Review of the Special First Broadcast of the
EAL Radio Hall of Fame Tribute
Given on Monday, September 25, 2017 to
Former Eastern Pilot and EAL Radio Show Host, Captain Steve
Thompson
The
EAL Radio Show had a very special broadcast of presenting the “Hall of
Fame” Tribute Award plaque to the family of our former
Eastern Airline Pilot and EAL Radio Show Host, Captain Steve Thompson.
This award was sent to Steve's wife, Glenda for this special event.
Neal began with a very emotional sound track and shared his feelings of
his friend and host, Steve. He played several beautiful sound tracks
during the evening as well. Neal invited all of Steve's family to join
us and they were on the radio to give honor by sharing their favorite
story. Glenda his wife, their children; Captain Chip Thompson, Retired
Captain Joy Thompson Johnson, Former Delta F/A, Gay Thompson Harvey all
remembering their father; Steve's sister Lynn Thompson Rhinehardt; and
brother-in-law John Rhinehardt; along with their son Bo Rhinehardt. They
all shared a fantastic family memory that gave us joy. We also heard
from our Hosts, Jim Hart, Chuck Allbright, Dorothy and Don Gagnon, and
K. Allen Boring who, too, shared their memory of working with Steve on
the show, or during his tenure at Eastern.
The
Tribute was emotional, funny at times with stories they shared, joy for
knowing such a wonderful guy, and tears for the loss of such a
wonderful person. All this was done over the radio with our hosts and
listeners. Then the script written on the Hall of Fame Award was read by
Dorothy, and Neal presented posthumously to Glenda Thompson for Captain
Steve Thompson.
A
very touching Tribute it was to all of us who were on the radio and for
those listeners who joined us. We could hear the tears the memories
brought, when some of the stories were shared by the family and the
Eastern friends. Please know that this memorable event will never be
forgotten, nor will Captain Steve. The family, who participated with
their voices along with the Hosts that we heard, certainly gave honor to
their loved one and to our special friend that made the Hall of Fame
Tribute very special.
Thank you for being part of our wonderful Hall of Fame Tribute and Presentation and for being part of our Eastern Family!
We love you Eastern!
This Eastern Airlines Hall of Fame
Special Recognition is presented to
Captain Steve Curtis Thompson
In admiration and respect for being one of the
heroes,
Along with his Captain and Crew in saving
The lives of his passengers 5 May 1983 on
Eastern Airlines Flight 855, L-1011 Tri-Star,
and,
In admiration and respect for his
Extraordinary contribution and commitment
As Host on The Eastern Airlines Radio Show
We present this award posthumously to Steve
on this 25th Day of September, 2017
EAL Radio Show Broadcast
Monday, September 25, 2017
“Hall of Fame” Tribute to
Former Eastern Captain Steve Curtis Thompson
The EAL Radio Show has a special “Hall of Fame” Tribute Award plaque that we are presenting to our former Eastern Airline Pilot and EAL Radio Show Host, Captain Steve Curtis Thompson and will give this award to his wife Glenda and his family on Monday evening, September 25, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. We invite all of our Eastern Family and friends to participate over the radio with our hosts. Though we have only 25 call in telephone lines available at 213-816-1911, you can listen in on your computer by going to our Blog Talk at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/capteddie or go on our website: www.EALRadioShow.com.
The EAL Hall of Fame Tribute is given to honorable and noteworthy Eastern members who have been outstanding in their achievements and their dedication for Eastern Airlines. The purpose is to honor those that dedicate their lives to keep the Legacy of Eastern Airlines in the hearts and mind of the public and future generations. We want to preserve and memorialize the outstanding accomplishments of each member we induct into our Eastern Airlines Radio Show Hall of Fame.
We know that Captain Steve Curtis Thompson was one of our heroes on the Flight 855 along with his Captain and Crew. He has also given the last few years volunteering as a Host for our EAL Radio Show Broadcast and has been our confidant in working to present worthwhile Episodes for the Eastern Family. He has done a marvelous job in every episode he participated in on Monday evenings.
Please join us in this special Episode as we would love to have as many of the Eastern Family and friends be there to honor him along with us. Thank you for being part of our Eastern Family!
We love you Eastern!
Resided in Roaring Gap, NC
Captain Thompson started a long and distinguished career in aviation as a Co-pilot for Piedmont Airlines at 19 yrs of age, and held numerous flight management positions while at Eastern, including Manager Latin America Operations. Steve served as an Eastern Airline Captain and his tenure with Eastern began in 1957 until 1991, eventually retiring with Eastern Airlines as a Captain on the L-1011 Tristar. Steve after the demise of Eastern Airlines was employed as Northeast Sales Director for an Avionics Manufacturer. He was also a Certified Flight Instructor for this company.
His career in aviation led him to the love of his life for almost 60 yrs, his surviving wife, Glenda Snow Thompson, formally from Mt. Airy, NC. His love and passion for flying was second only to his love for family. After the untimely deaths of both his parents, he became the patriarch to his 5 younger siblings, their expanding families as well as his own growing family. All three of his children acquired the same passion for aviation and pursued careers in that field.
Neal had many a grand time together with Steve during these years, and his dedication to the EAL Radio Show will never be forgotten, nor will Steve. He was a special person and there for us whenever we needed him. Friends like Steve are very hard to come by, and he will be missed terribly.
On May 5, 1983, a Lockheed L-1011
TriStar, registration N334EA, operating as Eastern Air Lines Flight 855 en
route from Miami International Airport to Nassau International Airport,
experienced the loss of all three engines near Miami, Florida. The flight
crew succeeded in restarting one engine in time to safely land the aircraft at Miami
International Airport.
Incident
Eastern Air Lines Flight 855 took off from Miami
International Airport at 08:56 on a flight to Nassau International Airport in
the Bahamas carrying 162 passengers and 10 crew. On board was a veteran flight
crew, consisting of Captain Richard Boddy (58), Captain Steve Thompson (48) and
Flight Engineer Dudley Barnes (44). Captain Boddy had more than 12,000 hours of
total flying experience, although he was new to the L-1011, having logged just
13 hours in the aircraft type. On this flight, Captain Thompson served as a
supervisory check airman. He had accrued close to 17,000 flight hours
throughout his career, with 282 hours in the L-1011. Flight Engineer Barnes had
more than 9,000 hours of total flying time, with 2,666 hours clocked in the
L-1011 cockpit. At 09:15, while
descending through 15,000 feet (4,572 m), the low oil pressure indicator on the
TriStar's number 2 engine illuminated. The flight engineer noted that the oil
pressure on the #2 engine was fluctuating between 15 and 25 psi; the minimum
pressure required for normal engine operation was 30 psi. The captain ordered
the flight engineer to shut down the engine. By this time, the plane was about
50 miles (80 km) from Nassau. The
crew elected to return to Miami to land. Flight 855 received a clearance back
to Miami, as well as instructions to begin a climb to FL 200 (20,000 ft,
6,096 m nominal altitude).
En route back to Miami, low oil
pressure lights for engines #1 and #3 illuminated and the oil quantity gauges
for all three engines read zero. At
09:23, Flight 855 informed Miami ARTCC of the engine gauge readings but stated,
"We believe it to be faulty indications since the chance of all three
engines having zero oil pressure and zero quantity is almost nil." At
09:28, at an altitude of 16,000 feet (4,877 m), the #3 engine failed. Five
minutes later, the #1 engine flamed out while the crew was attempting to
restart the #2 engine. Cabin lights went
off and flight deck instruments stopped working. The aircraft descended without
power from about 13,000 feet (3,962 m) to about 4,000 feet (1,219 m), at a rate
of descent of approximately 1,600 feet (488 m) per minute. The crew
successfully restarted the #2 engine on the third attempt and executed a
one-engine landing at Miami at 09:46 After the landing the power from #2 engine
was insufficient for the aircraft to taxi; a tug had to be used to tow it to
the airport terminal, where the occupants disembarked normally. None of the 172
passengers and crew aboard were injured in the incident.
Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the incident was as follows: The omission of all the O-ring seals on the master chip detector assemblies leading to the loss of lubrication and damage to the airplane's three engines as a result of the failure of mechanics to follow the established and proper procedures for the installation of master chip detectors in the engine lubrication system, the repeated failure of supervisory personnel to require mechanics to comply strictly with the prescribed installation procedures, and the failure of Eastern Air Lines management to assess adequately the significance of similar previous occurrences and to act effectively to institute corrective action. Contributing to the cause of the incident was the failure of Federal Aviation Administration maintenance inspectors to assess the significance of the incidents involving master chip detectors and to take effective surveillance and enforcement measures to prevent the recurrence of the incidents.
— NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-84-04: Eastern Airlines, INC., Lockheed L-1011, N334EA
