Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
about 4 hours ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
about 6 hours ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
about 23 hours ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
2 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California San Diego PSA Flight 182 Crash Site
AO Edited

PSA Flight 182 Crash Site

An inconspicuous suburban street corner is the site of San Diego's worst air disaster.

San Diego, California

Added By
ImGolden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The aftermath of the crash, 1978.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
The aftermath of the crash, 1978.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
  Philip J. Erdelsky
The crash site, present Day   Chloe93/cc by-sa 3.0
The 727 after the collision.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
Wreckage from the crash.   San Diego Air & Space Museum/public domain
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine high school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine High school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Nearby Memorial at St. Augustine high school where crash victims were first brought   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On 9:01 a.m. on September 25, 1978, a Boeing 727 and Cessna 172 collided over urban San Diego, creating one of the worst air disasters in California, and the deadliest in the United States at the time.

After the collision, the Boeing and all 135 of its passengers impacted the ground at a near-vertical angle at over 300 miles per hour, killing all on board, seven on the ground, and injuring an additional nine people on the ground. The Cessna's wreckage also came down nearby, killing two on board.

The impact destroyed a number of homes in the area, and almost all of the first responders to the crash site suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after working the disaster and witnessing the carnage in the weeks following.

A plaque at the San Diego Aerospace Museum and another beneath a tree outside the North Park Library serve as memorials to those killed. The only clue at the actual location is a slightly wavy texture as you drive over it.

Still, every year on September 25, the local news and family members hold a memorial service in remembrance of the souls lost that day.

Related Tags

Disasters Crash Site Airplanes Memorials

Know Before You Go

The crash site is at the intersection of Dwight and Nile Streets in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. There is no marker at the site, but you may notice the texture of the street is different on the corner due to the impact.

Community Contributors

Added By

ImGolden

Edited By

dbarak, wlrobboy, Meg, ccesare

  • dbarak
  • wlrobboy
  • Meg
  • ccesare

Published

September 26, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://sandiegohistory.org/journal/2018/july/memories-that-will-never-go-away-the-crash-of-flight-182-and-its-aftermath/
  • https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7905.pdf
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSA_Flight_182
PSA Flight 182 Crash Site
3578 Nile St
San Diego, California, 92104
United States
32.743679, -117.120305
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bali Hito

San Diego, California

miles away

Balboa Park Moreton Bay Fig Tree

San Diego, California

miles away

Zoro Garden

San Diego, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Diego

San Diego

California

Places 45
Stories 8

Nearby Places

Bali Hito

San Diego, California

miles away

Balboa Park Moreton Bay Fig Tree

San Diego, California

miles away

Zoro Garden

San Diego, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Diego

San Diego

California

Places 45
Stories 8

Related Places

  • The mass grave.

    Flagstaff, Arizona

    TWA-United Grand Canyon Collision Mass Grave

    A mass grave for victims of an airline disaster that led to much-needed safety improvements for commercial flights.

  • Memorial, across from the airport

    Utqiagvik, Alaska

    Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial

    Commemorating the lives of a renowned humorist and a famed aviator who died in a plane crash in northern Alaska.

  • Tributes to Paul and Shiela Wellstone

    Eveleth, Minnesota

    Paul Wellstone Memorial

    A memorial to the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, who died at this location, along with seven others, in a plane crash in 2002.

  • Kovach, Alberta

    Memorial Lakes

    Three pristine alpine lakes named in memorial of an accident that resulted in three different plane crashes.

  • Memorial

    Kowen, Australia

    1940 Canberra Air Disaster Memorial

    This memorial marks the site of not only of a tragic wreck, but an event that led to the downfall of a wartime government.

  • Kurana Aeroplane Crash Memorial

    Mount Macedon, Australia

    Kurana Aeroplane Crash Memorial

    A monument commemorating the lives lost when a plane crashed into Mount Macedon in 1948.

  • Remnants.

    Bedford, Virginia

    Sharp Top Crash Site

    A glimpse into the sacrifices of military members during World War II.

  • Ballum, Netherlands

    Dixie Flyer Crash

    Found in the waddenzee, this propeller has been put on public display as a reminder of the Second World War.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.