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>On December 7, 1987, disgruntled Pacific Southwest Airlines employee David Burke boarded Fight 1771, a BOAC BAe 146, carrying 38 passengers from San Francisco to LA. Burke, a man with a violent history, had been previously involved in a cocaine smuggling ring. After relocating to the West Coast and working for PSA as a ticket agent, he was fired for several petty thefts. His boss refused to re-hire him. Still carrying his PSA employee's card, Burke bypassed airport security with a loaded .44 revolver since most airlines at this time did not require security checks for employees.
>During the flight, Burke penned a suicide note on an airsickness bag reading "You've shown no mercy for me and my family, and you'll get none in return." He then got up and shot his boss, whom he knew was a regular passenger on the flight. As recorded by the CVR, a flight attendent rushed to the cockpit and informed the pilots "We have a problem." When they asked what was up, Burke replied "I'm the problem." and shot her, followed by the pilots. Burke then apparently pushed the control yoke so the plane began a steep dive. The CVR recorded one more gunshot, possibly Burke shooting PSA chief pilot Douglas Arthur, who was onboard the flight and may have been trying to head to the cockpit and regain control of the plane.
>PSA 1771 nosedived into the grounds of a cattle ranch at speeds exceeding 700 mph. The crash speed was so extreme that no sizable pieces of the plane other than the engine cores survived. Of the 43 people aboard, 27 were never identified. The gun was found with a piece of Burke's finger still clutching the trigger. For this reason, it was believed that he probably did not shoot himself and was alive and holding the gun to the moment of impact.
