(BTW, I believe the teacher tending to the kid, just a few moments later was Coach Vardanien). Regarding Ritchie Valens friend: there seems to be some dispute as to whether one of the victims was Valens best friend. A little detour here. My mom never really said much about the kids that were killed and injured so sad, but they arent alone, as I think about it often myself and wonder what my life would be like today had I had my father. After school we went with my mom to pick up our baby sitter, her name was Joyce, I do not remember her last name, anyway, she lived on Laurel Canyon right across the street from the school I saw the devastation and will remember the incident the rest of my life. Although the DC7 was a prop plane, I seemed to have associated all forms of jet noise to the crash. lided over the Grand Canyon. Im glad everything went well with your studies. The scenario was an airplane crash out of John Wayne Airport. If there is anyone else, please call me. Next there was dead silence in the classroom. I remember seeing the tape 1/4-inch on 4-inch reel when I used to rifle through my dads tape collection as a nosy kid. I am now teaching disaster response to emergency services and, with your permission, would like to utilize the recording in my classes. and Garber, so our vantage points were probably quite similar. It was designed for folks that were interested in Vocational Instruction and Vocational Course Development. I was ten years old and just made it out to the playing field of Burton Street School, to hear a loud explosion in the sky. He developed an intense fear of flying and died in a plane crash 2 years later I still remember one woman, horrified nearly senseless, walking through the wreckage screaming My baby, my baby, where is my baby? The police took charge and emptied the playground of mothers and gawkers. I am also very very happy that the interest for the story have been widespread, because i feel its only these childrens right to be remembered atleast since they passed away so early. I was totally mesmerized by it. Oh my God this is something horrible, and i cannot even imageine the horror people who experienced the plane crash went through. Hi Dolores Your recording sounds like a graduation, but wanted to try and sort out the other report of an awards ceremony, and special assembly in the auditorium of the school. 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. We were all taken out as if a fire drill and watched a parachute decending. I just listened again and he could very well be saying jet blast. At any rate, it sounds a lot closer to jet blast than it was just loud and I thank you for the correction. This crash and another (DC7 and Connie midair over the Grand Canyon July 1956) put the fear of flying into me. I found this website with a bunch of newspaper clippings on the event. I remember that day too. Hi, Deb thanks for commenting. That day was definitely seared into many young minds. Thank you, Mr. Buchanan. By the way, Im not sure how your comment wound up appearing as if it came from me, but Ill look into it. Since I was in and out of consciousness I dont have memories that connect until Ray Lafinier (as I recall we called him Skip) were racing up and down the halls in wheelchairs. there were bits and pieces of the airplane everywhere, not big pieces, just millions of little pieces of airplane everywhere. Elementary School. Later that afternoon when my father came home, we drove to the seen. Oddly enough, I dont think I actually heard the tape until I was well into my teens. . It sounds like it should be the name of an evil extraterrestrial or something]. Hi Jerry Wish I could help you contact Monk, but all I know about him is that he submitted this piece a few years ago and he agreed to let me post it. The plane crash last month wasn't the first for Pacoima residents. I can talk about the experience, but right now Im shaking inside. I hope your visit back to the homeland proves to be a great time. Again, Bill, thanks so much for your input. Yeah, I liked Pacoima too a true melting pot, and we all got along pretty darned well, cholas, cholos and paddies, alike. Three died: Ronnie Brann, 13; Robert Zallan, 12; and Evan Elsner, 12. I was young and that is all I know. She never remarrried, and celebrated her 94th birthday this month. I couldnt tell from your message if you saw her there or not. That sound haunted me for many, many years. Later while I was in grade school I became friends with a girl whos brother was killed in the crash. Youre welcome. And about those exams: STOP WORRYING. My buddy and I ran for the door, jumped the banister of the stairs and positioned ourselves so we could see what was happening. Thanks for the appreciation. As far as I know, the law(s) still is on the books. Hey Brian My sister was in the 6th grade at Terra Bella school and was quite traumatized. Im sure she would have loved to see you and the photo. I am 75 years old now and still remember incident vividly,,it is so tragic that I believe it is something one never forgets. Fascinating stuff. On the other hand, I hoped it might serve as a catharsis you know, lose the fear by confronting it. They wouldnt talk to me about it or answer questions and I have wondered all these years what happened. I was 12 and I played guitar. The organizers believe the sound of an actual disaster will lend gravitas and realism to the drill. Many years after the Pacoima air crash (late 1960s), schools began implementing counseling programs for traumatized students. So no, I have no lasting fears of flying. According to my sister, my mother and I were at the church next to the school when the plane exploded and sent an engine through the roof of the church. Wow. The May 19, 1957 episode of The CBS Radio Workshop ("The Theater of the Mind") was a discussion of this crash, including interviews with people who were witnesses and/or affected by the crash, including Ronnie Brann's mother and a close friend. April 21 I went to my 50th San Fernando Class reunion. Probably some sort of WordPress glitch or other. As I was running, I saw the kids trying to climb the fence, the fires, the screaming, and some of the injured. Im going through new comments now and I should have his up in a few minutes. In other words, if a comment disappears, it is due to some technological hiccup, not yours truly. He was killed in the 1957 Pacoima mid-air collision . The image of a hunk of metal slicing through an elementary school classroom is terrifying. I apologize for being off-topic. Speaking of fathers, your dads actions on that day were those of a very good and decent man. I remember looking out the window of the classroom that overlooked the field of the junior high. Will never forget the impact. I remember watching the news that evening, and one of the Mothers of one of the boys killed was crying and said I didnt even kiss him goodbye this morning This interview was on TV. Paul Morse, who passed away a few years ago, was a very close friend of my family. Try again later. Those sights would have been tough enough for any adult to handle, let alone elementary-aged kids. I listened to the recording of the DC-7B comming down. 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. Your assessment of the situation at the school directly after the crash is chilling and sad. My parents were friends with Evan Elsners parents, and we stayed at their Pacoima house several times in the years following the tragedy. I remember when i was 12 and the dreams i had and how im now getting to fullfill them if i get accepted into university.I know maybe for you alot of other replays here are more interesting than mine since they seem to be from people who are from around your area or the tragic accidents. Thanks for commenting. I was 14 and will never forget it. I remember seeing a couple of kids from the junior high that were lingering by the fence in the field. My cousin, Ronnie Brann, died that day. Thanks for commenting. 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. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One of the guys (last name Mitchell)was on the Poly High football team I was on and was one of the kids injured on the PJH field that day. My mom moved me to the other end of the valley because of the violence. Very powerful stories have been written here, and I hope that you may all find peace of mind and heart one day with regard to this tragic event. About 110 years, I think. Ill refer to to this site which Im sure she will find interesting. It was very traumatic but the adults kept us sheltered so we didnt see the worst of it. Im glad to hear the recording is working out for you, and for such a worthwhile cause. I agree that the audio recording of the Pacoima Airplane Crash is an important bit of history, and that it should remain in the public domain easy to hear and free for long into the future. I remember that I left my classroom and ran around the building and into the field. Niccol Barca, Tommaso Grossi Many have dubbed the new Democratic Party leader the Italian AOC. Heres why she has her work cut out for her. I remember hearing a tape of the crash that the music teacher, Mr Morse, had. 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. By fortune, all of those classrooms students were assembled on the other side of the school; had the children been there, the death toll would have been much higher. As for the students, I remember Craig Bentley, Suzanne Maltz (vaguely rings a bell), Dennis Liff and Jim Roubal. It seemed as if hundreds of mothers and their little children gathered at the fence line, frantic and crying. And then someone pointed high in the sky and we saw a parachute (which turned out to be the surviving crewman of the F89) and watched it descend and it appeared to land not too far from our school. I had never seen her like that before and it scared me. I was in the Auditorium as a B 9th grade student. 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. I heard the screaming sound of the DC-7 coming in and caught a glimpse of things falling from the sky followed by a floor shaking explosion and flash of light. We were unable to find an existing triage system to use. I saw it all and it has haunted me all my life. . Thanks again for sharing it and for sharing your familys experience. That sent chills up my spine. Hope things are going well for you these days. that terrible day. We got in the car and drove to the Pacoima Junior High. So please try to keep the memories alive. The Scorpion burst into flames. Sadly, while researching the crash I found that Coach Vardanian died in June 1964 (Heroes and Teachers Possemato, et al., Google Books) a mere seven years after his heroism at age 34. One of the most interesting and enlightening comments yet. On January 31, 1957, a Douglas DC-7B transport plane crashed into the school yard of Pacoima Junior High School, 9919 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, after colliding with a Northrop F-89J Scorpion jet trainer plane. At. After my capture, I was taken into an office and told to wait. Calvin Trillin The post Democracy in Tennessee appeared first on The Nation. It was kind of rough being one of the few white girls going there, but the cholas were cool to me (even on patty day) because I grew up with many chicanos who protected me. I still hear the sound of the crash, and the moments after. And i am also very shocked how people were not more clever at that time that they tested planes over areas that were populated, i mean its not like the technology was better before and yet they didnt seem to think further and let such things happend. I listened to the recording. I had never flown on anything so this was to be my first flight. At Every high school reunion we have a pre-party on Friday night and all of the men/boys sit around the table and tell their stories about that day. I would narrate, go have a smoke and freeze my butt off, go back inside the theater, narrate, go have a smoke, freeze my butt off. I took my turn. Thank you. Kris, If there is anything I can help you with, let me know. The post The Surprisingly Durable Myth of Donald Trump, Anti-Imperialist appeared first on The Nation. I am 73 yrs old now and live in Tulsa,Okla. The quality of the recording is surprisingly good, considering it was recorded on dads ancient Wollensak reel-to-reel and that it sat in our garage for decades. Over the several months I was working with her, she revealed bits and pieces of some traumatic event that had happened, but I could make no sense of it. And, second, several years later at a reunion, Richard Williams told me he saw me get hit in the head. There are few things I can imagine that would be more frightening than a large, breaking-apart airplane hurtling toward me. There was fire. I looked at the newspaper page showing the pictures of those of us who were injured and saw mine and his. I think my sister and my father knew your cousin. When they finally let us out of school with instruction to go home, we all went over to the Jr. high school to look. I looked up and to this day could swear that some one in the nose of that spinning plane was waving their arms. Yes, it is haunting. That is terrific news. I can remember it like yesterday. My father and sister were both on the Pacoima campus when it happened my dad as a teacher and my sister Pam as a thirteen year-old student (it was her birthday). Maybe Richard was with us. 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. appeared first on The Nation. We were on the playground and looked up. 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. 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 sat in the rear of the room closest to the back door. I was never sure if that was true or if it was just dads way of getting me to quit the band I was in at the time. The whole house shook from a sudden and violent explosion. It could have been much, much more tragic. One of the guys started pointing to the sky to the northwest and we saw the DC7 plummeting to earth. Have you disabled it? He was injured as well but remembered what I couldnt. I think the rest of the classroom was reading. 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. My name is Phil Smith. I thought I might be able to click and drag it to the comment section but that didnt work. PJH Student from the 60. Thanks again. If you have a brother named Johnny then I think we were neighbors. I was born in 52 and started at Beachy when I was six. . Russ, I was just looking through the blog again for familiar names (I wrote my memories earliert). He told me Douglas Aircraft offered his folks some token settlement and its too bad they didnt know better than to sign off. She scooped me up and put me in the backseat of the car. A policeman came by later to see if I had come home. We often walked home together from Pacoima Junior High. Did you ever go by the name Rusty? Like others who have blogged here, it wasnt until my mid thirties that I could fly in an airplane without my palms sweating and my stomach flipping over. Of course, none of us knew how to play so our poker sessions were quite long and involved. Deb McKay (Cabeen, then). [citation needed], The 1957 crash was discussed on the May 19, 1957, episode of The CBS Radio Workshop (entitled "Heaven Is In the Sky"). He had good social skills at an early age. diplomatic convoy attacked in Sudan amid new appeal for cease-fire, Putin pays second visit to Russian troops in occupied Ukraine, A U.S. reservist needed work. I remember where the drafting area was situated at Pacoima you and your classmates were darned close to the field. At the time I remember thinking it was shredded paper. dressed in a white suit walking through the crash site with his head down holding what looks like a violin case as persons stand in the background against the fence (on Terra Bella St.). Thank you for providing this history and a media for those who remember to express those memories. Such a sad day for so many! I was only seven years old when this crash happened, and it has stuck with me all of my life. 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 too was adjacent to the junior HS. Wow, I remember almost all the students names you mentioned Gates, Liff, Roberts and Maltz and all the teachers you named. I went to this school on 1967 and always remember hearing some of the teachers saying they were there on that day. The next thing I remember is the crash. Dave. I dont know if this is accurate, but it was what I was told at the time. I asked where this was and she said, Pacoima Junior High School. Then she just started talking. I have never been there, this will be a first for me. We both remembered where we were when the plane crashed in Pacoima Jr High. I was in Mrs. Coughlins class. Some buried stuff, as Ive just learned, but getting that up and out is, I think, a good thing. My dad had joined the Air National Guard in Idaho about a year before, and had gotten a transfer to the Van Nuys National Guard Base (146th Fighter-Interceptor Wing). Youll wind up getting the grade you were going to get anyway plus an ulcer (and bad airplane dreams). I thought we were being bombed so I immediately dropped to the floor and assumed the duck and cover position, remembers Pam. This really brings events of the day to life. Mr. Buchanan, At 11:18 a.m., one moved into a wide turn 25,000 feet above the San Fernando Valley. Yeah, Ill bet that was a difficult sound to shake. appeared first on The Nation. Thank you so much for your interest and posting this piece of history. An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. 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