Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

North Park memorial for 1978 PSA crash that killed 144

Relatives want more than small plaques

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/PSA-Flight-182-Memorial/149177461803120
Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/PSA-Flight-182-Memorial/149177461803120

Aside from the 22 newer homes and buildings in North Park, a newcomer to San Diego would never know that on September 25, 1978 a total of 144 people died as the result of a midair collision between a single-engine Cessna and a Boeing 727 airliner.

Loved ones of the 135 people onboard the 727, the two pilots onboard the Cessna, and the seven residents who perished hope to change that by building a memorial in North Park, 35 years after the deadliest airline crash in California's history. If approved, members envision a memorial designed by local landscape architects and artists at what is a narrow triangular street median located near the corner of Dwight and Boundary Streets, as first reported by San Diego Uptown News.

On Wednesday, March 26 the PSA 182 Committee will hold their first community outreach meeting at St. Patrick's Church in North Park to present their ideas to residents.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Myra Sulit Pelowski sits on the committee. Pelowski's brother Michael was one of the 144 people who died onboard Flight 182. According to Pelowski, her brother was the last one to board Flight 182 taking off from Sacramento. The graduate of Torrey Pines High School was returning to San Diego to begin his freshman year at UCSD after helping his sister get settled in at the University of California at Davis. At a gathering for the 35th anniversary, Pelowski says she was shocked to see that no permanent memorial had been placed at the site.

"This is still the largest air disaster in California and we want to also give people the opportunity to learn what happened here and understand how aviation safety has improved as a result of this tragedy.

"I was at UC Davis when a priest came to my dorm room on Monday late morning to give me the news. Even as he told me, it didn't seem real," wrote Pelowski in a March 22 email.

Pelowski and the other committee members which include family and friends of those on the planes and residents who witnessed the fiery crash from below want more than the small plaque outside the North Park Library.

"It is our mission as a committee to have a proper memorial listing all 144 souls lost that day placed at or immediately adjacent to the crash site," says Michael Bagnes, another member of the PSA Flight 182 committee.

"I was a 14 year old sophomore at St. Augustine High School when PSA Flight 182 plunged to the ground several blocks from where I stood watching. I was horrified as I not only saw but felt the devastating impact that appeared to me to be in the exact vicinity of my home. The impact point was about 200 yards east of my home; none of homes on my block were affected."

There are more than 1,300 likes on the group's Facebook page. According to a presentation given to a subcommittee for the North Park Planning Group, staff members from Council president Todd Gloria's office asked the group to consider placing a memorial at the library or some other location.

"This project is in its nascent phase," says Gloria's Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Keach.

Proponents have met with Gloria and are trying to work through potential obstacles.

"Our office has asked them to perform proper outreach in the community and try and look into fundraising should the project gain support. It is critical to get input from community stakeholder groups like homeowners adjacent to the proposed site, and the planning group.

"Potential concerns include funding, liability insurance, maintenance, traffic safety, and the fact that this is proposed for a residential area.

"Our office will continue to meet with the proponents and will connect them with the appropriate City staff depending on what form the project takes."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Classical Classical at The San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A concert I didn't know I needed
Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/PSA-Flight-182-Memorial/149177461803120
Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/PSA-Flight-182-Memorial/149177461803120

Aside from the 22 newer homes and buildings in North Park, a newcomer to San Diego would never know that on September 25, 1978 a total of 144 people died as the result of a midair collision between a single-engine Cessna and a Boeing 727 airliner.

Loved ones of the 135 people onboard the 727, the two pilots onboard the Cessna, and the seven residents who perished hope to change that by building a memorial in North Park, 35 years after the deadliest airline crash in California's history. If approved, members envision a memorial designed by local landscape architects and artists at what is a narrow triangular street median located near the corner of Dwight and Boundary Streets, as first reported by San Diego Uptown News.

On Wednesday, March 26 the PSA 182 Committee will hold their first community outreach meeting at St. Patrick's Church in North Park to present their ideas to residents.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Myra Sulit Pelowski sits on the committee. Pelowski's brother Michael was one of the 144 people who died onboard Flight 182. According to Pelowski, her brother was the last one to board Flight 182 taking off from Sacramento. The graduate of Torrey Pines High School was returning to San Diego to begin his freshman year at UCSD after helping his sister get settled in at the University of California at Davis. At a gathering for the 35th anniversary, Pelowski says she was shocked to see that no permanent memorial had been placed at the site.

"This is still the largest air disaster in California and we want to also give people the opportunity to learn what happened here and understand how aviation safety has improved as a result of this tragedy.

"I was at UC Davis when a priest came to my dorm room on Monday late morning to give me the news. Even as he told me, it didn't seem real," wrote Pelowski in a March 22 email.

Pelowski and the other committee members which include family and friends of those on the planes and residents who witnessed the fiery crash from below want more than the small plaque outside the North Park Library.

"It is our mission as a committee to have a proper memorial listing all 144 souls lost that day placed at or immediately adjacent to the crash site," says Michael Bagnes, another member of the PSA Flight 182 committee.

"I was a 14 year old sophomore at St. Augustine High School when PSA Flight 182 plunged to the ground several blocks from where I stood watching. I was horrified as I not only saw but felt the devastating impact that appeared to me to be in the exact vicinity of my home. The impact point was about 200 yards east of my home; none of homes on my block were affected."

There are more than 1,300 likes on the group's Facebook page. According to a presentation given to a subcommittee for the North Park Planning Group, staff members from Council president Todd Gloria's office asked the group to consider placing a memorial at the library or some other location.

"This project is in its nascent phase," says Gloria's Deputy Chief of Staff Katie Keach.

Proponents have met with Gloria and are trying to work through potential obstacles.

"Our office has asked them to perform proper outreach in the community and try and look into fundraising should the project gain support. It is critical to get input from community stakeholder groups like homeowners adjacent to the proposed site, and the planning group.

"Potential concerns include funding, liability insurance, maintenance, traffic safety, and the fact that this is proposed for a residential area.

"Our office will continue to meet with the proponents and will connect them with the appropriate City staff depending on what form the project takes."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Ramona musicians seek solution for outdoor playing at wineries

Ambient artists aren’t trying to put AC/DC in anyone’s backyard
Next Article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader