For those who remember PSA 182 's crash in North Park

[Jimrob1]

I lived in North Park at the time of this horrible crash and I will never forget Sep 25, 1978. I was at work that morning. The crash was right around 9AM and it seems the news bulletins, or word of mouth about the crash was almost immediate. We all ran to the windows and could see all the black smoke over North Park.

People had radioes on at work and the news gave the neighborhood of North Park where the crashsite was. I did not live in an area that had been blockaded off, so I got home but many people had to show a drivers lic to get into their area. I know I have never seen so many police, fire personnel and rescue vehicles as that day. Sadly there were no survivors of the crash and then to have all those deaths on the ground.

I don't remember if it was that evening or the next day but several of us walked over to the crashsite. I have always regretted doing so but I guess humans are curious types. It was blockaded off to say the least and their were crowds of people all around. We stood outside these blockades but could clearly see ahead. We saw way to much and it was very graphic. We were told by the police that we had to leave immediately. If we did not we would all be arrested for sightseeing at a disaster area. Which is understandable we had no business being there in the first place.

I believe there were reports the pilot may have tried to crash the plane on the fwy rather than hit a neighborhood. That may very well be so. I know the plane hit nose first and exploded making the crash site somewhat contained. Had it hit in a way where it skidded thru the neighborhoods. Then the crash site would have been much larger, and the fatalities would have been much higher.

It certainly was a sad day for San Diego and I know I will never forget it. Its true one would never know what tragedy happened, in the Dwight Nile neighborhood in 1978 if they visited today.

[Sealtite]

I was there when this happened:
USAir Flight 427 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It happened when I was a teenager, and I've flown once since then. A flight from Pittsburgh to Florida to visit relatives. I wound up renting a car and driving back north because I couldn't bring myself to get back on another airplane. I tried, but I just can't do it. Incidentally I have a difficult time eating lasagna as well.

[miguelblanko]

I was 20 years old at the time and had just had my tire changed on my Whisper Chipper.
We were just making a comment about how clear the day was as we entered my Asplundh Tree Trimming Truck.
As I stepped up to the running board, I heard a crunching/deflation sound above. We were on the north side of Boundary and as I heard the impact, I witnessed a shiney piece of equipment fluttering to the ground. It didn't quite register at first but when I saw the airliner catch fire where the wing and the body join, my mouth went dry and my heart rate sped up.
I could not believe what I was seeing.
The PSA Jet seemed to slightly pull its nose up, then slowly turned down showing me its belly. I looked down and up 2 or 3 times and said to my co worker " ****, its going to hit all those houses"!
As it slowly nosedived it finally hit the ground creating an brief orange mushroom cloud. I could see the debris in the explosion as the cloud began to turn black. (Will continue later)

[echo42]

I remember and will never forget. This happened about six blocks from my elementary school, St Patrick's. I was in sixth grade when it happened and the explosion was incredible. Our teacher threw up the blinds in the classroom and it literally looked like a mushroom cloud. We couldn't see much else but heard the sirens within a minute.

Within a few minutes parents started rushing to the school to pick kids up. Eventually the principal got on the loudspeaker and informed us what happened. School was cut early that day. Kids were only allowed to leave with a parent. My dad phoned it in, he was at work and it would take hours to pick me up. I told Sister Margerette, the principal I had a paper route and needed to get home to start my job-lies, lies, lies.

So Sister Margrette let me and the rest of the latch-key kids leave without a parent escort with the understanding that we would go straight home and not go near the accident site. Yeah right. Every kid during this era had a BMX bike, and we got on ours, staged in an alley near 32nd and Redwood. It was there that we met up with our friends from McKinely elementary and planned our expedition into the crash site. We had scouts, alternative routes, and contingency plans all set up.

We never got in, they had it sealed off very well. I ended up running into my step brother who was a brand new SDPD officer. He said he was going to beat my ***** if I didn't get home. We ended going over to St Augustine high school where they set up a temp morgue. They had that pretty locked down as well, but I remember seeing police and firemen carrying in black bags. Some the size of bodies some not. That moment ruined my fascination with the whole event.

I ended up attending St Augustine a few years later and could never sit in that gym more than a minute without remembering what happened.

I still have property in the area and go to North Park often. The crash site is nothing really to look at. I think someone had mentioned the idea of a park or memorial but I don't think it ever got off the ground. You cant tell exactly where it is though. The houses in that area are 1920-40 craftsman style houses with wood siding. But in that area there is 70's type construction with with stucco and plain box design.

[Harrier]

Originally Posted by I Remember

At that time several homes were wiped out. At first, the location was unclear so the police were sent to the wrong area. Then there was looting of the wreckage and deceased passengers. A young man was practicing flying a small plane which struck the passenger plane and they both went down. The small plane crashed at an intersection north of University Ave and the passenger plane hit south of University Avenue hitting homes. This was a horrible disaster.

PSA 182 hit the small airplane - not the other way around. the NTSB report stated that the primary cause of the crash was the PSA crew inability to maintain visual separation from the small aircraft.
Untitled

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by echo42

I still have property in the area and go to North Park often. The crash site is nothing really to look at. I think someone had mentioned the idea of a park or memorial but I don't think it ever got off the ground. You cant tell exactly where it is though.

I've never seen it, but it looks like there has been a plaque at the site since 1998.

File:Psa182plaque.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

I've never seen it, but it looks like there has been a plaque at the site since 1998.

File:Psa182plaque.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WOW!
Didn't know that was there!
The thing about the crash is nobody ever talks about it!
It's sad moment in San Diego history that effected all of us!

[Ghengis]

I remember it like it was yesterday. Was stationed as a Swabby there and living off base near University when a buddy came in and described what he had just witnessed to us riding down University Ave on a city bus. I can still picture the look on his face as he tried to relay the incident he had just witnessed. Later, another aquaintence who lived virtually across the street from where the wreckage hit described in horiffic detail the body that was thrown through his front door. I recall how the community that I found myself belonging to was kicked in the stomach and left in shock for days /weeks afterwards. Still often think of those souls on that plane and the loss that their loved ones experienced.