Eastern Airlines Flight #401 (L1011 N310EA) crashed in the Everglades on December 29, 1972. 103 passengers and crew members died in the crash or shortly thereafter and 75 passengers/crew survived. The aircraft impacted the Everglades at 227 mph at 25.51'53"N, 80.35'43"W, almost 7 miles due north of Tamiami Trail (US 41), slightly over 7 miles due west of Krome Avenue (then SR 27), or 17 miles due west of NW 103 Street and the Palmetto Expressway. It was also 19 miles from the approach end of runway 9-L at Miami International Airport.

An airboat operator, Mr. Robert "Bud" Marquis, was bullfrog hunting with Ray Dickinson when the L1011 crashed in their vicinity. Bud Marquis raced to the scene to assist survivors and he used his head-mounted light to signal the first U. S. Coast Guard HH-52A as to where the crash site was. Bud Marquis received facial, arm and leg burns in the aircraft wreckage but he continued shuttling people into and out of the crash site that night and the next day. For his efforts, he received the Humanitarian Award from the National Air Disaster Alliance/Foundation and the "Alumitec – Airboat Hero Award," from the American Airboat Search and Rescue Association. On December 3, 2007, Robert "Bud" Marquis, now 78 years young, was given an awards ceremony at the Miami-Dade Fire Memorial Building where he received a plaque, his old airboat restored to new condition by the Southern Airboat group and other awards and accolades from those present. He was honored again at the memorial service for the crash victims and their families on December 29th, 2007, and he led a procession of more than 100 airboats to the crash site from a launching site on the Tamiami Trail (US 41). I have to wonder why the U. S. Coast Guard has never awarded Bud Marquis one of their civilian Gold or Silver Lifesaving Awards for his successful lifesaving efforts that evening and the following day? Sadly, Bud Marquis passed away on November 21, 2008. A memoriam gallery is dedicated to him at https://pbase.com/donboyd/mem_budmarquis

The best and most comprehensive website regarding the crash of Eastern flight 401 is at: http://eastern401.googlepages.com/ The NBC Nightly News video segment of the memorial ceremony is at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22443854#22443854