What happened
A recently discharged employee of USAir boarded Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 after leaving a farewell message with friends. This individual bypassed standard security checkpoints, taking advantage of FAA rules that permitted airline employees to do so, and carried aboard a borrowed .44 caliber pistol. A note found in the wreckage threatened his former supervisor at USAir, who was also a passenger on the flight.
At 16:13, the pilot reported to Oakland ARTCC that he had an emergency and that gunshots had been fired inside the aircraft. Within 25 seconds, controllers observed the flight begin a rapid descent from which it did not recover. Ground witnesses reported that the airplane remained intact with no evidence of fire before striking the ground in a steep nose-down attitude.
The cockpit voice recorder tape revealed sounds of a scuffle and several shots apparently fired in or near the cockpit. The pistol was recovered from the wreckage with six expended rounds.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage, the cockpit voice recorder, and the note found on the passenger. The analysis confirmed the presence of the firearm and the sequence of events leading to the crash.