Workplace Violence: The Tragedy of PSA Flight 1771

A Look Back 25 Years Later

Most people know December 7th as Pearl Harbor Day, as President Roosevelt said at the time in his address to Congress, “…a date which will live in infamy.”

What many people don’t know is another tragedy that occurred on the same date just 25 years ago on December 7, 1987. On this date 43 people were killed in a horrible Workplace Violence catastrophe involving a disgruntled ex-employee by the name of David Burke.

As background, Burke had a criminal past with crimes involving drug trafficking, shoplifting and auto theft. He was also a coward who enjoyed beating up his girlfriend. Burke, at one time, had cut the wires to his girlfriend’s car and had a continuous history of beating her badly. Burke had even threatened to kill her; ultimately, she had taken out a restraining order against him.

Burke brought the same problems to work with him where he was employed at US Airways. Burke’s former boss Ray Thomson fired Burke after stealing $69.00 from the flight attendant’s cocktail cart. After the firing, Thomson even received death threats through his work voicemail from Burke.

One important task US Air forgot to do after they fired Burke was to take back his airline employee credentials, specifically his Airport ID badge, this would prove to be a deadly mistake. Another problem was that a mindless co-worker agreed to lend his 44 Mangum Revolver to Burke. They guy who lent the gun to Burke, did not know at the time Burke’s purpose in attaining the weapon, nor did he know Burke had no intentions of returning the gun.

On Monday December 7, 1987, David Burke went to Thomson’s office where his intentions were to appeal his firing. Burke demanded his job back but Thomson refused, Burke’s appeal was denied. Afterwards, Thomson was heading home from Los Angeles to San Francisco via Pacific Southwest Flight #1771 as he normally commuted back and forth to work on this flight. What Thomson did not know when he boarded his flight that day was that David Burke purchased a ticket and boarded the same flight, Burke smuggled the 44 Magnum Revolver onto the plane by using his airline employee badge still in his possession to bypass security and the LAX airport metal detectors. 

Of significance, Burke purchased a one-way seat; it did not matter to him where the flight was going, because no one would reach their destination that day. As the official FBI investigation revealed, when the plane reached an altitude of 22,000 feet, Burke fired two shots killing his former boss, Ray Thomson.

A note was found written on one of the plane’s air sickness bags that read:

“Hi Ray, I think it’s sort of ironical that we ended up like this. I asked for some leniency for my family. Remember? Well, I got none, and you’ll get none.”

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recorded the cockpit door opening and a flight attendant telling the pilots “We have a problem.” The Captain replied, “What kind of problem?” Suddenly a shot was fired killing the flight attendant, followed by Burke’s reply “I’m the problem,” then two more shots were fired killing both pilots.  Burke then pushed the flight column forward causing the BAe-146 aircraft to go supersonic and plummet to the ground, the CVR recorded increasing windscreen noise then seconds before crashing there was silence as the plane broke the sound barrier before disintegrating into the rocky hillside of cattle ranch at 4:16 PM pacific time in San Luis Obispo county, near Cayucos, California.
 
David burke would now be known as the perpetrator of the single worst Workplace Violence tragedy in US History.

On Thursday, December 13, 2012, the PSA Flight 1771 case will be examined during a Workplace Violence webinar entitled “Work Place Violence: The 7 New Truths.”

You can register for this webinar at the link below:

http://www.accuscreen.com/webinars

Space is limited, register today.

The following is the official report issued on 01/04/89 by the National Safety Board (www.NTSB.gov)

NTSB Identification: DCA88MA008.

The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 34799.

Scheduled 14 CFR PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Accident occurred Monday, December 07, 1987 in SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/04/1989

Aircraft: BRITISH AEROSPACE BAE-146-200, registration: N350PS

Injuries: 43 Fatal.

NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

A RECENTLY DISCHARGED USAIR EMPLOYEE BOARDED PSA FLT 1771 AFTER HAVING LEFT A GOODBYE MESSAGE WITH FRIENDS. HE BYPASSED SECURITY AND CARRIED ABD A BORROWED 44 CALIBER PISTOL. A NOTE WRITTEN BY THIS PSGR, FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE, THREATENED HIS FORMER SUPERVISOR AT USAIR, WHO WAS ABOARD THE FLT. AT 1613, THE PLT RPTD TO OAKLAND ARTCC THAT HE HAD AN EMERGENCY AND THAT GUNSHOTS HAD BEEN FIRED IN THE AIRPLANE. WITHIN 25 SECONDS, OAKLAND CTR CONTROLLERS OBSERVED THAT PSA 1771 HAD BEGUN A RAPID DESCENT FM WHICH IT DID NOT RECOVER. WITNESSES ON THE GND SAID THE AIRPLANE WAS INTACT AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE BEFORE THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GND IN A STEEP NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. THE CVR TAPE REVEALED THE SOUNDS OF A SCUFFLE AND SEVERAL SHOTS WHICH WERE APPARENTLY FIRED IN OR NEAR THE COCKPIT. THE PISTOL WAS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE WITH 6 EXPENDED ROUNDS. FAA RULES PERMITTED AIRLINE EMPLOYEES TO BYPASS SECURITY CHECKPOINTS.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

CONTROL INTERFERENCE..INTENTIONAL..PASSENGER

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

SABOTAGE..INTENTIONAL..PASSENGER

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

EMOTIONAL REACTION..PASSENGER

Contributing Factors
SECURITY..INADEQUATE..COMPANY/OPERATOR MANAGEMENT

Contributing Factors
PROCEDURE INADEQUATE..COMPANY/OPERATOR MANAGEMENT

Contributing Factors
INSUFF STANDARDS/REQUIREMENTS,OPERATION/OPERATOR..FAA(ORGANIZATION)