Bob Free

Who is Bob Free?

Bob Free was a photographer/reporter for the Cincinnati Enquirer and covered the crashes of American Airlines Flight 383 on November 8,1965 and TWA Flight 128 on November 20,1967. You can see two of his photos from TWA Flight 128 by clicking here http://public.fotki.com/Rollie08/twa-flight-128/trans-world-airline/twa12821.html and here http://public.fotki.com/Rollie08/twa-flight-128/trans-world-airline/twa128200011.html . Mr. Free was well respected in the Greater Cincinnati area for his uncanny ability to cover news events by capturing the moment with his camera. Bob was invovled in an interesting incident during his coverage of TWA Flight 128 as related to us by Harvey Pelley on June 6, 2009, but first, a little background is required. On the evening of November 6, 1967, just two weeks before Flight 128, TWA Flight 159 was departing the Greater Cincinnati Airport on Runway 27 Left bound for Los Angeles, California when the flight crew felt an unusual bump as their Boeing 707 passed a Delta DC-9 mired in mud adjacent to the runway. The First Officier tried to abort the takeoff but failed after applying reverse engines, full braking capability, and actuating the airliner spoilers. The plane skidded off the end of Runway 27L and came to a stop. All passengers and crew members were able to escape the broken airliner. See http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR68-AK.pdf for the official NTSB report. The airport authorities were able to immediately secure the area around the incident and blocked reporters from the site.Then on November 20, 1967, TWA Flight 128 crashed short of Runway 18 and the local law enforcement officials tried the same tactic of barring the press from the crash site. Along came Bob Free "with camera in hand" {Source: Kentucky Post and Times Star} with instructions from his bosses at the Cincinnati Enquirer to get the story even at risk of being arrested. Bob was assured by the Enquirer that they would protect him by filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the authorities for blocking press access to the story. Bob tested the perimeter security as instructed and was promptly arrested by Lookout Heights police officiers.Bob requested that his one phone call be made to the Enquirer and informed his arresting officier that his newspaper company was going to defend him by filing a lawsuit under the First Amendment protection of the United States Consitution. Needless to say, it wasn't long before Bob Free was onsite, with camera, ready to provide the story of TWA Flight 128 to the people of Greater Cincinnati through his lense.Article Source: Harvey Pelley