The following are emails I've received from people all over
the country regarding the April 22, 1966 aircrash northeast
of Ardmore, Oklahoma.  It claimed 83 lives.  Here are their
testimonials...... in their own words:
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"Good evening Butch! It was a privilege and an honor talking with you
today. My heart has been made light by finding your site today. For
thirty five years I've cried myself to sleep remembering my John's
(John Odom) eyes. He had such a soulful look and was such a wonderful
person that even today I can hear his voice and remember his smile. He
was an athlete much greater than any Michael Jordan or Walter Patten. He
went into the military to help his mother and was a grand young man, a
baby more gentle than any lamb. He was kind and shy and I feel blessed
just to have known him. There are so many memories. Thank you for all that
you have done for young men who were not even related to you. I want to
do more than just say words but I must get through the next few days of
memories now. I have cried today and will cry more. John was my heart and
I've missed him terribly. Please know that you are loved for what you are
doing and I plan on staying in touch. I honor you sir for who you are. I
hope you will write again. Much love and respect to you and all that you
do." August 2001 -Texas
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"My father, Lt.Cmdr (Ret) James L. Chandler was a pilot with American
Flyers in April 1966. I was only 10 years old at the time of the crash
but I vividly remember that night. My father, my sister Katie, my brother
Tim, and 3 friends of my sister's and I had all gone to see the "Ghost and
Mr. Chicken" at the theater in downtown Ardmore. On our return to our house
on Cherry St., we could see the doors to both our house and our neighbor's
house open. My mom and our next door neighbor, who's husband, Richard Maynard,
also worked for the airline as a pilot, were running back and forth to each
other. My mom was hysterical and told us the news. Needless to say, the rest
of the evening took on a dire tone. I realize now that for the rest of my
Dad's career, everytime any TV report of a plane crash occurred, it
brought on the most vivid fears. The next morning my father and I
attempted to drive to the site, we were turned away by the authorities.
I distinctly remember the weather that morning, it was still foggy, cold
and rainy. It seemed appropriate for the time and the circumstance. I was
an altar boy at St. Mary's Catholic church, and had to participate in what
was my first funeral 3 days later for Anthony Pica. My parents went to 4
funerals that day. I remember how emotional the funeral was, especially
graveside, it was horrible, as a young boy I'd never witnessed death and
loss and I've never forgotten Anthony's mother that day. My parents are
both still around and I just spoke to them, and to this day, Dad doesn't
really like to talk about the accident. He left American Flyers within 3
months after the crash and went on to work for Capitol International Airlines,
from which he retired in 1980. They both live in Brentwood Tennessee, right
outside Nashville. If anyone remembers them and would like get in touch
with them you can reach them here:" eyeworks@bellsouth.net
===========================================================
"Butch, for years what was left of the electra was at the salvage
yard on the east side of town, I think it was OK iron and metal
or something like that, I was working for Jerry Kingery at the
downtown airport around 1970 and I remember seeing the hunk of
wreckage sitting at the back of the yard every time I was out there."
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"I WAS THERE AT THE PLANE CASH.  COULD NOT GET IN TO SEE IT.
MY FATHER OBERT BENNETT, OHP, WAS STOPPING CARS AT GATE."
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"We lost two neighbors in the 1966 American Flyers crash. Charles
Gray lived next door and Tony Pica's home was directly across the
street. Both men were flight engineers with American Flyers. I
believe that Charles Gray had used his allowed flight time for
the period and Tony Pica had relieved him on the remaining leg of
the trip. Charles would have left the flight at the Ardmore stop.

There was so much unknown when the news reached the families. My
wife and I were at the Gray residence from the first news. We
heard that there were survivors but no one knew how many or if
any were crew members. Where were the survivors taken and what
was their condition? Speculation was that some were taken to
Sulphur and some to Ardmore. John Wackler, pastor of Trinity
Lutheran also lived on our block. We went to the Ardmore hospitals
and the Civic Auditorium to try to get information about
Charles and Tony. Ambulance crews and volunteers were constantly
bringing the fatalities to the make-shift morgue. It was soon
evident that they were not among the survivors. It was a night
that remains vividly in our memory.

Tony and Sally had two young children under 5 years. Charles and
Mary had three boys, the eldest had his10th birthday during this
sad time."
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"I pledge $25.00 for the monument to the AFA crash. You might
not be aware of it, but I was purchasing agent for the airline
for several years while it was in Ardmore. Don Shelton (Cecil's
son) and I were at the scene of the crash within 30 minutes,
and offered to furnish amateur radio communications, but were
told that we were not needed. I will never forget the sight of
the bodies, some in trees, or the smell of human flesh burning,
and the mud.....it was drizzling rain that night. Not at all
something a person can forget."
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"I was on the scene that night of the crash. I brought in a
load of stretchers but the firemen from the Air base and from
Ardmore did all the rescue and body removal.  We searched for
the black box. One of our group found the stewardess' hand.
Severed at the wrist. A ring was still on her finger. I have
been to the Stonecipher grave site in Stratford. Her picture
is on her headstone.... she was a very pretty girl."
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"Butch: I think this memorial is a great thing., from 1963 to
1964 I worked as a printer in the flight school, I worked with
& personally knew all of the crew. The night of the crash I was
sitting at my dining table playing dominoes with friends & heard
the plane go over my house, we was listening to KVSO Radio when
we heard the news about crash, my sister & her friend went to
Gene Autry & helped with the rescue. My aunt, that lived across
the street from me was a nurse at the Seventh Day Adventist
Hospital, she was on duty almost finished with her shift when
the crashed happened, she didn't get to come until the next day
sometime. Her picture is in The Daily Ardmoreite, her & Dr. Adair
are working on one of the soldiers in the Hospital office, that
was the only place available. She is in her eighties now & she
still won't talk about what she saw during that time. The
American Flyers former crew members have a reunion in Fort Worth,
usually in August, I think the flight school still is active at
Meachem Field in Fort Worth, some of the old crew members still
live here in Ardmore."
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"I remember it so well, I was l5 yrs old at the time.  When we
heard it my dad was so upset.  He said he had to go to the
site.  My mother had a Falcon station wagon and he took off
in it.  My brothers and I were so scared because nothing had
ever happened around Ardmore that was so tragic that we could
remember in our short lives.  My dad was gone about two hours.
When he got to the airpark, he said there were so many pick-ups
and station wagons already that the officials were turning the
volunteers away.  Us kids were so relieved when he returned.  We
just could not understand the importance of how or why anyone
would want to go there among the dead and dying. My dad was a
very patriotic man, having served in the Korean Conflict.  He
just wanted to do whatever he could to help his fellow man and
all those young servicemen who were aboard the airplane. If he
were alive today, he would be very proud that something was
being done to honor the ones who lost their lives on that
tragic night.  I am making a donation to the memorial fund in
his name.  I am sure there are many people in and around Ardmore
who would remember my dad, U.T. Walters."
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"There are several photos of the airplane crash in the
Ardmore Highway Patrol HQ."
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"I was a senior at Dickson HS when it happened. My late
classmate, Jimmy Don Graham, and I were out "dragging the
strip" when we heard about the crash. We drove out to the
site and helped carry bodies out of the debris. What an
awful tragedy. I woke up many nights afterward still
feeling one of the legs that had rubbed against my arm
as we carried him out of that pasture."
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"I think this is a wonderful thing you are doing, It hit
very close to home to me, my late father was a founding
member of American Flyers while still in Fort Worth, Texas.
My wife and I were both employees of American Flyers before
and after the crash in 1966."
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"My father worked for American Flyers during that time, and
I still recall the tragedy and impact that it had on the entire
community.  One of my best friends from Plainview junior high
and high school, Jim Gray, is Charles Gray's son."
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"A very good friend lost his father in the crash.  He was
Charles Gray.  I went to school with his son, Jim Gray.  I
am trying to locate him and tell him of this memorial."
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"I was foreman for American Flyers Airline meeting the airplane
on a through flight from California.  I heard the airplane as
it was making an approach. The ceiling was low and I heard an
explosion. I called the tower to find out if they still had
contact with the airplane, which they didn't. I called and
notified my boss and told him that I thought the airplane had
gone down. He came out and we went by car to the sight.  We
were the first car there. At which time we looked for the
aircraft form 1 and also the flight data recorder. Death and
distruction was everywhere. The airplane had hit in a herd of
cattle and people and cattle were scattered and burning. It's
not a sight you would EVER forget. Also, I personally knew the
flight crew as well. It was unbelievable."
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"butch i have heard about the plane crash for as long as i can
remember i would like to know where it went down will you let
your readers know when you find out thank's for your time every
week"
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"My home was abt 5 mi from crash site. My Dad & I drove pu
helping carry people to hospital. I was 18 at time, will never
ever forget such a horrible site. Glad someone has finally
decided to something."
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"I taught Anthony Pica's two children in the first grade.
I also knew Mary Gray so I am glad to see a monument not just
because of them but something should have been done a long time
ago.  I am glad you are doing this.  It was a great idea."
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"Thanks for the update; this is great news!  And, please take
some pictures when the monument is done and in place for your
Site, and let us know when they are loaded."
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"My mom was a nurse at the time the American Flyers plane
crashed on the Arbuckle Mountain. All medical personnel were
called into the hospital. I was in the army at the time.
Mom was so overcome seeing all those young soldiers dead,
burned, and maimed that she got sick. Seeing dead people,
even maimed and burned possibly from car wrecks, was not
unusual to her, but this was. The doctor had to send her
home against her wishes. She has described it many times
over the years, with tears in her eyes every time."
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"I was in the National Guard in 1966 and was summoned to
the Civil Auditorium early that Saturday morning to help
with identification and preparations for shipping the bodies.
I also escorted one survivor in an ambulance to the Downtown
Airport. I never knew his name or where he was flown to. It
was a long and very difficult day. In all the years since
then, everytime I've driven by or been in the Civil
Auditorium I remember."
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"On that night I was working for the American Flyers flight
school and had been down to the airlines hanger, I remember
the night foreman Red Kitchens waiting in the huge doors for
the Lockeed Electra to make a fuel stop.  I was about halfway
to the north hanger where I worked when a bright orange glow
lit up the northeast sky over the mountains, all at once
there was a giant flame that shot up several hundred feet
like a fire breathing dragon and was gone as quickly as it
appeared, I remember racing on down to the hanger, my coworkers
Paul Lewis and Dave Somerton was outside in the rain as
bewildered as I, in a few moments the red crash truck came
towards us. We stopped it Chic Elliot the driver said he got a
call that a crash had happened on the north end of the field
we told him that it was in the mountains on the north side of
the river, Chic did not know how to get over there so I got
in the fire truck with him and we started toward the crash.
The old river bridge which has now washed out didnt look safe
to Chic but I explaind it would be a twenty mile drive or
more if we went around and that I had crossed it once in a
loaded grain semi so across the bridge we went with both of
us scared to death, as we headed up highway 177 thru the
first range of mountains and topped the hill Goddards ranch
hands met us and we proceeded to the crash site, I will
never forget what we saw there was literally nothing left of
the airliner but the tail section bodies were everwhere, we
spread out looking for survivers, about one hundred feet
from the nose of the plane we found I think five men who
were still alive, I remember the one I knelt by  was shaking
violently and could hardly talk, I took off my coat and
covered him with it, I could not believe it I thought he
had died he got calm so fast, we quickly carried these
men out, beside these men and two who walked out and was
picked up by Gene Shirley on the road next to the river
I think were the only survivers. One of the men who walked
out later died.  I never found out how many of the others
survived but I don't remember hearing of any more. Two weeks
later the Hammett boys Leon and Lyndal walked up to the
crash from the road below the mountain and took the route
the two men had walked out on, it was a miracle they made it
because of how rough it was, but I guess they had started
walking toward the airfield lights it was only about a half
mile to the road but they had no way of knowing it."
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"Roy Givens from the airpark said that they have a list of
all of the dead at the historical museum."
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"At the time I was a Lieutenant on the Ardmore police
department and had just finished my daytime tour and was at
home after supper when we heard the news on TV of the crash.
I went at once to the department since we only lived a short
distance from there. When I arrived the dispatcher asked me
to man the phones as he was so busy on the radio he couldn't
keep up with all he had to do. Between calls he explained what
had happened so as to fill me in on all the events.
 
I worked with him for about an hour on the phones and radio when
Chief Buck Houchin and Assistant Chief Jess McGinnis came in and
instructed me to go to the Civic Auditorium and take charge of
everything there and they would follow shortly to assit me if
necessary. They advised me the auditorium was to be used as a
temporary morgue with all bodies coming there as a central
holding area until arrangements could be made for transport, etc.
 
The different events that followed concerning the nationwide
news media, traffic problems, local problems, concerns of family
members and problems with the US Army could and would fill a book.
But even as sad an event as this was, it finally worked out and
things were back to as normal as they could be after such a
disaster by 4:00pm the next day, most of this due to the great
help and assistance of the folks in our area."

Lt. Richard Feiler
Ardmore Police Department
1966
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