The crash scene was of course out of the corporate limits of Miami and was in fact in the unincorpoated section of what was then Dade County, now Miami-Dade County and very much out of my jurisdiction. I had heard a radio news bulletin at approximately 11:55 PM on that fateful Friday evening on my car radio, just as I was pulling into my driveway with my wife and 8 year old son, after an evening of visiting family. The bulletin stated that their news room had unconfirmed reports of an airliner crashing in the Everglades some 19 miles west of Miami International Airport. As I stepped from my car I could hear the muiltude of emergency vehicle sirens some 2 miles north of me, there was no doubt in my mind that all were headed west on U.S. Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) enroute to the crash scene. As I was an avid fisherman and hunter and knew that area of the Everglades, just about as well as I knew the area I patroled in downtown Miami for many years. I went into my house, which is approximately 15 miles southeast of the crash site (Westwood Lakes), undressed and jumped into my Miami P.D. "jumpsuit" and a pair of my hunting boots, that I had just the day before cleaned and re-waterproofed. I departed my house telling my very concerned wife that I was going to the scene of the crash and that If I received a call from the P.D. to inform them that I was responding to the scene and was without radio communications. I was very fortunate to catch every green light at the three intersections between my house and U.S. 41. Upon reaching U.S. 41 I fell in behind numerous ambulances, fire engines, police vehicles (Metro Dade & Florida Highway Patrol), as they sped westward on the highway, no doubt enroute to the crash scene. My only incumbrance was momementarily being flagged over at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Krome Avenue by a City of Sweetwater police officer, as I was the only civilian vehicle in the convoy of emergency vehicles. I was well known by this officer and permitted to resume my route. Upon arriving at the police/rescue command post that had initially been established at U.S. 41 and Levee-67 (L-67), I found that there was utter confusion. A Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant was telling a Metro Dade County Police Sergeant that they (F.H.P.) were taking jurisdiction of the situation. The F.H.P. Lieutenant had said they were controlling any and all access to the levee road (one lane) and that no one was to pass until it could be established that there were survivors and that there was in fact a need for emergency personnel in the swamp. About this time it was announced via bullhorn that the command post was now being moved to the Miccosukee Indian Cultual Center and School, approximately 3/4 mile west of the current site. All then proceeded to that location until approximately 45 minutes had passed when again by bullhorn we were told to return to the site of the original command post at L-67. I was so discussed at this point (over two hours had passed since the crash) that I nearly gave it up as a lost effort and would return home. I however thought dispite the confusion I would return to the L-67 site and try to be some sort of assistance. There now had been assembled no less than 75 police officers, firefighters, fire rescue and ambulance crew members, at the re-established command post. Again there was much discussion between F.H.P. and Metro Dade Police brass as to who was running the show and if there was a need for emergency personnel at the crash site. I was, after about 20 more minutes of this nonsense, returning to my car with the full intention of returning home and listening to my police scanner and any news accounts of the crash. But as I reached my car a large Coast Guard rescue helicopter decended and landed in the gravel parking area not more than a hundred feet from my car. After the dust settled, a helmeted Coast Guardsman jumped from the side door of the chopper and motioned for me to come to him. Upon contact with him he advised me that there were many injured people at the crash site and that the only rescuers on the scene at that time were a few Coast Guard rescuers and an airboat with two people on board. His exact words then were that "the crash site was some 8 miles down the levee and that they wanted to transport six rescuers to the scene, with as much first aid equipment as they could carry, that there was no fire at the scene and it appeared that there were not any burn victims". I immediately ran to the F.H.P. Lieutenant some 300 feet away and informed him of what I just learned. I told him that I was taking 5 paramedic ambulance crew members with me along with all the first aid equipment we could carry and that he should send as many ambulances and rescuers as he could, out the levee to the crash site. Myself and 5 ambulance crew members I had mustered (Randal-Eastern Ambulance Service, a private company contracted by Metro Dade County to provided countywide ambulance service) boarded the chopper and were delivered to the crash site, some few minutes later. It was absolutely pitch dark, cold (maybe mid to high 50's) and damp. The ground was very soft in someplaces and very muddy and thigh deep in others. There was a strong smell of jet fuel everyplace. Over the noise of the chopper and the airboat you could hear people crying for help. The chopper remained in place until we had loaded it with a few of the most severly injured. The only lighting we had were a few flashlights, however when the chopper would depart with the injured and later returned to pick up more, it would light up the area with its searchlights, sufficent enough for those of us on the ground to get our bearings. For the longest time it seemed that there were only a dozen of us doing active rescue operations at ground zero, myself, the ambulance crew members, the 2 airboaters and maybe 4 Coast Guard personnel. We initially though it prudent to load the helicopter with only those who were still alive and in imminent danger of dying. Some who did not fit that criteria were not happy campers. But for the most part all who were victims were very cooperative and understanding, with some of the victims themselves helping to load the chopper and airboat with the more severely injured. After being at ground zero for about an hour and some some 3 hours after the crash, the "calvary" arrived, there then were other airboaters, firefighters, police officers and helicopters everywhere at ground zero, as well as lining the levee a few hundred feet away. We all worked until we had all that survived the crash on the choppers or ferried to the waiting ambulances on the levy, by the airboaters. That wasn't until after sunrise the next day. We at ground zero had had no food or water during the whole night. I was so completely exhausted that once the rescue effort was complete, I practically crawled through the mud, climbed the levy and fell down on my butt and was unable to stand back up. A Metro Dade police officer brought me a blanket and a cup of cold coffee. He asked if I wanted to be looked at by the fire rescue unit on the scene. I advised him that all I wanted was to sit in a warm police car, he then helped me up and placed me in the rear of one without a prisoner cage, started the engine and turned the heater up high. He left, but returned a short while later with 2 cups of water and another blanket, I was ever so grateful. The officer who was assigned to that vehicle later returned and asked me if I had transportation home, I told him about how I had arrived at the scene and that my car was back at the command post, we then departed for the command post after loading up 3 more polce officers. We arrived back at the command post after a very bumpy 20 minute ride on the levy. I got into my car and headed home only stopping long enough to call home to tell my wife that I would be soon arriving home and that I was covered in mud and blood (not my own) and that I was very tired but feeling fine. I asked if she would start breakfast, when she exclaimed "hell it's almost lunch time". Upon arriving home my wife wouldn't permit me in the house without her first washing me down with the garden hose. I then took a hot shower, ate 3 egg sandwiches, drank three glasses of milk and after doing so went to bed just before 11:00 AM and did not wake until 5:00 AM the morning of the 31st, some 18 hours later. Not an air disaster of some sort makes the headlines or on each and every December 29th do I not remember that night in 1972, when so many people died and were maimed as a result of a twenty dollar part (a landing gear confirmation light) gone bad. I'm not looking for any glory or medals. I just thought it would be a great idea to post my experiences here for all to know and understand.
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