Reviews & Ratings for
The Ghost of Flight 401 (TV) More at IMDbPro »

17 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
There that night, 10 November 2004
Author: thekingcrabjim from Orlando, Florida

I was on the employee bus to the terminal with Dee Dee Welch that night. She was the gate agent who was working the inbound Flight 401 that night. It was a hellish night for everyone concerned at Eastern and more for the survivors of the crash and the relatives and friends waiting for the flights arrival.

I left Eastern within a year after the crash. John Fuller tracked me down as most Eastern Airlines Employees would not talk to him. What I can tell you from a crew schedulers point of view is that I was having a hard time working around crews would over the next year walk of the aircraft each time they encounter the ghost of one of the crew members of Flight 401. My name is appears on pages 78 and 79 in the book "The Ghost of Flight 401."

13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Excellent Sets & Character Depth, 31 July 2005

Author: swa_fun from Los Gatos, California

I give "The Ghost Of Flight 401" (Based on the book by John Fuller) a 10-star rating based on hearing these stories first-hand. Having been a Flight Attendant with Eastern Air Lines for well over seven years (1980 to early 1988), I can state with confidence that this Emmy Nominated, Made-For-TV Movie (1978) gives an accurate portrayal of these fateful events -- not to mention those who experienced the situation first-hand.

The sets are excellent. I liked working on the L-1011 for the lower-galley, which is accurately portrayed (set-wise) in the film. The aircraft cabin is equally impressive. Everything for which an experienced crew member can find fault in the usual "airplane" movie is covered here with accuracy and attention to detail. Other sets include the homes of employees, not to mention the offices of our once-beloved Eastern Air Lines. Although not a carbon copy of our Corporate Offices, the sets provide a believable backdrop to both story line and characters alike.

As for Character Depth, the actors portray those involved with a genuine sense of suspense, worry and concern for what is happening to them. This is refreshing, seeing as another TV Movie based on these events proved to be nothing short of a prime time Soap Opera. In "The Ghost Of Flight 401," you feel what the characters feel. It is a realistic portrayal of the fear and fascination these people experienced in dealing with said events.

No spoilers here...you have to see this one for yourself. Very well done from the aspect of one who flew with and heard stories from those who experienced these events first-hand. Fantastic as the events may seem, it was real to the actual people involved. Well produced, the film takes you along for the ride. One thing is for sure: "The Ghost Of Flight 401" will definitely have you on the edge of your seat. Much like the book -- a real page-turner -- you can't help but wonder what will happen next.

Great entertainment all the way around the board.

14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
NOT ONLY A MOVIE,, 28 December 2003
Author: AA55US from USA

A couple of F A C T S

This movie about EAL's flt 401 is NOT ONLY a movie,but in 95% of the movie,(some parts of movie were for drama only)it is based on the flt data & cockpit voice recorder,but IT IS 100% TRUE,about the crew member,(2nd officer) Some of the parts that were refurbished & reused on other company aircraft(and on a cple of other airlines where some the parts from 401 were put on,) TRAINED FLT CREWS saw this "ghost", but it was kept very hush,hush,if you mentioned it 99.99% of the time you lost your job.(would you want to be on a flt where a Capt or 1st officer said he had seen a ghost on board) and the "'ghost" was even caught on the CVR,(cockpit voice recorder) giving a warning to a flt crew about a on board fire befor it happened.The L10-was the "Queen of the skies",then but she did have some flaws, unforunately it took one "going in"(a crash) to discovery & correct these problems,I know about this "bird,(plane)& this airline for I & 25,000+ people once worked for this great airline,,,

10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A really intriguing story, 10 May 2005

Author: Peter Makres (pmakres1@msn.com) from Largo, Florida

This very intriguing story about Eastern Airlines flight 401 which crashed in the everglades, is a really good movie that deserves a look for any who have not seen it. I taped it many years ago and occasionally take another look at it, as I did last evening. Apparently this was a made for TV movie, and is not available on DVD. I wish it was! The movie really gives one pause to think about all the things we really don't realize or understand about life and death. It contains a good cast and is acted well. Among the familiar faces are Ernest Borgnine and Russell Johnson of Gilligan's Island fame. If anyone hears of it becoming available, please let me know.

10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
A good TV movie that strayed from the facts occasionally, 26 April 2000

Author: Ron-181 (rhall96319@aol.com) from Lake Butler Florida

The true story of an Eastern Airlines L-1011 which crashed in the Everglades while making a long approach on Miami International Airport. It is surmised the pilot while distracted because of nose gear warning, inadvertently disengaged the auto pilot resulting in the plane crashing. Sightings of the dead crew were reported over the next several years by several dozen Eastern employees, who had known them. A true mystery of the supernatural. A film well worth watching.

8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
A very creepy ghost story, 4 August 1999
Author: Cheryl Duran (tombcreeper@ulink.net) from California USA

This movie was based on the true story of an airline pilot who was killed in a crash due to faulty parts in the plane. His ghost was reportedly seen by flight attendants and passengers on other flights after his death. It's a very creepy film, much in the style of "The Entity" and "Amityville Horror". If you like true ghost stories, you should like this made for television movie.

7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Would the powers that be please consider making this movie available???, 15 November 2006

Author: jhall16 from United States

I have not seen this movie in ages but continually search for it's availability. After reading some previous comments I felt compelled to add my 2 cents. My dad was a captain with EAL (for 36 years) during this incident and also flew the 1011. I was in 8th grade at the time and was extremely fascinated with the whole experience. I still am and have the copy from EAL's Falcon issue containing the initial report. Our family was huddled around the t.v. when this movie aired. We also saw the "Crash of flight 401", which oddly enough I have been able to find a copy of on VHS. We always felt the "Ghost" was the real meat of the story and what took this beyond your average tragic crash. My dad had to admit that many of the claims and events were truthful, but we could never get him to admit that he believed the ghost aspect could be reality. He did however have to deal with the claims and fears of crew members/stewardesses. I recall many instances he sighted which showed an overall uneasiness (amongst passengers and crew members) for quite a time to come. I would really love to see this movie reprinted.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
spoiler alert midway thru review and offending sentence is placed last., 20 December 2009

Author: phillipfawcett from United Kingdom

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I saw this movie in my early 20s by chance when it showed on British TV. I'm 41 now and still remember it vividly, such is the impression it made. The crash happens early in the film and immediately hits you with the tragedy and trauma of such an event. The real power of the movie is in balancing its attention between the investigation, bereavement of relatives and the issue of the 'ghost' itself. For most of the time the 'presence' of the ghost hovers with the camera giving its 'eye view', never seen but only hinted which makes it all the more mysterious and creepy. When it finally is seen, it is truly one of the most spooky moments in ghost-movie history - mainly because it's done so simply (see spoiler at bottom for details)- You truly feel like you're in the shoes of one of those witnesses, and you KNOW it would be a scary thing to see a ghost. Forget poltergeist or other glossy trash - this is the real thing. SPOILER FROM HERE... (but it doesn't give away the end of the movie, only the moment of the ghost appearing): Ernest Borginine is just standing there - the ghost - the man is supposed to be dead, but hell he is seen standing in his uniform there plain as day looking at you, then... yike! ... he talks to you! This is the image of the film that stayed with me all those years, probably all the more because Borginine is such a strong presence with his granite-like features perfect for such a moment.

1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Very realistically done, 15 March 2009

Author: Douglas Gordon from United States

Every now and then you will come across a gem like this film. In this case, this film is based upon real events that may seem hard to believe.

But today, anything is possible. This film was very well constructed and has merit for being, someday, a real gem for viewing.

It appears that there are more and more films being made about plane crashes and the like but this one stands out as one of the first for being quality produced.

For more information on how to obtain this film, please send a message to iamaseal2@yahoo.com.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
What TV either doesn't want to or can't do any more..., 24 July 2010

Author: calvinnme from United States

...and that's make a quality film just for the small screen with a good cast that people have in their fondest memories decades later. I watched the original broadcast of this film in early 1978 when I was still in college and it really moved me, this friendly ghost of the good natured middle-aged flight officer that got the family he thought he'd never have in mid-life only to have that life taken from him in a crash.

This movie was televised several years later in the late 80's and I watched it again and I was surprised at what I did not notice the first time around in 1978 that I did notice ten years later. So many of the people who initially see the ghost are what we now call flight attendants, but in 1978 they were called stewardesses, and they were all female. Initially the reports of Don Repo's ghost were discounted not only because it was bad for business but because it was the stewardesses - or "stews" as they call them in the film - that were seeing the ghost. There were many comments in the film that would be considered very sexist today about hysterical females, and nobody bats an eye at these statements. Only after some of the male members of the crew see the ghost does anyone start to take this phenomenon seriously. It's just funny how standards evolve over time - in this case attitudes towards women - and you don't really notice until you're plunged back into a time capsule and see how much things have changed.

I'd strongly recommend this one if it ever airs again. It's in the same boat as films like "J.T." (1969), "The Great Houdini" (1976), "Coffee Tea or Me"(1973), "The Ballad of Lizzy Borden" (1975), "The Neon Ceiling" (1970), and "Legend in Granite" (1973), also starring Ernest Borgnine. These are all made for TV films that were popular at the networks after studio films became too expensive to televise and before cable fractured TV audiences. They are as good as or better in quality than many feature films that are released today. Sure, some of them are quite dated in many ways, but that is part of the nostalgia for many of us who remember the original broadcast.

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