"The Ghost Of Flight 401" was released in 1979 on Bob Welch's Three Hearts album. I'd been a huge fan of Bob's first album, French Kiss, and was very excited when he finally released his second solo album in the winter of 1979. I thought the album was outstanding and this track was always one of my favorites on it. I just think it's an incredibly unusual and moody effort....the lyrics and vocals are just wonderful. The song, of course tells the story of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, which was a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 jet that crashed into the Florida Everglades on the night of December 29, 1972, causing 101 fatalities (77 initial crash survivors, two died shortly afterward). The crash was a result of the flight crew's failure to recognize a deactivation of the autopilot during their attempt to troubleshoot a malfunction of the landing gear position indicator system. As a result, the flight gradually lost altitude and eventually crashed, while the flight crew was preoccupied with solving that problem. It was the first crash of a wide-body aircraft and at the time, the deadliest in the United States. I don't think I've ever flown at night on a passenger airline and looked out the window that this melody hasn't crossed my mind.....those times of course I wish I'd never heard it!
