ONA CREW TESTIMONY - EVERYBODY SURVIVED THE ONA BIRD STRIKE ACCIDENT


ONA JFK BIRD STRIKE 12 NOVEMBER 1975 BY BEN CONATSER
Excerpts of Tony Destroīs interview with Ben Conatser

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BEN CONATSER

Drama with a successful ending - featuring unique photage by Tony Destro - The horrible day that N1032F, DC-10-30CF had the bird strike at JFK and the aircraft was totally destroyed
BEN CONATSERīS VIDEO
Sample of video, complete video to be shown shortly
on the ONA Crew Web by Ben Conatser


ONA Bird Strike
I filmed the take-off roll and Douglas used part of my 
film in a rejected take-off training film for large air-
craft. I have a copy plus story about what happened 
from the start to the finish. My film was used by the FAA 
to clear the flight crew from wrongdoing. I can supply 
with a copy of the film.  
Ben Conatser
Photo copyright www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation
Douglas DC-10 (N1032F) New York, 12/11/1975
TONY DESTRO INTERVIEWING BEN CONATSER

Ben Conatser was sitting in the cockpit observer seat
as the accident was taking place. He shot a video that
will eventually be published on the ONA Crew Web.

Excerpts from the interview

Ben was a flight engineer, deadheading. He was filming
the flight and did not have his seat belt fastened.
When the plane stopped and main gear collapsed he flew out
of his seat and hit a console. The camera flew out of his
hand and hit someone in the cockpit in the head and cut him.
At that point the camera stopped rolling, the batteries had
fallen out.
Ben said one of the pilots opened a cockpit window and said;
"Oh f*ck we are on fire". He said he opened the cockpit
door and saw all the overhead compartments opened and stuff
came out and fell all over the floors. The cabin seats were
all pushed forward. The patrons between the cabins had collapsed.
He said he opened Door L-1, and when it opened the fire was
too close. Door R-1 was opened, and 1 girl went down. He said
once he saw that she made it down, he helped get 30 or 40 other
people out. Then went back to cockpit to look in there.
One of the pilots was escaping down the window rope.




ONA Flight 032 left the gate at 12:56 EST for a ferry flight to Jeddah via Frankfurt. The passengers were all ONA employees ... Charlie Mott, Cindy and Joe Moser and Louis Hoyt
were deadheading on board the flight -
Ben Conatser was sitting in the cockpit jumpseat

Help make this thrilling documentation!
There were many many ONA crew on board that plane. Were you one of them? Whatīs your story? Did you have a roommate that was on the flight? What were your feelings?
Help composing ONA documentary on the accident!
Answer questionnaires and submit photos, stories and info to
ONA Crew Archives.

1. COCKPIT 2. F/Aīs 3. D/H

Douglas DC-10 (N1032F) New York, 12/11/1975

In 1975, an Overseas National Airways DC-10-30 was destroyed as the result of ingesting several gulls into one of its engines during its takeoff roll at Kennedy Airport. The resultant catastrophic explosive disintegration of the engine caused the wing and side of the aircraft to burn intensely even before the aircraft came to rest beyond the end of the runway.


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