San Diegans remembered the lives lost after the Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 crash, 40 years following the tragedy in North Park. At the intersection of Dwight and Nile streets, where Flight 182 hit the ground, victims' family and friends, state and local officials and people paying their respects, gathered for an honor ceremony.
All 144 names were read aloud and written with chalk on the sidewalk. Councilman Chris Ward presented a plaque with the names of each victim, and vowed to continue working with a committee to get a permanent memorial in North Park.
On the morning of September 25, 1978, Flight 182 was descending on San Diego International Airport when it collided with a private Cessna 172 airplane over North Park. The Boeing 727 crashed near the intersection of Dwight and Nile streets while the Cessna landed near the intersection of Polk Avenue and 32nd Street. In addition to the 135 killed aboard Flight 182 and the two Cessna co-pilots, the crash killed seven people on the ground.
In El Cajon Tuesday night, Grossmont College plans to screen a 2010 documentary film about the crash, "Return to Dwight and Nile," at 6p.m. After the screening, first responders, surviving family members and former PSA employees will share their memories of the day 40 years ago.
Photo Credit: Sara Bartlett, KOGO News
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