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All the United States California San Diego PSA Flight 182 Crash Site
AO Edited

PSA Flight 182 Crash Site

An inconspicuous suburban street corner is the site of San Diego's worst air disaster.

San Diego, California

Added By
ImGolden
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The aftermath of the crash, 1978.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
The aftermath of the crash, 1978.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
  Philip J. Erdelsky
The crash site, present Day   Chloe93/cc by-sa 3.0
The 727 after the collision.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
Wreckage from the crash.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine high school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine High school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine high school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On 9:01 a.m. on September 25, 1978, a Boeing 727 and Cessna 172 collided over urban San Diego, creating one of the worst air disasters in California, and the deadliest in the United States at the time.

After the collision, the Boeing and all 135 of its passengers impacted the ground at a near-vertical angle at over 300 miles per hour, killing all on board, seven on the ground, and injuring an additional nine people on the ground. The Cessna's wreckage also came down nearby, killing two on board.

The impact destroyed a number of homes in the area, and almost all of the first responders to the crash site suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after working the disaster and witnessing the carnage in the weeks following.

A plaque at the San Diego Aerospace Museum and another beneath a tree outside the North Park Library serve as memorials to those killed. The only clue at the actual location is a slightly wavy texture as you drive over it.

Still, every year on September 25, the local news and family members hold a memorial service in remembrance of the souls lost that day.

Related Tags

Disasters Crash Site Airplanes Memorials

Know Before You Go

The crash site is at the intersection of Dwight and Nile Streets in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. There is no marker at the site, but you may notice the texture of the street is different on the corner due to the impact.

Community Contributors

Added By

ImGolden

Edited By

dbarak, wlrobboy, Meg, ccesare

  • dbarak
  • wlrobboy
  • Meg
  • ccesare

Published

September 26, 2018

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Sources
  • https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/2018/july/memories-that-will-never-go-away-the-crash-of-flight-182-and-its-aftermath/
  • https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7905.pdf
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSA_Flight_182
PSA Flight 182 Crash Site
3578 Nile St
San Diego, California, 92104
United States
32.743679, -117.120305
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San Diego

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Stories 8

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Places 45
Stories 8

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