973, Charles Johnson was on duty in the Miami tower when a small plane crashed in the Everglades after having its radio tuned to the wrong frequency. Strangely, killed on board the small plane was William Gregg, who was on board another small plane December 29th and had reported seeing Flight 401 crash to the Miami tower.
Repo, Donald Louis Loft, Robert Albin About Flight 401 Flight 401 - Possible Explanation Lockheed L-1011 Cockpit Lockheed L-1011 Landing Gear Lever Lockheed L-1011 Inside the Hell Hole Flight 401 - Flight Log Ghosts of Flight 401 - 1 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 2 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 3 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 4 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 5 Ghosts of Flight 401 - 6 The Flight 401 Was A Normal Flight Flight 401 Normal - Faulty Auto Pilot Flight 401 - Autopilot indicator Song - The Ghost of Flight 401 - Lyrics Flight 401 - First Response Marquis, Robert Flight 401 - Survivors and those who were lost Raposa, Beverly Ghosts of Flight 401 - 7 Flight 401 - Flight Crew Fatal Photograph Possible Curse of Seminole Indians Miami International Airport Sighting Flight 401 Crash Site Hauntings
Eastern Airlines Flight 401 - Crash Investigation, Findings and Passenger List - Official Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 - History, Photos, Survivors and Tribute
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