Armed Carjacking Pursuit Ends In Fiery Cerritos Crash; Cops, Heart Hero Ambassador Jayen Is Star Student, Dragon Boat Festival 2023: Marina Del Rey, Tomatomania 2023: Roger's Gardens, Corona del Mar, Joyful Flowers: Ikebana Show 2023: Sherman Gardens, Corona del Mar, Art & Frame Warehouse Sale - Village Gallery, Annual California Cool Art Auction, Benefit & Bash 2023: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, 'Holi By The Sea' Festival Of Colors 2023: Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach, 6 Injured In Downtown Los Angeles Stabbing: Police, LA County Library: Celebrate Csar Chvez, UCLA: UCLA Health Receives $25.3 Million For Street Medicine Program Caring For Homeless. Her 8-year-old son, Robbie, who had watched the Aeromexico plane spiral down as he stood in his front yard, overheard her. She did not know where to go. Rickard and her boyfriend were moving into the house. Meanwhile, the Rev. Witnesses described a vastly different neighborhood as crews rushed to douse. The horror of the crash was captured in a Times retrospective published 10 years after the tragedy: The last time Jeffrey McIllwain saw his mother, she was standing on the porch in a house dress, saying that she loved him. Only they dont have to live with it.. No one has gone without food, shelter or many offers of counseling--a $180,000 disaster fund sponsored by the City of Cerritos and a well-coordinated psychological care program run by county mental health officials have seen to that. About 20 houses were either completely or partially destroyed. Did they feel the collision? I sat next to her and all I said, if I remember, is This is a terrible thing, and she let out a cry like I never heard before, then she just started sobbing. We sent a petition to the city saying no, we didnt want it, Grossman said about the plaque. The three Kramers were killed instantly. But Jeffrey McIllwain kept mementos, a charred piece of wood, the plastic driving glasses and a hairbrush that his mother stored in her car. I knocked on the door and they let me through, he said. It was tragic, Grundmann said. Looking down Carmenita, you could see the fuselage sticking out onto the sidewalk and part of the street, he said. It was right across the street from our command post. .. Diane Seaman, center, tries to hold back the tears as names of the Guzman family are read during the memorial ceremony held Wednesday at the Cerritos Sculpture Garden in Cerritos, in remembrance of the 82 people who died 25 years ago when two planes collided in the skies over Cerritos and plunged to the ground at 11:52 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, 1986. Today the neighborhood looks like most neighborhoods in Cerritos, filled with tree-lined streets, well-maintained homes and trimmed lawns. Dr. Patrick OConnor, head of the countys Rio Hondo Mental Health Center in Cerritos, and the man who led an effort to offer counseling to all of the citys residents immediately after the crash, said such reactions are part of the post-traumatic stress syndrome that affects many combat veterans. Watching the skies is something Grossman will always do, because on a Sunday afternoon 25 years ago one airplane didnt make it to Los Angeles International Airport. Ill never forget it, said Grossman, whose house was narrowly missed by the plane that devastated her close-knit neighborhood. For Lt. John Anderson, commander of a Los Angeles County sheriffs detachment deployed in the neighborhood a few minutes after the crash, there are images that still wont fade. My questions, nobody will ever answer.. We tried to make the place, although there were no homes left in certain places, at least get the I dont know how else to say it but get the smell of death and the thought of death off the ground and move forward, Knabe said. It happened. At Sunday school, one of the students said a plane had crashed in Cerritos. Its the little stuff, too. In a separate note, she wrote that her sons recovered quite well from any trauma they may have suffered. Cerritos residents also formed a group that offered support for Loreto, including equipment for its hospital. . No one knew. The pain transcends news reports. Among his family, he alone returns to the old neighborhood, only when necessary because of his job. He stayed with her for more than an hour, talking to her and praying with her. There was a psychologist, Dr. Audrey Honig. All but one of the flight's 157 passengers were killed. . At his house, all that remained was the garage. Naturally, we wouldve liked to have spoken with Nelson and her family, and were sorry that we didnt. Linda McIllwain, who had not attended college, always wanted her children to have a solid education. It really hit home. This post originally was published on Aug. 30, 2011. Today, Neally, a Los Angeles County weights and measures inspector, lives with his family in Yorba Linda, 15 miles east of the home where they lived 15 years. On Aug. 31, 1986, Aeromexico Flight 498, a Douglas DC-9, flying from Mexico City to Los Angeles International Airport, collided with a Piper PA-28 Archer over Cerritos. Los Angeles. On August 31, 1986, an Aeromexico DC-9 was clipped by a small plane over Cerritos. But the potential for that accident to happen exists every day, and you dont want to think about it., Nonetheless, Grundmann said, when hes working on a Sunday, and he happens to look out over the traffic control sector in which Aeromexico was flying that day, I still think about it.. The flight data recorder was recovered Monday in the rubble of a house that was destroyed when the jet collided in midair with a small plane. Heres an account of the crash and its aftermath from The Times archives: An Aeromexico DC-9 had left Loreto, Mexico, early in the morning of Aug. 31, 1986, carrying 64 passengers. Today we remember the survivors, the heroes and those who lost their lives on that fateful day. But the strength my family here has given us, their love, has gotten us through, she said, carefully maintaining her delicate composure. Both children were out of the neighborhood at the time of the crash. A few minutes later, from his garage, Neally noticed the kids and one of the mothers, relaxing with a soft drink. He tried to tell me that a plane had tried to land next door.. As it was, Medina, his wife, their 3-year-old son and a niece escaped the terrible flames and explosions that consumed their house and everything they owned. His mother, Linda, 37, told him to take her baby blue Oldsmobile instead of his blue Volkswagen beetle, which was low on gas. The FAA said it counted only those incidents in which one or both planes were observed by air traffic controllers. Across the street, next door to Ivan Medinas still-vacant lot, Doug and Ann Fuller, whod been out sailing when the plane crashed, came back. The last time Jeffrey McIllwain saw his mother, she was standing on the porch in a housedress, saying that she loved him. An area for the survivors had been set up in the Cerritos High School gymnasium, but it never had to be used because people took them in, Knabe said. In Cerritos, the emotional wounds from the crash took time to heal. The small plane involved in the collision, which the Federal Aviation Administration said was a single-engine Piper Cherokee, crashed about a half mile away in the yard of the Cerritos Elementary . It was the terror Wes Neally felt standing at the garage refrigerator when the crash came, seeing the explosion and not knowing where the others--Carmeen, daughter Reanna and Reannas friend, Diane--were in the house. Jeffrey left the car and walked in. For more information, please call the City's Community Participation Division at (562) 865-8101. They need to let the memories fade, to allow their grief to evolve into a private matter, but the reminders are everywhere. On August 31, 1986, an Aeromexico DC-9 was clipped by a small plane over Cerritos. On the 25th anniversary of the Cerritos Air Disaster last year, the city of Cerritos held a special ceremony honoring the lives of those who perished as a result of the plane crash, drawing hundreds of community members from the Southland as well families and friends of the deceased victims. I was in church and I came out and I thought our new post office was on fire, he recalled. Then he softened his voice. You couldnt have taken a saw and cut a neater hole. They had left Torrance Airport and headed for Big Bear, while an Aeromexico DC-9 flying from Tijuana was bound for Los Angeles International. The crash killed him, their daughter Angelicia, 14, and their son, Javier, 16. The next day, Robbies mother heard him telling someone matter-of-factly, Well, I only have three years to live.. Alex Guzman, left, of Santa Fe Springs, holds photos of his father, Joe Guzman, left, and brother, Robert Guzman, right, both who died on flight 498, at the 25 year memorial Wednesday, at the Cerritos Sculpture Garden in Cerritos. He prays more. The exception is Wes Neallys family, which moved into the tract when it was built in 1971. Los Angeles. In his mind, he kept going over a line from the Bible: We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him. Silently, he asked God to fulfill that pledge: If theres any way you can have my parents live through this, please do. Finally, she returned to Chula Vista and, with her parents, rented a two-story town house in an attractive housing development. Both planes crashed to the ground, killing everyone aboard. It didnt work. If anyone had any plans for the day, they werent ambitious. She cannot explain her hunger. She was in her house eating Cheese Whiz nachos and her 7-year-old son, Robbie, was outside with his dog Peach when the Aeromexico plane spiraled to the ground. My oldest daughter was 16 or 17 when the crash happened. Did they die immediately? He cries more. Armed Carjacking Pursuit Ends In Fiery Cerritos Crash; Cops, Heart Hero Ambassador Jayen Is Star Student, Dragon Boat Festival 2023: Marina Del Rey, Tomatomania 2023: Roger's Gardens, Corona del Mar, Joyful Flowers: Ikebana Show 2023: Sherman Gardens, Corona del Mar, Art & Frame Warehouse Sale - Village Gallery, Annual California Cool Art Auction, Benefit & Bash 2023: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, 'Holi By The Sea' Festival Of Colors 2023: Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach, 6 Injured In Downtown Los Angeles Stabbing: Police, LA County Library: Celebrate Csar Chvez, UCLA: UCLA Health Receives $25.3 Million For Street Medicine Program Caring For Homeless. Often, unable to sleep, Medina gets up at 2 or 3 in the morning and walks through the house he has rented since last October, a few miles from the spot where his familys life was blown apart. Its from Suzanne Nelson, who lived, with her husband and two small sons, on Ashworth Place, right next door to the house that was hit by the Aeromexco DC-9 just before noon on Aug. 31, 1986. Medina helped the Neally family climb into his yard. 82 people total lost their lives, including 64 on the DC-9, 3 on the small plane and 15 on the ground. It was an issue of dealing with the community, the pain and sorrow of those who survived, the neighborhood, the whole city.. The sculpture bears the names of all of the victims. A black path runs through the Cerritos, Calif., neighborhood in this August 31, 1986 file photo, after a midair collision between an AeroMexico DC-9 and a small twin-engine plane. After talking to counselors and to each other, we decided it was not a good idea to move back into the area that we were fighting for our lives to get out of, said Wes Neally, who was badly burned by the time he, his wife, their then 8-year-old daughter Reanna and her friend Diane escaped. Long after the funerals and the insurance payoffs and the title transfers and the first Christmases have been endured, a feeling of incompleteness still plagues the survivors. But after his alarm rang at 9:30 a.m., he changed his mind, jumped into khaki jeans and a cream-colored button-down shirt and headed for church. Don Koepke was wrapping up services at St. John Lutheran Church when an usher came forward with a note from Sue Nelson, then a member of his congregation who lived in the neighborhood. A neighbor, seeing Koepkes clerical collar, urged him to follow him to where Theresa was sitting in a neighbors living room. At 11:52 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1986, while McIllwain was still at Sunday school, an Aeromexico DC-9 on approach to Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico collided with a small plane and slammed into the boys neighborhood in Cerritos. David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls, Officials unprepared for epic mountain blizzard, leaving many trapped and desperate, The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape, Snowboarder dies at South Lake Tahoe resort. The Cerritos Air Disaster 25th Anniversary Remembrance is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Cerritos Air Disaster Memorial in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden, 18125 Bloomfield Avenue. After several minutes, she just let out a wail that I could not describe. The silvery metal tail section lay in a driveway off Gerritt Avenue, covered with blood., At nearby Concordia Lutheran Church, orange metal pieces of the massive DC-9 jetliner lay on the lawn, along with more bodies. All she knows is that she has to relive the moment when she and her husband were sitting down to lunch and a high-pitched whistle turned into a deafening roar and Robbie ran up the driveway and yelled that a plane was falling. Then-Planning Commissioner George Ray, who today is the mayor of Cerritos, was doing some work at home on his dining room table. This margin of safety is far greater than the limits by which near-collisions are defined. Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe was mayor of Cerritos at the time. As they helped their neighbors, she remembered the crackling of fire and the screaming of people running out of their houses. Im thinking fiction.. By Thanksgiving of that year, the residents who survived moved back into newly rebuilt homes. She wouldnt go by that site. Aug. 31, 1986: A woman, who collapsed while watching rescue efforts on Reve Circle, is wheeled from the scene. On August 31, 1986, an Aeromexico DC-9 was clipped by a small plane over Cerritos. Another son, Frank Jr., now 19, was away water-skiing. Restrooms. Like many of those who lost their homes, Neally and his wife, Carmeen, 39, constantly remind themselves how fortunate they are compared to the people aboard Flight 498. . Hes not the take-charge guy he used to be. We were like three lost souls, she said. Dave Clark, a retired CHP dispatcher who handled emergency calls that day, said that in his 40-year career as a dispatcher, the Cerritos plane crash stands out. Their home, where they have lived since 1971, was two-and-a-half houses away from the accident. You go, Oh well, its been a year later and everythings back to normal. Well, its not. It was a tragedy right in our neighborhood. We had so much food we didnt know what to do with it, Grossman said. The factor that is hardest to measure is the willingness of pilots to file near-collision reports with the FAA. I didnt see it hit the ground, but when it did there was a huge fireball.. His mother, Linda, 14 others in their houses, and 67 people aboard the two planes were killed that sunny Sunday. Computers at FAA air traffic facilities automatically record when two airplanes under the guidance of controllers come closer than the FAA believes is safe. This was an accident.. Aug. 31, 1986: Firefighters and investigators examine wreckage of the small plane that collided with Aeromexico Flight 498. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, article, which appeared in the Sept. 1, 1986, Times, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, Best coffee city in the world? The device, called TCAS-2 (Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System), was ordered into airliners after the Cerritos crash. Get a heart attack and die?. Photos: 25 years after Cerritos plane tragedy, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China, More Iranian schoolgirls sickened in suspected poisoning wave, To prevent another pandemic, new bill hopes to coordinate global fight against drug-resistant bacteria, Marine mammal rescue breaks ground on $14 million expansion, water reclamation project, Disneyland quietly removes controversial lyric from new parade soundtrack, Fannie Mae halts financing for 6,102 condos in Laguna Woods, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, 2 arrested in Anaheim on suspicion of possessing $463,000 in stolen merchandise, Baram and Tioumentsev win World Junior title hours after their coach, Todd Sand, suffers heart attack, Lake Forest woman filed restraining order against daughter 8 years before being killed in their home, California weighs $360,000 in reparations to eligible Black residents, OC Restaurant Week kicks off Sunday, March 5, Taco Mesita opens flagship location in Old Town Tustin, Lake Forest man convicted of killing stepmom with pickaxe, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. No sleeping required. Last November, Wayne and Sue Nelson, whose Ashworth Place home suffered the heaviest toll of the eight that were damaged but not destroyed, moved back in. On a recent Tuesday evening, just back in his newly built home, Doug Fuller looked out of his living room and saw another eternal nuisance, the gawkers, the strangers who still drive up and down the block, still curious, still gesturing from their cars. His wifes death is still mentioned by several families in the neighborhood as one of their most heartbreaking losses. We feel bad whenever theres a school function, one woman said. The Medinas had lived here two years, but this was the first time Ivan and Wes had met. He was on scene within the first 30 or 40 minutes. . See More Details (1) Remove Ads. Its a picture as iconic of the disaster as the Falling Man image is of 9/11. You either died or you didnt.. Thirty, 40 of them on a Saturday or Sunday, Fuller said, long drained of astonishment. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), A Cerritos Air Disaster survivors terrifying memories, Biden expected to tighten rules on US investment in China, More Iranian schoolgirls sickened in suspected poisoning wave. The mother first moved her family to the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, to be near her parents, brother and two sisters, who live in the San Diego area. With each educational laurel, he thinks of how pleased his mother would be. Let us know. Airline pilots are used to having accidents occur. An investigator with the National Transportation safety Board uses a magnifying glass Tuesday morning, September 2, 1986 to inspect piece of small plane which collided with Aeromexico jetliner. Its the voice thats not there; the laughter thats not there. Kramer and his two passengers--his wife and one of their five children--died. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. For two solid weeks, the Red Cross and local restaurants helped to provide meals for the survivors. Did they see the Piper? I saw smoke and I thought our new post office was on fire because that was just south of where the plane went down, he said. The jet plunged like a spear into a home on Ashworth Place in Cerritos, its engine and parts of its fuselage crashing into nearby homes. All but one of the flights 157 passengers were killed. . One woman who lives near the crash site told of telephoning a government agency to make an appointment and having the clerk, upon hearing her address, ask if thats where the plane went down. It was like a battlefield, he said. Rochelle--25, married, and living in Costa Mesa--talks to her parents every day. We remember the things that were important., karen.robes@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1303, What: The 25th anniversary of the 1986 Cerritos Air Disaster. The Knabes and the McIllwains traveled together on vacations. Cronkhite and her husband were helping them. But money is not important to me. . As for the neighbors who lived through the tragedy, many of them moved away. Thats as close as anyone has come to understanding, Wes Neally said. . Dec. 14, 1988 12 AM PT. Jeffrey McIllwain found consolation in the kindness of friends and neighbors, the people who brought home-cooked meals or told him stories: how his mother had comforted kids whose parents were undergoing divorce, how she had offered everyone rides from school to home, even boys she knew had joined a gang. They rented another house several blocks away from their old one, but their trips often took them down another part of their old street. At the GTE building, an impromptu disaster headquarters, he saw his father, Dennis, who had left the house that morning at the last minute for a quick visit with Jeffreys aunt in Pomona. Parking. The concept of providing mental health to victims and first responders is now applied nationally. Doma Mallari looks through temporary fence Wednesday, September 3, 1986 which was erected around the area where the Aeromexico jetliner crashed in Cerritos, Calif., Sunday. The area was already barricaded, so Koepke walked down a cul-de-sac either Ashworth Place or East Reva Circle to a home of a member of his congregation. For goodness sake, he thought with the embarrassment of a 16-year-old, Im only going to church. The scene looked like a war zone with homes engulfed in flames and lawns covered with twisted metal and human remains. Its natural. Anything reminds you of it happening again.. It was approaching lunchtime and Grossman was sitting at her kitchen table when she heard airplane engines in the distance. Firefighters battle flames from a burning home in Cerritos, Calif., in this Aug. 31, 1986 file photo, as they straddle pieces of fuselage from an AeroMexico jetliner. Its an event. After the National Transportation and Safety Board inspected the scene, the city began the long journey of bringing the neighborhood back to normal, clearing out the dirt and debris, fencing off the area and eventually rebuilding homes. The only longtime homeowner who died was Linda McIllwain, who lived on Reva Circle with her husband, Dennis, and their son and daughter, Jeff and Debbie. Neally led them out. It happened to be Labor Day weekend in 1986. We forget it. Places were smoldering, he said, voice trembling. A black path runs through the Cerritos, Calif., neighborhood in this August 31, 1986 file photo, after a midair collision between an AeroMexico DC-9 and a small twin-engine plane. When cruising in the Guangzhou control area, the cruising altitude of the self-route dropped rapidly from 8900 meters, and finally crashed in Guangxi Near Mocong Village, Conan Town, Teng County, Wuzhou City, Zhuang Autonomous Region. Seat belts dangled from charred tree branches. And every five years we have a ceremony at the memorial in the Sculpture Garden. Their terror had to be a hundred times worse than ours, Wes Neally said. She needed her car to go to Mass in Buena Park. . Totally destroyed.. One of the early arrivals at the scene of the wreckage was the Rev. 82 people total lost their lives, including 64 on the DC-9, 3 on the small plane and 15 on the ground. The memorial for those who died at 11:52 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31, 1986, when two planes collided in the skies over Cerritos and plunged to the ground, at the 25 year memorial Wednesday, at the Cerritos Sculpture Garden in Cerritos. Her parents couldnt figure out why. Maybe the girl was too young to understand what he wrote, but perhaps one day she would read those letters and they would help. There is general agreement that since the crash pilots have been more inclined to file reports. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, Best coffee city in the world? Bob Kirkpatrick, a computer programmer in Spokane, Wash., said in an interview tonight that the dead pilot was his father-in-law, William C. Kramer, a 56-year-old retired executive with the Kaiser . I saw this huge plume of smoke, and I thought, this is not just a house on fire, he said. Rickards boyfriend and Cronkhites husband went to pick up the last load. We will include here a bit of what she recalled from those initial moments of terror: My son Robbie (7 at the time) was standing in the garage and watched as the DC-9 plowed into the ground merely yards away. 82 people, including the woman's daughter, perished as a result of the midair collision. In a Register story dated Sept. 1, 1986, reporter Edward Humes described the scene: The airliner had careened through houses on three streets, its nose punching through a brick wall onto busy Carmenita Street, crushing the rear end of a Ford Galaxy. Thats what people thought of when they thought of Cerritos, said Diana Needham, a City Council member at the time. The cause of the disaster was not immediately determined, but eyewitnesses said they saw the smaller airplane crash into the tail section of the jetliner. She just wanted us to know more about the story. Two people were seen inside the plane, decapitated and still strapped into their seats. He saw Theresa Estrada, who had just come back from the grocery store when she saw the plane hit her house, killing her husband, Frank; her 16-year-old son, Javier; and her 14-year-old daughter, Anjelica. That, too, gives him a pang. News of the disaster made front-page headlines across the world, and for many, it was the first time anyone had heard of Cerritos. I have these blank spots, she said. Theres no book that will tell you what to do if youre mayor of a city where a DC-9 crashes. The crash, caused when a single-engine Piper Cherokee struck the DC-9 as the jet approached Los Angeles International Airport, killed 15 people in four homes, all 64 aboard the jetliner and all three in the Piper. The city of Cerritos has healed in the intervening 30 years. I keep trying to imagine what the plane looked like when it fell. Register for a user account. In addition to the 67 people killed in the two planes, 15 Cerritos residents died amid the flaming wreckage and burning jet fuel that destroyed at least eight homes. No positive identification of Frank Estrada had been found amid the debris. On Wednesday, the community will remember the victims and their families in a ceremony at the memorial in the Cerritos Sculpture Garden. A Times headline the next morning described it as a sledgehammer from the sky.. I used to say, Thats the way its going to be. Im not the same. Suppose Id seen this stupid plane come down--what would I do? Little stuffed dolls. I think a lot of residents were worried that something would be put up at the site. Getting through the day, seeing my sons happy, that is important. As it passed about 6,000 feet above Cerritos en route to Los Angeles International Airport, the jet was clipped by a single-engine plane flown by William Kramer of Rancho Palos Verdes.. The crash, caused when a single-engine Piper Cherokee struck the DC-9 as the jet approached Los Angeles International Airport, killed 15 people in four homes, all 64 aboard the jetliner and all. . But when something like this happens to your house, with you in it, you lose all sense of security..

Samantha Boardman Socialite, Dog Breeds With Pink Around Eyes, Explore Okoboji News Obituaries, Articles C