Background
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a major intrastate airline based in California. Flight 182 was a scheduled service from Sacramento (SMF) to San Diego (SAN), with an intermediate stop at Los Angeles (LAX). The aircraft involved were a Boeing 727-214, a three-engine jet airliner, and a privately operated Cessna 172, a single-engine light aircraft.
The Collision
On September 25, 1978, the two aircraft collided mid-air over San Diego. The accident resulted in the loss of both aircraft.
Aftermath
The crash was Pacific Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident. It remains the deadliest aviation disaster in California history. At the time, it was the deadliest air crash in the United States, a distinction it held until the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in May 1979. Excluding intentional acts, it currently ranks as the seventh-deadliest aviation accident on American soil.