In mememoriam PSA182

[Dont call me Shirley]

Thursday marks 30 years since the San Diego midair collision.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSA_Flight_182

http://www.jetpsa.com/memorial/memorial.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LzVyVPFGCI

Nearly 40 PSA employees lost their lives, over one percent of the company's work force.




I still remember coming home from high school and hearing about the crash on the radio. Since it was hours after the accident, the announcer referred to "The San Diego air disaster"; I first thought that a plane must have crashed short of the runway on Lindbergh Field's famously tricky approach.

While many posters on this board were too young to have memories of the tragedy (or weren't
born yet!) I'd like to ask those who do remember to share their recollections.

 

[mike33]

How do you share something like that tragic day. I was hired in LAX with many of those fellow employees that were coming to Scrippts Ranch training or coming home from their overnites. I remember sitting in front of ops waiting for 182 when we saw a billow of smoke coming from North Park. In those days they had a short approach which was eliminated after the crash. We had no idea until 10 minutes later what had happened. I just remember the crew bus empty on its runs to the crew lounge. That was erie since the base was in san and the bus always had people on it.

I remember that they eliminated the crew lineup that was posted in ops for the day, after that incident, which had all the system crew names on a 20 ft roll of teletype where you could find out where your friends were overniting thru-out the system.

I remember Bob Baxter because he organized the station to help at the scene and set up lines of communication for all including the families. He was promoted after that and deservedly so.

So many familiar faces that we forget about over the years.

It's always good to talk about it every few years, but can never talk about the details of the scene

R.I.P.

 

[HPearlyretiree]

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a very good set of stories up on their page about PSA182. Including links to their 10, 20 and 25 year pieces on the crash.

PSA Anniversary Page


I still cringe when I think of that day.

 

[PSA1979]

My Dad was in management at the time of the crash, and he was driving to the airport from East County. He always drove on Interstate 8 to work and that day when he went past North Park, just minutes after the crash, he knew immediately that one of his own had gone down. The next few days were a blurr for him, being in the crew room hugging friends and crying over the ones they had lost. PSA was like a huge family, and everyone who was working there or had a family member that worked there had a huge hole in their heart from the loss of so many of their extended family.

Even though I had not yet been hired, I knew so many, including a good friend from high school. My little sister, who was in high school at the time, cleaned the house of one of the flight attendants who lived just across the way. We grieved for years for those who's life ended so suddenly and so tragically.

Those that were lost will never be forgotten. God Bless the surviving family members of the once Great PSA!!

 

[Planemx]

My thoughts go out to the surviving families of those affected by that day. It was a black day for San Diego and the gem of the industry that was PSA. Being from SAN I think about it every time I see a plane arrive/depart from Lindbergh....RIP.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a very good set of stories up on their page about PSA182. Including links to their 10, 20 and 25 year pieces on the crash.

PSA Anniversary Page

Thanks for the links. Reading them and ones here http://www.10news.com/news/17552353/detail.html
makes one appreciate how deep the scars of that tragic day still run in SD.