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43 die in Pacific Southwest Airline crash in California (man shot pilots)

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On December 7, 1987, the British Aerospace 146-200A, registration N350PS, was intentionally crashed in San Luis Obispo County near Cayucos, after being hijacked by a passenger.

All 43 passengers and crew aboard the plane died, five of whom, including the two pilots, were presumably shot dead before the plane crashed. The perpetrator, David Burke, was a disgruntled former employee of USAir, the parent company of Pacific Southwest Airlines. The crash was the second-worst mass murder in Californian history, after the similar crash of Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 in 1964. It was the second fatal crash of PSA, after Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182.

Historical Significance

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Events Before

  1. Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

    The Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members in one of the most devastating disasters in space exploration history.

  2. Bill Veeck dies

    Bill Veeck baseball executive, known for american baseball executive, died on 1986-01-02. William Louis Veeck Jr.

  3. Aruba gains independence from the Netherlands Antilles

    The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

  4. Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino

    Inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Chuck Berry; James Brown; Ray Charles; Sam Cooke; Fats Domino; The Everly Brothers; Buddy Holly; Jerry Lee Lewis; Elvis Presley; Little Richard; Robert Johnson; Jimmie Rodgers; Jimmy Yancey; Alan Freed; John Hammond; and Sam Phillips

  5. Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, includin

    Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher in space

Events After

  1. Czech-born tennis star Hana Mandlíková becomes an Australian Citizen

    Czech-born tennis star Hana Mandlíková becomes an Australian Citizen

  2. English Earl of St Andrews George Windsor marries Canadian academic Sylvana Tomaselli

    English Earl of St Andrews George Windsor marries Canadian academic Sylvana Tomaselli

  3. Panamanian General Manuel Noriega is indicted by a US federal grand jury for drug trafficking and racketeering

    Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was a Panamanian military officer and politician who was the de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989.

  4. The Soviet Union begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan

    The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state from 1978 to 1992.

  5. Britain's Parliament passes Section 28 as law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed in 2001/2004.

    Section 28 refers to a part of the Local Government Act 1988, which stated that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material...

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Bill Veeck dies

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 7, 1987?
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On December 7, 1987, the British Aerospace 146-200A, registration N350PS, was intentionally crashed in San Luis Obispo County near Cayucos, after being hijacked by a passenger. All 43 passengers and crew aboard the plane died, five of whom, including the two pilots, were presumably shot dead before the plane crashed.
Why is 43 die in Pacific Southwest Airline crash in California (man shot pilots) significant?
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Explore More

December 7 in HistoryYear 1987