With flowers in hand, San Diegans gathered in North Park Thursday to pay tribute to the 144 lives lost in an unforgettable tragedy that struck the community exactly 36 years ago to the day.
On Sept. 25, 1978, PSA Flight 182 crashed midair with a single-engine Cessna over North Park, causing the deadliest aircraft disaster to date in California’s history.
A total of 144 people were killed in the collision, including 135 people aboard PSA Flight 182, two men aboard the Cessna and seven people on the ground. A total of 22 homes in the surrounding North Park area were destroyed or damaged as the Boeing 727 hit the ground.
The wreckage came to rest near Boundary and Felton streets.
Though the crash happened nearly four decades ago, the victims lost in the tragedy are never forgotten.
Each year, locals gather at the site of the crash and set up a makeshift memorial that includes notes, flowers, candles, victim’s photos and newspaper clippings.
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Thursday was no different as San Diegans stopped in the area to pay their respects. A list of the victims’ names hung on a gate surrounded by colorful flowers as locals quietly read the sheet.
Earlier this year, residents involved in a PSA Flight 182 committee pushed for a permanent memorial to be erected at the site of the crash. Right now, the closest memorial is a plaque beneath a tree at the North Park library.
