Pacific Southwest Airlines - Incidents and Accidents

Incidents and Accidents

• On March 5, 1974, a PSA NAMC YS-11 training aircraft's engines failed, resulting in the aircraft crashing in the desert near Borrego Springs, California. The plane was doing a simulated landing stall. All of the four crew members survived the crash. The aircraft was written off.

• On September 25, 1978, PSA Flight 182, a Boeing 727-200, crashed in San Diego while trying to land at Lindbergh Field (San Diego International Airport), California, after colliding with a Cessna 172 operated by Gibbs Flite Center. The 727 crashed at the intersection of Dwight and Nile. The Cessna fell a few blocks away. All 135 on board the PSA were killed, as were the two people on the Cessna and seven on the ground. At the time, it was the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. history. A lawsuit argued by Gary Aguirre resulted in a verdict against PSA for damages.

• On December 7, 1987, PSA Flight 1771, a BAe 146, bound for San Francisco International Airport from Los Angeles International Airport, was cruising above the central California coast when it suddenly entered a high-speed nosedive and crashed on a cattle ranch near the small town of Cayucos. Investigations determined that an angry USAir employee, David Burke, recently fired for theft, had armed himself and boarded the flight, which was carrying his former manager. After writing a note on an air sickness bag, Burke shot his ex-manager, a flight attendant, both pilots and possibly the airline's chief pilot, causing the airplane to crash. All 43 aboard the jetliner—38 passengers and 5 crew members—perished.