PSA Honors 8 Workers Who Died in Jet Crash

With the roar of passenger jets in the background, the eight PSA and USAir employees who died in the crash of a PSA jetliner in Central California were honored Friday in a ceremony held on the airport Tarmac, outside a hangar and “work home” of the victims.

The site was specially picked for the memorial ceremony, said PSA President Russell Ray, who was joined by about 200 other PSA and USAir executives and a Navy chaplain at the brief morning service held under sunny skies at the east end of the Lindbergh Field runway.

“It seems all too obviously fitting that we are here in our work home,” Ray told the gathering of PSA employees and family of Gregg N. Lindamood, pilot of doomed Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, which crashed Monday just west of Paso Robles, killing 43 people.

Pausing briefly while the noise from a departing passenger jet drowned out his comments, Ray said that the aircraft noise and airport activity were a source of comfort to the victims.

“These sounds of aviation that had to be a source of joy and fulfillment to our friends, (the sounds) are for the good of PSA, the good of USAir and the good of aviation,” Ray said.

Randy Malin, USAir executive vice-president, said that the crash has strengthened ties between the two airlines. PSA, a wholly owned subsidiary of USAir, merged with the parent company in May.

“Tragedy has brought this airline family together,” said Malin, who added that each of the employees on Flight 1771 “made the supreme sacrifice while in the service of our company.”

The ceremony began at 10:30 a.m., and at 10:45 a.m. every employee of USAir and PSA, including those in the air, observed a moment of silence. During the memorial service, several PSA employees broke down in quiet sobs and were comforted by other grief-stricken workers.

Behind the mourners in a nearby PSA maintenance hangar was a BAe 146-200 jet--the same kind of plane that was involved in the crash--surrounded by scaffolding.

In addition to Lindamood, the other PSA employees who died in the crash were co-pilot James Nunn, flight attendants Debbie Neil, Debra W. Vuylsteke, Julie Gottesman and John Conte. Doug Arthur, PSA’s chief pilot in Los Angeles, was a passenger on the flight and died in the crash. USAir employee Ray Thomson also died in the wreckage.