Saved 81 After Plane Crash
Remembering Rikers Rescue

By REUVEN BLAU

Three relatives of the victims and the survivors of a plane crash on Rikers Island 50 years ago gently placed a flower wreath near the site of the accident as a lone bagpiper concluded the memorial ceremony on Feb. 27.

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane REMEMBERING RIKERS CRASH-IN: Three relatives of the victims and the survivors of a plane crash on Rikers Island 50 years ago gather near the site to honor the officers and inmates who helped save 81 passengers from the flaming aircraft. Pictured are: Cathy Pallman (left), Sibylle Baughan, and Ricky Rosich.

The crash, which has largely been forgotten, changed the life of Ricky Rosich. His grandfather, Abraham Ball, was saved from the flaming wreck by Correction Officers and inmates who rushed to the scene. Mr. Ball was one of the 81 passengers pulled from the plane after it slammed onto Rikers Island on Feb. 1, 1957.

'Might Not Be Here'

"I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for him," Mr. Rosich said, referring to his grandfather. "All my memories as a child were always doing something with my grandparents; they were always around."

The Northeastern Airlines Flight 823 was headed to Miami before the plane crashed after taking off from LaGuardia Airport.

Mr. Rosich said his grandfather recalled airport staff de-icing the aircraft several times before taking off on a night when most flights had already been canceled. "He remembered the plane hitting something," Mr. Rosich added. "Next thing he knew, he was in the hospital."

The plane burst into flames after it struck the ground near a Rikers Island tree nursery and stopped in the middle of a field next to a poultry farm, killing 20.

Rev. E. Fredrick Proelss, Rikers' resident Episcopal chaplain, was the first on the scene. Joined by his son and house attendant, they helped carry many to safety. A group of Correction Officers and 57 inmates also ran to the burning aircraft.

Rushed Back to Scene

The Chief-Leader/Michael O'Kane RUSHED TO THE SCENE: Retired Correction Capt. Horace Duncan heard about the Feb. 1, 1957 plane crash that killed 20 on his car radio just after leaving Rikers Island. 'We thought the plane had hit a cellblock,' he recalled.

For retired Correction Capt. Horace Duncan, the crash occurred right after he had left Rikers upon completing his tour. He heard the news on his car radio and rushed back to help. "We thought the plane had hit a cellblock," he recalled, pointing to a chapel that now stands near the site.

Mr. Duncan noted that his supervisor, Assistant Deputy Warden James C. Harrison, made the controversial decision of turning to the inmates for assistance. "He was the real hero," Mr. Duncan said, referring to his old boss. "None of us would've taken inmates out by themselves."

For his actions, Mr. Harrison was awarded the Correction Department's Medal of Honor by Mayor Robert F. Wagner. Many of the inmates were rewarded with reduced sentences.

'Tested Our Humanity'

Last week, Correction Commissioner Martin F. Horn called the anniversary a "bittersweet" occasion. "It is always striking when we consider the way in which human tragedy reaches out and connects us in unexpected and seemingly random ways," he told the small crowd gathered in front of the James H. Thomas Center. "Ways in which our humanity is often tested, and thankfully, often proven."

The Commissioner noted that the city's Correction Officers are called New York's Boldest. "They are also New York's Noblest," he said. "One key to being an effective officer is knowing the inmates under your care. Fifty years ago this month our officers clearly knew their inmates. And when it came to bringing inmates along to assist in the rescue ... the officers chose well."

One of those officers was current Warden Kathleen Mulvey's father, James W. Mulvey, who participated in the rescue.

Ms. Mulvey joined the department six years after her father passed away in 1979 and is now in charge of the agency's Criminal Justice Bureau. "I think he would be very pleased," she said, referring to the ceremony. "I think he was very proud of all the efforts on that day."

Reminder in Her Office

He received a meritorious award for his actions as well. "It's actually hanging in my office," Ms. Mulvey said. "Since I'm following in his footsteps I figured that would be a good place to put it."

Mr. Rosich's grandfather and many of the other passengers were on their way to a vacation in Florida. According to reports, Mr. Ball ran back into the plane to help save some of the other injured passengers.

Mr. Rosich said that act helped inspire him to become a New York City Police Officer.

But the flames burned 85 percent of Mr. Ball's body, which prevented him from returning to his job at the Post Office, Mr. Rosich noted. Despite never fully recovering, Mr. Rosich added, "He lived a great life."

After the crash, help had to reach the island by ferry. In 1966, a bridge was built connecting the island to the mainland, making the area more accessible. "But still to this day [we're] dependent on that one bridge," Mr. Horn noted. "Rikers Island remains a very vulnerable location at which to house 10,000 inmates."

Scaling Down Rikers

He used the occasion to highlight the department's plan to "diminish" the city's dependency on Rikers Island. "It will eliminate 4,000 of the inmate beds and even reduce the total size of the city's jail system," he remarked. "And it will place several thousand inmates closer to their communities throughout the city on the mainland, closer to help."

The ceremony was arranged by longtime department historian Thomas McCarthy, who formerly served as the agency's chief spokesman. He pointed out that the area near the crash site has since been developed to house more inmates. "You see this building?" he said pointing behind him, "Think trees."

He cited the opening lines of Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities" in explaining the crash as a classic contradiction. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," he said. "It was a time of human tragedy and a time of human triumph."

The few who attended said their relatives would have been honored. "I think it's a great idea to remember the people who passed away," Mr. Rosich said.

Mom Acted As Nurse

Sibylle Baughan, the daughter of Reverend Proelss, drove for three hours to attend. She grew up on Rikers Island, but was away at boarding school the night of the crash. "I came home the next day," she said. "There were no schools on the island."

She remembered her mother cleaning up the house. "Because my mother took in all the people and bandaged them up," she recalled. "And she fed them and she just took care of them."

She added, "I remember my brother saying, 'people actually were screaming at us looking for taxis, and we had a very hard time explaining to them that there were no taxis here.'''