Original subtitles

The last hours of December 29th, 1972, a jetliner with 163 passengers and 13

crew members crashed in the Everglades just outside of Miami.

This is the true story of that crash and of the legend that grew up about the

incredible aftermath.

Throughout the aviation world, it is still spoken of as the ghost of Flight

401.

What's mine?

Mine is mine!

Mine is mine!

Does this mean it's time to get up?

Seems it's time for one of us to get up. Oh, it's me, it's me.

What are you doing?

Where are you going? Come over here. This is mine. This is mine.

They're both mine. This is mine.

You shouldn't have traded off.

What'd you say?

You shouldn't have traded... I can't hear you for the water.

You shouldn't have traded.

Honey, it's almost New Year's Eve and you're letting out all my steam.

You know, we don't have to spend every New Year's Eve together.

What'd you say, honey?

I have bad feelings, darling.

I saw that eggnog last night. I didn't have any eggnog last night.

Oh?

Then how come you were asleep at ten?

Boredom.

Boredom, huh?

I'll get you for that!

Oh, boy.

Thank you.

Oh, boy.

Now that I got my heart started again.

Dom, don't go today.

Call in sick. We'll go to the beach or take you to the movie.

Why?

I don't know. I don't want to be alone today.

Alone?

With those monsters?

Why don't you ever use the nice smelling stuff that I bought you? I did once when

a passenger tried to pick me up. Well, that's very flattering.

No, because it was a guy.

No, thanks. I'm going to stick with my bay rum.

Please,

I'm going to go.

I've never called in sick when I wasn't.

You don't come to think of it, I've never even played hooky in school.

I didn't even cheat on a test.

I guess I'm just what you call overly responsible.

Yeah.

That's the way I'm made, honey. Yeah.

What about your wife?

Did you ever cheat on your wife?

Well, I just said I was responsible, not a fanatic.

Thank you. Thank you.

What? After I check the station bulletin.

You know Geordie Ebenhower's looking for you. Good, I'll call him.

You got time for a cup of coffee after I make my flight check?

Sure, why not?

Crazy. See you then. Right-o.

Mr. Evan Howard, please.

Thanks.

Oh, Jordy, what's up?

So you and Maria coming on Sunday?

Sunday? You know, New Year's Eve, my place. Booze, broads, funny hats,

capiche? Oh, capodanno.

Capisco, signore, si.

Yeah, you're Marcello Mastroianni impression, right?

So, you gonna be there?

I ever let you down, signore Evan Howard?

The ex-stewardess in me needs to know what to bring New Year's Eve.

Your old man and a good appetite.

Okay. Hey, Jordy.

The turnaround is 9 o'clock, isn't it? I think I can verify that for you, lady.

Hey, is that the kids?

I don't see them enough.

Well, you can babysit anytime you want to.

Yeah, I'm friendly, not a masochist.

Hey, here we go.

He's due in at 11.32.

If he doesn't have a date.

Jody, why don't you just go fly that?

What? It's one of those sheepskin coats, you know, with the suede and the fur.

I can get about $200 off if you want one.

What would I do with a sheepskin coat in Miami?

I know, but look, you've been married for nine years and you don't have a fur

coat yet.

Tom, I don't know how to break this to you, but sheepskin isn't exactly the

same thing as fur.

But it's a bargain, honey.

I love you for thinking about me, but really, we could use the money for

something we need. Really, we can.

Okay.

Thank you.

Are you coming right home?

Yep, about one o'clock. Now, don't you wait up.

Yes, I will.

Tom?

Yeah?

I love you.

I love... I love you, too.

Flight 401 to Miami.

Now I'd like to direct your attention to the stewardesses in the aisles who will

demonstrate the safety procedure on board our new L-1011.

Did I do good?

Hey, Dom, I'm not troubleshooting this flight. This is strictly unofficial.

I'm deadheading back.

Escrow's closing on a new house my wife and I bought, so I've got to get back.

Where, Miami?

Yeah, company's had me in New York all week.

Here you go. I think this is the one you wanted.

Excuse me, did you get the magazine?

Anybody want anything from the galley? Yeah.

I'll take Prissy.

I'll come back to you guys.

How about dinner?

I'll have the chicken, and my wife will have the beef.

All right.

Ain't lots of no shows.

Yeah, well, it's the holiday season. Everybody double books.

Yeah, well, this is my first time on an L-1011.

Yeah? When it's empty, it's really empty.

Vacation flight for me.

You're like me.

One vacation in ten years, and you spend half of it flying to Miami.

You're not kidding.

Come, guys. Dinner?

Two beef, please.

All right.

Miami Day JC.

Yeah.

Ron Smith, class of 69.

Chrissy Frazier.

Am I supposed to know you?

Well, yeah.

I saw you around campus.

Oh, yeah.

That's nice.

Honeymoon flight, yeah?

Just ended.

Just be careful.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Uh

-huh.

Gonna get that, buddy.

Hey, I won't tell anybody if you don't.

You want a bite?

No, thank you. The airlines don't like 200-pound stewardesses.

And, uh, when was the last time you saw your knees?

Hey, you gotta show a little respect, you know. See you later.

Yep. Hope you choke on your meatballs.

That's a no-nizer.

Hey, Bert.

You've been to Italy?

Yeah. What's it like?

It's full of Italians.

Very funny.

I'd like to go on vacation, but I don't know.

I don't like to leave the kids, and yet I know Maria wouldn't enjoy herself, you

know, if we took them along.

Take a nanny. You're rich.

Well,

I'd sure like to go.

Florence, Michelangelo's David.

You like to look at naked men, huh?

And La Scala.

Man, I want to hear La Traviata and La Scala.

Simone, you're a freak, you know that?

Now, wait a minute. There's more things in this world, you know, besides rock

and roll and blue movies.

You know what the three best things in the world are?

No, what?

A martini before and a nap after.

Martini before and a...

Welcome to Miami, ladies and gentlemen.

The temperature's in the low 70s, and it's beautiful out there tonight.

Sure beats that 28 degrees we left behind us in New York.

We're in our approach pattern now, and we should be getting into the terminal

pretty close to our scheduled arrival time.

On behalf of those ten lovely and capable stewardesses and our crew, thank

you for flying Atlantic Southeastern.

And, uh, y'all come back now, yeah?

Unrequest landing instruction.

Landing southeastern 401 Miami. Approach tight end.

Turn left heading 1003 from the market.

We're cleared. Final approach runway 9 left Miami.

Tower 118.3 at the market.

Roger. Good morning.

Good morning.

I got 11.30 p.m.

Holiday traffic. They're overworked.

Just as long as he knows up from down.

Miami Tower.

This is Atlantic Southeastern 401.

Just turned on final.

Go ahead, Bert. Put the wheels down.

Continuous ignition on. No smoke.

Coming on.

No smoke.

Brake system.

Okay.

Hydraulic panels checked.

35, 33.

Engine cross bleeds are open.

Oops.

No nose gear.

I got to raise it back up.

Damn.

Pull it up.

I'm going to try it down one more time.

Drop it.

Still none of those.

We're at 1,500 feet, sir. All correct.

Want to tell him we'll pull up and go around for a while?

Miami Tower.

This is Atlantic Southeastern 401.

We're going to have to circle.

We haven't got a nose gear light.

Any bets it's just a signal light?

Not from me.

Lousy 20-cent bulb. That's what it usually is. Want me to check it out,

sir? Yeah, you better.

Approach control, okay. Going up to 2,000.

128.6.

I can't get at it.

I just can't get a grip on it.

Atlantic Southeastern 401, Miami approach. Turn left heading 360.

Maintain 2,000.

Vectors to 9 left final order.

Bert, you better put it on autopilot.

Davidson, any ideas?

None you don't have, Captain.

Tom, forget about that light. It doesn't prove anything.

Yes, sir.

Listen, you better get below in the hellhole. Take a visual. Check that

optical sight.

Make sure it's lined up on that red line.

Can do, Captain.

Boy, the guy that christened these electronic bays hellhole were right.

You little devil.

I don't see it down here.

There's a place you can look.

I know, but I can't see the lines.

Let me take a crack at it.

Let's see if we can get this thing out.

You see anything?

No.

I got everything all lined up. I just don't see anything. Here, take a look.

You seem to put some pressure on me. Wait a second. Let me see if I get a...

There's a panel underneath.

It's blocked.

Okay, National 611, you're clear to descend, over.

I thought 401 was assigned 2003.

Hey, Chief, I got 36 coming in.

401 is at 900.

ASA 401, this is Approach Control.

How you doing out there?

Okay, we'd like to hold our position for a few minutes more.

Roger, ASA 401, this is Approach Control. Turn left, 180.

I'll tell you that nose wheel is down. It even feels down.

Yeah, usually just the bolt.

K-33.

Hey, Dee Dee. Les Garrett.

Any sign of Dom Smollett yet? No, Black 401's a little late.

Oh, yeah?

All right.

altitude two thousand feet right

atlantic

uh southeastern 401 i've lost you in the radar scope and the transponder what's

your altitude now

This is National 611.

Are you missing an airplane?

We just saw a big flash over the Everglades.

Larry! Larry!

Larry!

uh coast guard this is miami approach we've uh lost atlantic southeastern

flight 401 from the radar scope uh about 18 miles west northwest of miami

international roger put the ready helicopter on the line major aircraft

crash in the everglades 20 miles west of m.i.a

There's bodies everywhere.

Flight 401 is still in a holding pattern.

Well, there's nothing else that we can do.

Hi, Miss.

401 is down, VD. It crashed in the Everglades.

Oh, good God.

You'll need some help, Saucer.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we have your attention, please?

We regret to advise you that ASA Flight 401 has crashed.

As they are received To

go immediately

Oh, you know, I can never sleep without Dom.

I tried.

I was watching some television, you know, an old movie, but I can never

sleep without it.

Would you like some coffee?

I'll make you some coffee.

Maria? Maria, sit down, please.

The plane went down.

Maria, I know there are survivors. I don't know how many. I didn't want him

to go.

I know, and I didn't want anyone else to tell you. That's why I... Maria,

I've got to go back to the office.

Val, I'm going to stay here with you.

And I've... I've just got to go.

Now, Val, honey, look, I'll call you and let you know where and when and how

and...

There are survivors.

We'll get you to hospital, but you've got to keep still.

Hey, somebody. What's that?

A hellhole.

It's all right, buddy. We'll get you out of there.

It's all right. It's all right.

Hey,

guy,

give us some help down here.

I'll be right back. It's all right.

Come on.

That's it.

That's it. That's it.

Easy. Come on. Easy.

Easy.

Easy. That's it. Come on.

Just a little bit.

Just a little more. Just a little more.

Okay,

come on.

Well, that's just...

How many dead?

How many?

How many?

Yeah, you can bird stock well.

Samoa's in Hialeah Hospital.

I can account for seven.

Stewardess says, no, make that eight. That's eight out of ten dead.

No, there's no ID on the infant.

Look, there's more confirmed dead.

There's a rust.

Ross Messina, Miss Pauline Osborne, uh, Mary Smith, her husband's at the

hospital. Uh, Saul, Saul Hoberman.

There's a... Uh...

A Pat Gissels and a Stephanie Stanich, both

confirmed dead.

They, uh...

They were stews. I used to fly with them a while back.

Look,

would you let me call you back on this?

Look, you have no idea what's going on here. I mean, we have God knows how many

more dead still buried in a foot of mud. The morgue can't handle what's already

in.

Well, just give me a minute!

I'm sorry. It's not easy, you see.

Okay?

All right.

Yeah.

Mr. and Mrs.

Edgar Willows, Mr.

Gale Jones, Dr.

Stanley Perlman, John Thelman.

How many?

Oh, Tom, don't think about it.

People.

Birds.

Prissy.

Prissy is going to be fine.

Just fine.

Just fine.

All those people. Don't, don't.

All those people.

Warning chime.

Warning chime.

Only on my side.

Don't, please.

If I... Please, just...

Betty and Kevin, I would have heard.

I thought, see our kids grow.

Yes, you will. Yes, you will. Grow.

Yes, you will.

I, um, I...

Love them.

I love you, darling.

I... I love you, darling. Love you.

Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, support, strengthen, and help it be me,

as we stricken with sorrow, as we humbly give thanks

to you.

Amen.

We ask, granting of thy grace, that we may have continued courage to carry

on in this transitory life of ours until our work is finished

and we too are called to the throne of the good shepherd to

be received into the glory of heaven through the grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

Amen.

That was the best I've seen.

Check on the kids.

Hey, you wearing aftershave?

Yeah.

Do you smell it much?

Yes.

Bee rum.

Who's that uses bee rum?

Chrissy.

Geordie, how you doing?

Good, how are you?

Fine.

Can I borrow your bicycle tomorrow?

Huh? Sure.

Well, how are you gonna... The cast comes off tomorrow.

Okay. Bad timing.

Gotta get these legs in shape.

Well, from the looks of the other one, you're doing fine.

Shorty.

This is, um, the place, right?

Yeah, yeah, right.

That's where all the parts are stored. The FAA has signed a release so we can

use some of the parts in other planes.

I'd like to go in there with you.

You ready for that?

Look, Geordie, when I woke up in the hospital, I just thought, I'll never

fly again.

Never.

All I could think about was just the crash and the people.

I said never again.

Okay.

No, no.

I don't want to. I want to go back.

As soon as my cast is up, I want to go back.

So I want to go in there. I want to see it.

How about it?

Okay?

Okay. Come on.

Is it always this dark in here?

Yeah, what's to see?

All of this from 401?

Yeah, you see, when a plane crashes, sometimes the parts are scattered into a

thousand pieces.

Others are left without a scratch.

Like all the people inside, right?

Yeah, Percy.

I don't think you're quite ready for this. Let's go, huh? No.

That's the galley.

That's where I was with Dom right before we crashed.

Come on, let's go.

Oh, Geordie, why?

Why did it have to happen? Prissy, Prissy, Prissy. Listen, Prissy.

These things happen. It's circumstance.

It's situation.

The FAA suspects... Hi, Captain.

Uh, what do you say, Dutch?

It's all functional?

All tested?

Cleaned? Yeah, the bulkhead's from the hellhole there, right? That's right.

Where's Somalia?

Look, Dutch, I'm going to hurry you. Here's a release.

Here's the requisitions from blind maintenance for half the parts.

It's that easy, eh?

You need parts, you got parts.

The parts didn't down the plane, you know.

Yeah, fine.

Why so irritable, Dutch?

Because when a plane goes down, I take it as a personal insult.

Too pretty and too young to be remembering what you're remembering.

Let's clean this warehouse out. Come on. Okay. Yeah. Thanks a lot, Christmas.

What is this?

Everybody on this airline switched to Bay Rum?

Been smelling it for weeks.

Okay.

I've got someone here. I'll get back to you. Bye-bye.

You sure you want to go through with this?

I'm not the type of person to sit around the apartment and do nothing.

Yeah, but you quit once already to sit around the apartment.

Shorty, when you stop flying, that's when I stop flying.

You didn't like it, right?

Neither do I.

Give me that.

Yeah.

Yeah, Dutch, what can I do for you?

Ride harder.

Your signature for number three engine chassis didn't go through the carbon.

So Xerox the original.

You do things by the book, you know.

Okay, I'll buy harder pencils.

Right. Hey, Captain.

You hear any of those stories about the parts from 401?

No, what stories?

Never mind, Captain.

They're just stories.

Just stories.

Okay. See you later. Right.

You're not afraid an itinerant millionaire might pick me up, are you?

Haven't they already in the past?

A few.

At least they claim to be millionaires.

And?

Money can't buy everything, Jody. Yeah?

Like what?

Poverty.

All right. Come on. I've got work to do. Arm your feet. Give us a kiss, huh?

Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

Hey, Prissy, what's with the record player?

I don't know. I keep pressing all the wrong gizmos on this thing.

Oh, Prissy, I'll help you find the right gizmo.

And you, little boy, you were supposed to bring, uh, what's her name with the

great big, uh... Oh, yeah.

Aurelia May.

Pam, yeah. I was gonna bring her, but she's just a little too crazy. Because

she's dating you?

No, that's not crazy. Just bad taste.

No, no. Crazy, really. I mean, she swears she saw Dom's ghost. I mean, she

swears she saw it. Swears it was Dom.

Goodbye, Aurelia May.

Where'd she see Dom's ghost?

Aurelia May is from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

She had a very deprived childhood.

Bill, where'd she see Dom's ghost?

Oh, on the plane.

In first class. I mean, he's got style.

What was he doing?

Whatever ghosts do.

Aunt, I guess.

I think it was auntie.

Look, you guys.

Marge Elder saw him, too.

Last week on flight 201.

Terrific. Now we've got an epidemic of hysterical stewardesses.

That's a chauvinistic statement if I ever heard one.

I'm a chauvinist.

Any more?

Dory Klein and Mary Long.

You know about this? Why don't you tell me?

I'm not the company snitch. And since when are you a chauvinist?

Listen, Val, you could have talked. Wait a second. Wait a second. I'm not your

messenger. Oh, boy. We get to watch their very first quarrel. Hey, come on.

I mean it. We can't have this kind of hysterical. Is this ghost only seen on

Atlantic Southeastern Airlines?

Right. Terrific. They own the airlines with a resident ghost.

I mean, we couldn't get a worse rumor going if we hired the kamikaze pilots.

I thought we did.

You know, listen, you, I mean, all of you. You've got to stop these kind of

rumors before the brass hears about it. Because we can go and talk to the stews

and tell them to shut up?

I hate to puncture your masculine pride, but some of these rumors come from

cockpit crews.

Then it would be in the logs.

Yeah, well, we'll check them.

Right, honey?

Right. We can all waltz down to records and check the logs.

Not afraid a steady and unhysterical pilot might have seen it, are you?

Okay, wise guy.

We'll check the logs.

Tom?

Another cocktail?

Not unless you want to be embarrassed.

Geordie, how's the man behind the desk?

You too, huh?

I'm beginning to think I'm the company joke.

Better than being the company ghost.

Okay.

Okay. Yes, I heard.

And thank you for taking me to dinner to break the news gently.

But I've heard from three different people.

I'm sorry, Maria.

What are you going to do about the story? Take care of them.

Ain't no of them, are you? Well, just downplay them, you know, try to stop

them.

Now, what you're doing is protecting me and my kids, and I love you. What?

I have to tell you something.

And I don't know what it means, and I don't expect you to believe me, but at

night when I turn off the light, I feel him beside me.

And it's warm.

And wonderful.

And Jordan?

I can finally sleep again.

What are you trying to tell me, Maria, that Dom isn't dead or that his ghost

stalks Miami?

I'm telling you about a feeling that I'm loving, and I am suggesting that perhaps

you... open your mind a little bit.

All right.

What am I trying to say?

Tom wasn't a kid when we got married, right?

He was very nervous about making that kind of commitment to me and to a family

because of his age. But he did it, and we had the children, and thank God for

it. And then he died.

And his final words were about his children and his family and not being

there for us.

And now...

By some miracle, I feel his presence, like he's with us,

seeing us through bad times.

I don't know how to explain it. It's a feeling.

Maybe when he sees that we're all right, that we're going to make it,

he'll go on.

But right now, it's very comforting to me to know that he is here. And I

believe that he's here.

And you don't know what I'm talking about, do you?

Look, Maria, I'd like to believe that when we die, we don't die.

I'd enjoy believing in some kind of immortality.

But as far as I see it, I just think it's the fear of dying and being

forgotten.

You don't believe in that?

I'm an agnostic. I don't know what I don't believe.

There's freezing in here. I know.

Maybe there's a pressure leak.

That's so weird.

The temperature says 72 degrees.

Well, it couldn't be. It must be broken.

I'll go up and report.

Are you coming up?

Yeah. Better.

Bill, there's a temperature drop in the galley.

There's no pressure leak.

Well, it's freezing down there.

There's no temperature drop.

Oh, you come down and take a look.

All right. Well, come down and take a look.

Well?

I didn't imagine it, Bill.

Oh, okay, it's fine now.

Yeah, it's fine now.

Ladies.

It was okay.

What?

Okay, normal.

Do you know that Stu, um, from Baton Rouge, Brina Coleman?

Mm-hmm.

She called the main office in Atlanta and reported seeing the ghost.

And they sent it to the company shrink?

Yeah.

Company policy, I guess, huh?

Did anybody check the log?

Well, they tried to, but the company replaced it with a new one.

They replaced it with a new one?

Yeah.

Come on. We've got meals to get out.

I'm going to check these out. Look it up.

Hi.

How was your day?

Does this mean you're angry?

You got notice.

I'm going to wear sandals.

I don't have them on us. They're too narrow for me.

Oh, come on, Val. I couldn't have it. It was in the law.

You put it there. There was no way I could take it out.

You could have defended me against those idiots, you know.

You could have told them I'm not in the habit of hallucinating. You could have

said that I was only reporting what another stewardess saw.

You could have gone higher up. You could have threatened to quit.

You could have done something.

Honey, it's not me. Look, half the top floor is ready to can the other half.

They've ignored this thing as long as they can, and now they're just going to

roll heads.

Mine first, right? Thank you very much, Mr. Evans. Look, I told them when Prissy

saw it, you only reported it.

And? And they said you put it in the log.

So I am out of a job, and you are out of a roommate.

Look, all you and Prissy had to do was see a shrink.

I can't stand people with sweet toothpaste from the bottom.

Well, like I said, the important thing is for Prissy to see a shrink, and she

will not do so if you don't.

You put both your socks on first, then your shoes, now the right foot, then the

left. Come on. Look, did you ever stop to think that it might be of some great

benefit if Prissy were to see a shrink, huh?

Listen, just maybe, huh? Just maybe.

She might need professional help, huh?

You're shabby, you know.

You think all you have to do is put your body next to mine?

You macho, narcissistic, chauvinist oppressor.

Okay, we'll go talk to the shrink.

Is there anything you wish to discuss, Percy?

Anything on your mind?

No, I was asked to come here.

Yes, I know.

They think I'm crazy or something.

Do you?

I know what I saw.

Tell me about yourself.

Why?

Do you want me to help you?

Look, I never said I needed help. I was asked to come here.

Chrissy, you say you saw the vision of a man who died in a plane crash.

A plane crash from which you yourself narrowly escaped death.

I'm sorry I said anything about seeing Dom Somali.

None of this would be happening.

Chrissy, I want to believe you saw what you say you saw.

But I need some help.

I need to know more about you.

Tell me about yourself.

Your child.

Tell me about your parents.

My mother died when I was nine.

I'm sorry to hear that.

She'd been sick for a couple of years.

Leukemia.

I remember the night she died.

All the nurses were crying.

Even the doctors were crying.

I never knew doctors cried.

Do you think of her often?

Yes, I... I feel she's close to me.

You know... I know this sounds crazy, but... I always feel like she's watching

over me.

It's a beautiful feeling to have.

I remember...

A year after she died, my father put me in the summer camp.

And one night I woke up, and she was standing there, smiling at me.

And she said, she said, I'll take care of you.

Like you saw Simone?

Yes.

Maybe I saw my mother that night because I was alone, and I was lonely, and I

needed her to be near me.

The same as the night on the L-1011.

Maybe. Because ever since then, I haven't been afraid on the L-1011. I

mean, everything's been fine.

It's as if he came back to tell us that everything was going to be okay.

You know, that it'd never happen again.

Smollett was well-liked.

Just like Mama.

It's so weird.

Prissy, I'm going to recommend to your employers that they put you back on duty

immediately.

Thank you.

Captain Garrick.

Hey, Cindy.

Long time.

You deadheading back?

Yeah, I got three days this week.

When did you switch to transcontinental?

Right after I left ASA.

About three months ago.

Same time you lost my number.

Hey, wait a minute. Cindy.

Wait a minute.

Cindy, I want to talk to you.

I don't know, Captain.

Come on, you know what's been going on.

That's ASA. This is transcontinental.

Please.

Mrs. Komura?

Yes? I'm Captain Garrick. I'm a pilot on another airline.

Could I ask you just a few questions?

What?

The man, what you saw, it was a man?

Yes.

He was wearing a kind of uniform.

A shirt, white shirt, black tie.

Like a pilot's uniform.

I think so.

I was so troubled, I couldn't... I know, I know.

Let me show you a snapshot, please.

Is one of these the man you saw?

Yes. Which one?

The man in the middle.

Mrs. Kalura, if anybody asks you about this, I'd appreciate it a lot if you

wouldn't say anything about the snapshot.

Who is he?

He's a friend, Mrs. Kalura.

He's a friend.

I was there. I mean, Geordie, I mean, you can't pass this off as another

hysterical student.

I heard the woman scream.

We saw her face. I showed her the picture.

You could have showed her a picture of Teddy Roosevelt.

She would have been.

Yeah, but I didn't. I showed her a picture of Don Somali.

What do you want me to do, Wes?

Have ghost breakers in all the flights? Or give out wolfbane with earphones?

Hey, how about feature in-flight seances with movies?

Hey, look.

Your sighting was on Transcontinental.

At least the others have kept Somali to its own airline.

I know, and I haven't figured that out yet, but what I want to do is I want to

look through the logs of all the flights where Dom was reported.

No can do.

Come on, you know where they are. You can get to them. Yeah, I can get fired.

You want me to go to the press?

You want me to go to the brass?

You'll be flying from Baton Rouge to Shreveport the rest of your natural

life.

So now you're the perfect company man, huh?

Yeah, nobody's perfect.

The majority used to care. Used to care about all of us.

Now I don't think I know you anymore.

Like I said, nobody's perfect.

That's really wonderful, Les.

Listen, there's nothing like good, healthy metatarsals.

Oh, metatarsals. These are my favorite grego out there.

There it is.

Oh, it's cute.

Hey, baby.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain.

We hope you're enjoying your flight aboard Atlantic Southeastern Airlines.

We certainly enjoy having you aboard.

We will be arriving in Mexico City in about an hour.

In fact, we may even be on time.

And I'd like to remind those of you who are going to Mexico City for the first

time, and those of you who are not going on Acapulco with us, that Mexico City is

6,000 feet above sea level.

The air is a little bit thinner there, so you may find that your pulse quickens

with very little exertion.

Take your time, get accustomed to the altitude, and enjoy your holiday or your

business trip, or whatever it is that brings you from New York to Mexico.

I saw him, Les.

What? Where?

In the galley.

He looked real.

I'll go. Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Val, I want to put it in the log, okay?

Okay.

You know what? I know, I know.

Okay, Val, go take it.

for fire on this airplane, Bill.

Believe God.

Dear God, oh dear God.

Well?

Just everything I am.

Everything I ever believed.

Believe me.

I mean, every concept I've ever had about life after death, it's just...

There's no way that I saw it. I just... It's not...

Engine

number one, cut out.

I shut it down.

Free track, landing gear, lower flaps, 20 degrees.

Mexico City Control, this is ASA flight number 422 in Dania Station with an

emergency. Request emergency equipment on standby.

And request clearance to use runway 9-0.

Straighten approach.

That's what he said. There's going to be fire on this plane.

He spoke to you?

He said, watch out for fire on this plane, Bill.

Okay,

gear

down and check for lock.

Bill?

Fire's on number one.

Really, Sawyer?

Not yet. Just go to my place.

And that's what he said.

All right.

Now, aside from the port engine, everything else was perfectly normal,

right? Geordie, that's like saying, aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was

the play?

Yeah, I know. Geordie! Bill saw him!

Val saw him!

Dana's on. They're not weirdos and kooks. Yeah, but the power of the mind

suggests certain phenomena... Oh, stop it. I want to see the logs, Judy. I want

to find out where the salvage parts of the 401 went. Come on.

I called the newspapers already. I've got the story.

This is not some high school play.

We're dealing with a multi-million dollar business, and we're dealing with

the credibility of the American public.

People are frightened enough of flying as it is. I don't care about your

accountant mentality.

I want the records. Just knock that off. What about the transcontinental

sighting? That wasn't even our flight.

That plane, Geordie, was leased from us. That was our L-1011.

Okay. Okay, I'll examine the records.

We want to examine them with you.

Meaning you don't trust me, huh? Meaning you'll become our corporate executive,

Jody.

That's against them, stuff.

And you'll become them.

Come in, Geordie.

Thank you, sir.

How are you? Fine.

Have a chair.

Thank you.

What's on your mind?

Well, sir, it's, um... It's about the ghosts.

There are no such things as ghosts, Geordie.

Well, yes, sir.

No, sir.

You see, Mr. Bailey...

All of the sightings have been on L-1011s, which have been replaced with

part salvage from flight 401.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Well, yes, sir.

It's in here.

You see, when Prissy saw Dom's face behind the oven glass door in plane

323, the oven door in that plane had been replaced just before with one

salvage from flight...

Now, in plane 319, when the ghost or whatever was seen, the lower bay

galley had come from crash.

You're telling me that every time the ghost was seen, it was in a plane using

spare parts from the wreck?

It's documented, sir.

I don't know what you want from me.

Okay, I thought if we were to yank out the parts... The keepers are joining the

inmates. I'm no less skeptical than you are, Mr. Bailey.

You're only trying to tell me that our airlines are haunted.

No, sir. I'm trying to tell you that we're talking about pilots.

These are technically oriented, pragmatic people with responsible jobs

as engineers, people who are trained to be objective and calm in a crisis.

Now, sir.

Replacing logs and issuing self-serving handouts to the media, well, it's...

It's just not going to work anymore.

We have high hopes for you here, Jordan.

I'm thinking of ASA, Mr. Bailey.

Well, perhaps you are.

Well, let me take a look at these.

Only those planes with salvage parts?

Well, I don't believe in ghosts either, Mr. Bailey.

At least I didn't.

Try selling this to the board of directors.

Les? Les?

Can I talk to you? Sure, why?

I think we should consult a professional.

A professional what?

Oh, Val, you're kidding.

I've been doing some reading.

Dom is coming back because of some feelings about the crash.

And we can put him at rest.

Listen, Val, I won't debate the fact that you and the other saw something,

but seances?

Rising tables?

Squeaking horns?

No. We have a responsibility to Maria, to Anne Iveson, to Don Sol.

Look, Val, I won't get into a religious discussion with you, but I can't do it.

I mean, for one thing, I burst out laughing.

We need people who are close to him, like you and me and Geordie.

Geordie? I can see Geordie going to him. If you'll agree, maybe he might.

Well, then I'm sorry, but I mean, I know you believe this and I know you mean

well, but I I'm too old to play Halloween

What's

that

It's coming from below in the hellhole.

I'd better take a look.

Flight 7, Line 3, this is Jacksonville Approach Control.

Other aircraft, you're airing in by severe electrical storm over

Jacksonville. Extreme turbulence, you're out.

Approach with caution.

There will never be another crash on L-1011.

Did you hear him?

Dana, did you hear him?

John, did you hear him?

Dana, you go tell Val I...

He changed my mind.

Go ahead.

Hey, Les, what's happening?

Look at this. Great artwork, huh?

I saw him, Jody.

Yeah, me.

I saw him.

And I talk to him just like I'm talking to you right now.

And what's more...

He's on the cabin voice recorder.

There will

never

be another crash of an L-10-11.

Dear God.

theory seems to be that the consciousness exists apart from the

brain or the mind that's all our fears joys anxieties all these

things we feel don't die when the brain does uh what about lust the

question is that if if consciousness exists somewhere else some other plane

as in the fourth dimension maybe

How about a piece of wire that conducts electrons?

The electrons are part of the wire, yet separate from it. You can destroy the

wire, but not the electrons.

Well, that sounds neat.

A little droll, maybe.

You're the graduate engineer. You took physics in college.

Yeah, but I didn't take courses in ghost-breaking.

Nothing is created or destroyed, but only changes form.

Isn't that a theorem in chemistry?

Not exactly, honey. And theorem has nothing to do with ghosts.

Well, how do you know?

How do you know that the mass of atoms that make up our beings can't be

reassembled by thought or will?

Do I cease to exist when I leave the room?

Simply because we can't touch Dom, does it mean that he doesn't exist? What

about God?

What about lunch?

I'm hungry.

Suppose that somebody you really respected, somebody you would trust with

your life, claimed that he happened to be a medium. Would you listen to him?

Bologna. What?

Bologna. You want a bologna sandwich?

You flew with him to Boston last week. He's Matt Andrews. He was your pilot.

Well, remind me never to fly with Matt Andrews again, huh?

What did you hear on the cabin voice recorder?

Something that sounded like Samoli's voice. It was Samoli's voice, and you

know it.

Look, if you want to join hands and turn the wine glass upside down, is that it?

We try to communicate with whatever it is who has been trying to communicate

with us.

Whatever it is.

Whatever it is.

How about a bologna sandwich?

You didn't have any trouble finding the place, huh?

Well, we were kind of looking for something a little spookier, like Boris

Karloff getting out the trash.

Well, my wife is out to the movies and the kids are banished upstairs.

We'll hold on to ourselves. Sit down, sit down, please.

Do you want me to pour the coffee? Mm-hmm, if you like.

Cream and sugar?

Uh, just cream, no sugar.

Thank you.

Either of you ever fly with Simone?

I don't think so, no. They haven't.

I checked.

Listen, we all know what the word medium means to anybody who's not into

parapsychology. But if you believe in God or a life force or an orderly

universe, you already believe in the spiritual.

You really don't have to sell me, you see, I'm here.

because the force of doubt is as strong as the force of belief.

Well, then why don't we abort the whole thing?

Look, look, Matt, I think this whole thing is just an exercise in hysteria.

No, no, no, we understand.

Let's try to explain it to you.

Try to clarify it for you.

The ghost of Simoli appears only on ASA planes, usually on the L-1011s,

where salvage parts in the wreck have been used.

There's a relationship between inanimate objects and people. Psychometry.

Right. We've got a theory for that.

We believe that the soul exists.

That it continues being after we die.

And psychometry ties in with people who die suddenly, prematurely, violently.

Whenever people die this way, they stay near familiar objects and places.

We also believe that while they're near these places, they somehow manage to

jump from one energy field to another, to ours.

And when that happens, they can recreate themselves for brief periods of time.

What we have to do here is try to imagine ourselves in Dom Simoli's place.

In that terrifying instant, at one tiny fraction of a second, when he knew the

plane was crashing, he knew he was facing death, the one thought he had was

to save the plane.

Imagine the shock, the amazement, the it can't be happening, that awesome drive.

The one responsibility that every crewman has to all his passengers.

Where do all these responses, where do they happen?

In the mind?

Okay.

A better word.

Consciousness. That's right.

Because we believe the consciousness goes on living.

Its cosmic energy is somehow misdirected, thrown out of whack

whenever extreme anxiety is involved.

The idea is that every now and then, a soul gets trapped between two

dimensions.

It no longer exists here on Earth, and it hasn't yet found its way to the plane

it's destined to reach.

It must first fulfill whatever obligations it has here on Earth.

Uh, why don't we get on with it?

Okay.

I'll get the tape recorder.

The purpose of this session is to contact Dom Simoli.

or any information and any help we can give him.

It's coming clearer now.

I see a man.

Dark hair.

Slightly gray.

He's in uniform.

We ask that if he wishes to communicate, he do so.

It's coming clearer now.

Smiley.

He's wearing glasses.

Reading glasses.

I could... I could see the cockpit.

He's puzzled. He's... He's showing me something.

A light.

An instrument light.

He's going away.

I'm losing him.

I'm losing him.

I'm sorry, my concentration has broken.

Maybe another time.

Look, let's just get it done.

Come on, if we're gonna do it, let's do it.

Okay.

But I need a rest for a minute.

I'll get some more coffee.

You're buying this?

Come on, you're the front man for the act.

I mean, you take a half, it doesn't really just fill us. You throw in a

pinch of science fiction, spoon-feed a lot of us, and you ask me about buying

it. Did you know Dom wore glasses?

No.

Anybody know Dom wore glasses?

They knew.

Even Maria didn't know about them until she got the bill for them three weeks

after the funeral.

He's saying something about a small door and a light bulb.

He's afraid the nose wheel's jammed.

I'm not getting anything too clearly now.

That small door could be trapped.

It's the hellhole.

I can see a porthole.

A round window.

A strut.

It's the landing gear strut.

The retract lugs are straight.

Everything's normal.

It's cold in there.

Is that a passageway?

I see his flashlight.

It's hitting something.

Below.

Below the landing gear struck.

It's black.

Reflecting like moonlight.

It's a swamp.

The Everglades.

I can feel the wind.

I can smell the damp.

The damp.

The water. Coming up. Coming up. Coming up around the plane.

We're in a descent.

No longer a 2,000.

20.

10.

The gear is down.

All the dark.

The gear is down. I feel the spread.

All the weight.

Party.

We understand, Dom.

Look around.

There's help here.

You're in spirit now.

There's no longer any need to remain here.

As you walk toward the light, there are many who will help you.

Dom, you can leave.

We understand.

Let go.

Let go. Let go.

You no longer belong to the Earth.

You're not needed on the Earth.

The crash is over.

It was a series of circumstances.

There's nothing you can do about it.

Flight 401 is finished.

He's moving away from us.

He's being helped.

Moving.

Towards the light.

Some of those who saw the ghost feared open discussion would jeopardize their

jobs. The logbooks were replaced.

Access to them was denied by the airline.

However, salvaged parts installed in other L-1011s were ordered removed.

Since the sole rescue, which took place in the late winter of 1974 in the New

England home of an airline pilot, not a single reappearance of the ghost of

Flight 401 has been reported.