On this day, December 7, 1987, tragedy struck aboard Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771. During the flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a disgruntled former airline employee, David Burke, smuggled a handgun on board. He fatally shot his ex-boss and the two pilots before causing the aircraft to crash into a hillside near Cayucos, California. All 43 people on board lost their lives.
The incident shocked the nation and led to increased scrutiny of airline security protocols, particularly regarding employee access to restricted areas. This tragic event remains one of the darkest moments in U.S. aviation history.