EL CAJON (NEWS 8) — In 1978, the PSA Flight 182 crash killed 144 people and scattered wreckage across North Park, San Diego. On Tuesday surviving family members and first responders came together for a commemoration event at Grossmont College.
For the 40th anniversary of the crash, the community college screened a 2010 documentary film about the crash called "Return to Dwight and Nile." The film by David Fresina is named for the streets where the plane wreckage fell.
“I want this event to honor those that were lost and those that suffered, and I want a new generation to appreciate what happened that day so that the past is remembered and not forgotten,” said Grossmont history instructor Martin Ennis.
After the screening, first responders, surviving family members and former Pacific Southwest Airlines employees shared their memories of the crash providing insight into the events of September 25, 1978.
Earlier on Tuesday in North Park a memorial was held where a plaque honoring those that died was unveiled at the crash site. However, it's only there temporarily.
A witness to the crash spoke with News 8 Tuesday. Michael Bagnas was 14 years old that day and as a member of the PSA Flight 182 Historical Memorial Committee feels strongly there should be a permanent memorial in his former neighborhood.
“You just think of all those people on that plane,” said Bagnas. “It was a horrible, horrible thing to witness; that's why I think there should be a memorial.”
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