Carol Gould at Antwerp

Former Flying Tiger flight attendant Carol Ann Gould will attend the 2012 Flying Tiger Pilots Association annual convention at Monterey,  California on May 10 through 12. She has attended their annual convention a number of times in the past and has been a speaker with reference to her experience with Flying Tiger 923. This time she will be passing out cards to remind everyone of the 50th Anniversary and our memorial web site Many of those attending the Flying Tiger convention have long-time connections and friendships with Carol and others of the former crew of that flight.

For details on that annual meeting, click here: Flying Tiger Pilots Association.

Robin H. Burkey Pestarino,  current representative of stewardesses on the FTPA board of directors, wrote this message to us about Carol’s previous attendance:

FLTA Flight Attendant Rep

Former flight attendant Carol Ann Gould will attend the Flying Tiger Pilots Association annual convention at Monterey,    (pix of Carol on gangway)    California on May 10 through 12. She has attended their annual convention a number of times in the past and has been a speaker with reference to her experience with Flying Tiger 923. This time she will be passing out cards to remind everyone of the 50th Anniversary and our memorial web site Many of those attending the Flying Tiger convention have long-time connections and friendships with Carol and others of the former crew of that flight.

For details on that annual meeting, click here: Flying Tiger Pilots Association.

Robin H. Burkey Pestarino,  current representative of stewardesses on the FTPA board of directors, wrote this message to us about Carol’s previous attendance:

I invited Carol to be the keynote speaker at one of the Flying Tiger Line Pilots Association’s reunions. She brought many of the newspaper clippings, pictures and articles written about the ditching with her to share with us. Because many of our retired crew knew the crew Carol had ditched with, the entire event was bitter-sweet. Carol stood there and told us one of the most horrific stories any flight crew could imagine and she did it with a clear voice and a dry eye – unlike many of us in the audience. Here’s a powerful story of life, death and determination. Carol is one of the dearest people I know, she has had many tests in her life and she is still kind, loving and wonderful. This is a terrific website and I am very glad you have kept this heroic story from disappearing from aviation history.

Robin H. Burkey Pestarino
Senior Flight Attendant, FTL 1967 -1979
Flight Attendant Representative, FTLPA

Carol Ann is a lucky woman in many ways, but she can hardly be considered a poster child for living a charmed life. She survived the ditching of Flying Tiger 923 and soon married her boyfriend, Eddie Hansen. Flying Tiger 923 was her last flight. Carol and her husband subsequently had two children and created a happy home in northern New Jersey.

Tradgically, ten years after Flying Tiger crash and their marriage, she and her husband were both struck down by a hit-and-run driver. It happened to be Halloween night. Carol was severely injured and her husband, Eddie, died. From there on, she was a single Mom taking care of two children. She developed a travel tour business (guided tours worldwide) and gave many public presentations promoting her business. Through her travel business and speaking, she developed many friendships and contacts.

One of those, a personal friend, John Crotty, has been so intrigued by her story that he prepared a short presentation on her life as it related to the disaster. The title of the presentation is ”A Forgiven Disaster”.

John Crotty wrote very recently:  “I am a close friend of Carol Hansen (Gould).   Back in 2009 I wrote a short story for Carol and her kids and grandkids. I wanted  them to have a story that gave her kids  the real feel for what happened to her on that  flight, and how great a lady their mom and grandma was.”

Go to “A Forgiven Disaster.”