My mom moved me to the other end of the valley because of the violence. Yeah, a few other commenters wrote about either being sprayed with hot oil or seeing other kids covered with the stuff I wonder if they were remembering seeing your uncle. Hi, James thanks for commenting. I remember looking out the window of the classroom that overlooked the field of the junior high. When they finally let us out of school with instruction to go home, we all went over to the Jr. high school to look. 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. Unforgettable. My brother, Marvin, who was also at Pacoima Jr. High that day, may be able to tell you something about one of the boys who was injured. 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. As far as I know, the law(s) still is on the books. Will never forget the impact. My friend Donald Berizen was in his Boy Scout troop which was later named for him. appeared first on The Nation. [1][2][3] Contents 1Accident Three students and . I cant tell you how much this website has affected me. By the way, Im not sure how your comment wound up appearing as if it came from me, but Ill look into it. 55 years later and we who were there are drawn back to the memory. 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision - Wikipedia 1957 . Anyway, I may remember Nanci. I apologize for being off-topic. INCLUDING MY BROTHER AND I, WE WERE IN THE AUDITORIUM, HE WAS GRADUATING AND I WAS IN B-9. I found this blog while Google searching for information about that crash. The Paramedic system was new and I graduated in the 6th Paramedic class in 1975. I thought we were being bombed so I immediately dropped to the floor and assumed the duck and cover position, remembers Pam. I remember dad once said (and I mean only once he rarely talked about that day) something about having to either identify or tend to (I cant remember which) a boy who had sustained a horrible head injury. My cousin, Chris Carr, forwarded an article about the 50-year reunion at PJHI would have loved to attended! Send me an email address and Ill try to send the mp3 I made as an attachment. She mentioned a couple of children by name (sadly I made no note of them). Youll wind up getting the grade you were going to get anyway plus an ulcer (and bad airplane dreams). The episode title is "Heaven Is In The Sky." My physiological reaction as I sit here now is unpleasant which I hope and pray is an emotional catharsis. 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). Thanks Terry Brown. Thanks for your terrific account of that day moment, really. Mark Boone,David Jones and of course Ritchie Vallens (Richard Vallenswella) made our 9th grade year full of music..they would entertain us at lunch time.we were happy young people! Thanks for contributing your vivid memory of that day. The event is depicted in the film La Bamba, the 1987 biopic of rock 'n' roll figure Ritchie Valens, who was a 15-year-old student at Pacoima Junior High School at the time of the disaster. Youve got the right Russell. I heard the planes crash, I watched the smoke rise, I ran inside our classroom with all the other kids wondering what we had just seen. 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. He played it for us once. I was in Drafting class next to the gymnasium and was knocked off my stool by the crash. Thanks again. The last transmission from the co-pilot was from Archie Twitchell, an uncle of mine. Someone from school had called my mom to see if I had run home. I looked up into the sky towards Pacoima Jr. High. Thank you for posting this remarkable, memorable recording and retelling of the events on that fateful day. We raced toward Terra Bella Elementary School where my brother, Jimmy, was a first or second grader. 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. I was in grammar school and heard the plane as it was going down. Wow, I remember almost all the students names you mentioned Gates, Liff, Roberts and Maltz and all the teachers you named. Had no idea this existed. The one thing I recall of that day (I was five) was the thousand pieces of metal, as you put it, falling out of the sky. The DC-7B which was earmarked for delivery to Continental Airlines, took off from the Santa Monica Airport at 10:15 a.m. on its first functional test flight, with a crew of four. I was in auditorium when this happened,,,there was the loud boom and some shaking of the building. Thank you very much for commenting and sharing the post with your family. Thanks for sharing the audio. It was so long ago. My parents and I never spoke of the plane crash again. The post What Happened in Tennessee Proves That We Need a Third Reconstruction appeared first on The Nation. The most incredible image of all was the open window in the cockpit area with smoke coming out of it and what appeared to be the pilot with his head partially out. 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. Anyway after school mom would drive us all over to Joyces house to pick her up for babysitting. I returned to Beachy at the very end of my sixth grade (following a semester at Lowman School for the Handicapped). He lived just a couple of streets over from where we lived. As I looked out the window, almost instantly people came from nowhere. Certainly less frightening, but just as capable of creating lasting, disturbing impressions the sight of two aircraft plummeting to their doom and the human cost implied, would be enough to sear into anyones brain. Several times she came back to a pair of shoes. I, like all of us that were there that day, will never forget it. STUDENTS CRYING, PARENTS SEARCHING FOR THIER CHILDREN, SHERE PANIC.. DEBRIS ALL OVER THE SCHOOL AND IN MY NIEGHBORHOOD, I TOO DONT LIKE TO FLY AND WILL AVOID IT IF POSSIBLE. Wow, what a prance down memory lane. I remember you as Rusty, a classmate of my late brother Steven. Always liked Rusty. Douglas DC-7B, Continental Airlines. Meanwhile, in Palmdale to the north, a pair of two-seater F-89J fighter jets took off at 10:50a.m. on test flights, one that involved a check of their on-board radar equipment. I want to thank you Russ for pointing me to the info on Mr. Vardanian. My dad, John Buchanan, moved on to LA Valley College from Pacoima Jr. High in 1958 so you wouldnt have been in his class. Regarding Valens friends: According to a remembrance of that day by a friend of Valens, the young singers best friend was one of the three students killed. When played back at normal speed, it will sound Chipmunked. The recording I posted is an exact copy of the original, although I did EQ it to bring out the voice and reduce tape noise. I hope your visit back to the homeland proves to be a great time. In summary, the disaster drill was a disaster. I appreciated your comments. Related to the 1957 crash, I was 5 years old and playing on my parents front porch. Its unusual enough to meet a fellow native Southern Californian these days, let alone four all connected in some way to the crash. My mother and friends mother were in the auditorium as well. If you were an 8th grader when this happened, you must be in your 70s now. Was your dad assigned to work the crash or did he go there to see if you were OK? Did you ever go by the name Rusty? Were you old enough to grasp the enormity of what had happened? I was assigned a family with a 16 year old girl who had run away from home. That so many of the witnesses were kids, with limited life experience to draw from or compare to, probably made the tragedy all the more affecting. Thanks for your fascinating website, and for the chilling and haunting audio of the plane crash at Pacoima Junior High School. For some, a life-changer. It seemed to take a long time to come down. It would strictly be for my own use I wouldnt post it or use it in any other public way. On a lighter note if you are the Garth Rodriguez I think you are, you were the lead singer in one my very first bands. I still remember seeing a great deal of plane parts scattered across the gym field. I just found this site. I too have some rare family video that is hosted on a pay site and worry now it might be lost to future generations when I stop paying the hosting fees when Im gone. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. I cannot believe I came across this recording. Unfortunately, I havent a clue what the answer is. Several of us fell as we were instructed to run to the covered lunch area. Though you were born many years after the Pacoima tragedy and live half a world away, the depth of your concern for the victims shows there is hope for our species yet. My brother was terrified of flying his entire life. We didnt know if it was an airplane, a rocket, or the long expected A-Bomb that we had been practicing drop and cover for through our school years. She said she didnt know but it must have been something really horrible. He was injured as well but remembered what I couldnt. My Dad was at home less than a block away. I plan to visit the site, hopefully in the afternoon of June 4. Definitely left a mark on my young memory. I looked at the newspaper page showing the pictures of those of us who were injured and saw mine and his. Hi again, Terry I think it might be a good idea for you to browse the commenters at the Pacoima pages to find who you think might be a good candidate to help you remember. Cmcdes, Russ What years are you talking about? But only send me the copy if its easy for you to do. I was at my friend Pattis house, playing with her Moms box of buttons on the living room floor. God bless, Russ, Well drawn memories like yours add dimension to the story and help to give those of us who werent there a better idea of the situation, awful as it was. I was just a tyke, but somehow I remembered your Evan connection and that he had red hair and freckles. A policeman came by later to see if I had come home. How horrible was that! On that day, two planes collided in mid-air, crashing to the ground in the school yard of Pacoima Junior High. A third gravely injured student died two days later in a local hospital. Men were working on jets in different states of repair. Elementary School opened and I had to go there. I was born in 52 and started at Beachy when I was six. My name is Terry Brown. My cousin, Ronnie Brann, died that day. Dave. I know its a little late to join the conversation but I felt compelled to share my memories of this horrific event. I remember being in the car with my panicked Mom on the way to the school. Thank you for posting this. I ran out of my classroom and saw the plane spiraling down and then the huge plume of smoke. I was on the field when the DC7 came down. I had no idea Phyllis had gone out on the field to retrieve her jacket. After talking to the school, she told me that school would be closed for a few days until they could clean off the fence. Little did I know that a plane had crashed at the school my brother was attending. It was organized under the California Office of Emergency Services. 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. He grabbed a jeep and took off for Terra Bella. Even though I never met Evan, I grew up hearing about what happened. I have wondered if I really heard this, but after reading the other accounts on this site I am sure I did. Years later when the movie La Bamba came out in 1987, my mother called me and said I had to go see it. Yes, like so many others this event is seared into my mind even though I witnessed it from 4 miles away and wasnt exposed to the terror and carnage that so many others were. Over by a demolished backstop, a burned and mangled crewmember was still strapped to a chair, his death stare looking out at the carnage that was all around. I remember, we used to have drop drills at Beachy Elementary often. Russ Ive read this from your website and only now listened to the recording My God.. First, when I was in the room with Lloyd Hopkins he told me we were running to get behind the handball wall. Jan. 31, 1957 was a tragic day in the northern San Fernando Valley. Just guessing though. A taller boy, standing to my right, said look there is a leg. I said if that is a leg, then where is the rest of the I then began to see more. {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;\red0\green0\blue0;\red235\green235\blue228;} if your gone its hard, but if your gone and no one remembers you, thats seems even harder for me. I was there too. Nuts and bolts and debris began to rain down on roof, but nothing that was large enough to cause any damage. When youre thankful that you were blown into a pool of hot airplane oil rather than being allowed to continue on your chosen path. The impact tossed me through the air and I landed in a hot smoking oil slick. Yours is one of the most illuminating and gut-wrenching accounts of the Pacoima crash Ive yet read. We used to stay with them when we would come down to visit Disneyland. I thank my brother, Phil, for sending this link. Also, because your comment was a reply to a comment left in 2012, it appears after that comment and not near the end with more recent comments. I remember your pastors father, Rev. I had a clear view of the plane. Rusty was popular with the ladies. When the plane hit, the shock waves rolled me over and over and over. I remember seeing the field with all the plane wreckage, fire and smoke, and people around the perimeter. Interesting you said Wollensak.I can still see the cover of that reel to reel tape and it was 3M. (BTW, I believe the teacher tending to the kid, just a few moments later was Coach Vardanien). Recently, I added the story of the Pacoima Junior High School plane crash, and profiled the eight people who were killed, using newspaper archives and websites like yours to tell their stories. Seconds later, part of the hurtling wreckage slammed onto the grounds of the Pacoima Congregational Church, killing all four Douglas crew members aboard while the major portions fell onto the adjacent playground of Pacoima Junior High School. The recording ended when the schools power went out. Even though the comments here concern a tragic day in the old neighborhood, reading them reminds me of my old stomping grounds and what a terrific place it was to spend my first 17 years. I watched Mr. Snyder cover his face when the flash occurred and turn away when the blast came. The loss of life could have been so much worse. I dont know if he did that in order to see better or to be able breathe. I dont remember what brand of tape he used. So one link lead to another and as I read all of the stories, it brings tears to me! Even people who lived a considerable distance away some who only read about it in the paper were profoundly affected. She said she thought the kids wouldve survived a disaster better than she would have. I remember talking to Terry a few years ago and getting a good sense of how troubling his memory lapse was to him. Richard Berger wrote that he was in the hospital for 7 weeks, I think I was there longer. Its been a while since I was in the LA school system. The first time I regained consciousness I was in a room with Lloyd Hopkins. I heard he came out of the Marine Corps, slim and buff. A perimeter was established, and we all stood outside the barriers, for several hours, watching ambulances and police and news trucks come and go. I can only imagine moms reaction to Pams account of the crash. Russ, I have put text to your audio file into an mp4. I apologize. Our teacher pushed us back into the safety of the classroom, where we stood at the windows for hours watching the emergecy crews working. . The two schools shared a common chain link fence about 10 feet high. I do still live in the Valley, but far from good old Beachy. Change). Yes, not only do people remember that day, but it seems to be etched in the memory of many. We were taught to shield our eyes from the blast (as if wed have enough time), then the blast then the concussion and we would be safe under our plywood desks if we dropped-and-covered quickly and properly. I was 6 years old at that time and I still have my class photos of May 1956 and 1957 if anyone is interested. I remember a thump then the screaming sound of the plane. I had just turned five on the 16th of January and the plane flew right over me, raining down some sort of metallic confetti. During the next few days after, the.pieces of metal that fell in our yards, was picked up by people in uniforms. Your lifetime discomfort with flying seems to be a common thread among many who were personally affected by the crash including your chum, Richie Valens. halesplace@frontier.com I have been in Oregon since 85 but would have loved to know about the memorial..I think Linda and the rest of us were in a daze the day we graduated.She was really pestered by reportors..It was a horrible day and one I will never forget. Yeah, Ill bet it seemed longer. Accident Of course, none of us knew how to play so our poker sessions were quite long and involved. Like Randal said, I did not know where it crashed till I got home. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I wrote you a note on March 9, 2013 trying to find anyone who remembers what happened because I dont. One of my Facebook friends living in Dahlonega, GA posted an article about the plane crash that killed Ritchie Valens. I wondered if I actually saw the debris in the air, but now I believe I did. 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