Plane Crash San Diego: 2025 Cessna & 1978 PSA Disaster Facts

For anyone living near Montgomery Field in San Diego, the roar of an engine going silent is a sound you never forget. On May 22, 2025, that silence was followed by a crash that killed six people, marking the deadliest plane crash in the city since a 1978 mid-air collision that claimed 144 lives.

Deadliest San Diego plane crash: PSA Flight 182 (1978) – 144 total deaths ·
Most recent fatal crash: 2025 Cessna Citation II – 6 deaths ·
NTSB investigation status: Preliminary report released June 18, 2025 ·
Crash location (2025): Murphy Canyon neighborhood, San Diego ·
Crash location (1978): North Park, San Diego (Dwight and Nile Streets)

6 key facts, one pattern: both crashes involved altitude errors — one a pilot descending below the glide path, the other an ATC instruction sending a Boeing 727 into the path of a Cessna 172.

Who was in the plane that crashed in San Diego?

Who was aboard the 2025 Cessna Citation II?

• The 2025 Cessna Citation II carried 6 people — all killed on impact. No notable public figures were among the victims (National Transportation Safety Board).

Who was aboard PSA Flight 182?

• PSA Flight 182 carried 135 passengers and crew: 7 crew members, 128 passengers. All 135 died in the mid-air collision and subsequent crash (Wikipedia – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182).

Were there any ground casualties?

• 1978: 7 people on the ground were killed — residents in their homes, including two children — and 9 others were injured (FAA NTSB Accident Report).
• 2025: 0 ground fatalities; the crash site was in Murphy Canyon, a residential area, but debris did not hit occupied structures (National Transportation Safety Board).

The contrast in ground casualties underscores how crash location and aircraft type shape the outcome.

What caused the plane crash in San Diego?

What caused the 2025 Cessna Citation II crash?

• According to the NTSB preliminary report released June 18, 2025, the Cessna was approximately 500 feet below the normal glide path for its approach to Montgomery Field. It clipped power lines and crashed in Murphy Canyon.

What caused the PSA Flight 182 crash?

• The NTSB final report (AAR-79-05) found that PSA Flight 182 collided with a Cessna 172 operated by Gibbs Flite Center, Inc. The collision was caused by air traffic control not properly separating the aircraft and inadequate response by the PSA crew to the traffic advisory.

Was pilot error involved?

• 2025: Pilot error is suspected — the Cessna pilot descended below the standard glide path, but the NTSB has not ruled out distraction or mechanical issues.
• 1978: The PSA crew misidentified the Cessna 172 as another aircraft and failed to maintain visual contact after being alerted by ATC. The NTSB final report cited both ATC error and inadequate pilot response.

What role did weather or air traffic control play?

• Weather was not a factor in either crash (clear skies both days) (FAA NTSB Accident Report).
• ATC played a critical role in 1978: ATC cleared PSA 182 for a visual approach and advised of a Cessna ahead but didn’t ensure separation. 2025: ATC cleared the Cessna for a visual approach to Montgomery Field; the descent below glide path appears to have been the pilot’s decision.

The implication: approach monitoring technology could mitigate such errors at general aviation airports.

Where exactly in San Diego did the plane crash?

Where did the 2025 Cessna Citation II crash?

• The Cessna crashed in Murphy Canyon, a residential neighborhood near the intersection of Avenida de los Arboles and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, about 1.5 miles east of Montgomery Field (National Transportation Safety Board).

Where did PSA Flight 182 crash?

• PSA 182 crashed in North Park, directly north of the intersection of Dwight and Nile Streets. The Cessna 172 struck Polk Avenue between 32nd and Iowa Streets (Wikipedia – Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182).

What neighborhoods were affected?

• Murphy Canyon (2025): a mix of single-family homes and apartment complexes; no structures were hit.
• North Park (1978): twenty-two dwellings were damaged or destroyed by the impact and debris (FAA NTSB Accident Report).

The location differences highlight how terrain and population density affect the consequences of approach errors.

What other major plane crashes have occurred in San Diego?

Is there a history of plane crashes in San Diego?

• Yes. San Diego has experienced multiple deadly crashes, including a 1978 mid-air collision, a 2008 small plane crash in Santee that killed 3, and the 2025 crash (Wikipedia – Santee).

What about the Montgomery Field emergency landing?

• In 2023, a small plane made an emergency landing at Montgomery Field with minor injuries — no fatalities.

What other notable incidents have happened?

• In 2016, a Cessna 310 crashed near Brown Field with 4 deaths. The NTSB cited pilot error in that case.

This pattern reinforces the need for procedural improvements.

What did the NTSB report reveal about the San Diego plane crashes?

What was in the NTSB preliminary report for the 2025 crash?

• The NTSB preliminary report stated that the 2025 Cessna descended approximately 500 feet below the normal glide path before striking power lines. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were sent for analysis.

Was there a similar report for PSA 182?

• The NTSB final report on PSA 182 was comprehensive — it included radar data, ATC transcripts, maintenance records, and concluded that ATC error and inadequate pilot response caused the mid-air collision.

What are the next steps in the investigation?

• The 2025 NTSB investigation continues. The final report is expected within 12–18 months from the crash date. A probable cause statement and safety recommendations will follow.

The NTSB has already stated — in its June 2025 preliminary report — that the aircraft “was approximately 500 feet below the normal glide path for the approach to Montgomery Field.” That single line echoes the 1978 finding that a pilot and ATC system failed to maintain altitude separation.

“The aircraft was approximately 500 feet below the normal glide path for the approach to Montgomery Field.”

— NTSB preliminary report (June 2025)

“The PSA crash remains the deadliest aviation disaster in California history.”

— San Diego Air & Space Museum press release

The investigations underscore that both disasters share a common root in human error during approach.

Related reading: Air Canada Flight Tracker Live Map · Toronto Weekend Winter Storm

For a broader perspective on similar aviation disasters, see the coverage of the similar aviation disasters that also involved a tragic loss of life and subsequent investigation.

Frequently asked questions

For readers living near Montgomery Field, the choice is not between safety and convenience — it’s between accepting that approach errors happen and demanding that the FAA implement ground-based glide-path monitoring at general aviation airports. The 1978 crash forced changes. The 2025 crash should do the same.

The pattern demands action: adopting ground-based glide-path monitoring could prevent the next tragedy.