Simulation shows terrifying final moments before 'deadliest' plane crash killed all passengers on board

A terrifying simulation depicts the final moments of a flight which resulted in the deadliest aviation crash in California history.

It was 25 September, 1978, when Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 left Sacramento, California on its journey to San Diego with 135 people on board.

What happened during that flight changed dozens of lives:

As Flight 182 flew over the skies of San Diego, it collided mid-air with a private Cessna 172 aircraft, causing both planes to come crashing to the ground.

In the process, 22 homes were damaged or destroyed and a total of 144 people died, including all 135 people on the Pacific Southwest Airlines plane, two people in the Cessna aircraft and seven people on the ground.

It's a horrific situation to imagine, but a simulation of the plane shared on YouTube now offers a unique insight to what happened in the final moments leading up to the crash.

The video shows both Flight 182 and the Cessna plane in the air, the bigger plane descending downwards.

The crash happened in 1978. (SDASM Archives/Flickr)

As it continues to close in on the ground, Flight 182 clips the top of the Cessna plane, damaging it and causing it to drop rapidly.

In the meantime, one of the engines on Flight 182 catches fire, causing the plane to crash land in a residential area.

Viewers watching the simulation described the crash as 'heartbreaking', with many pointing to the final words of one of the crew members before the plane hit the ground.

The final moments in the cockpit were captured in messages sent to air traffic control. Those in charge of Flight 182 had been warned the Cessna aircraft was in the air, but the pilots presumed that the smaller plane was behind them when they could no longer see it.

In reality, it was just below them.

More than 100 people lost their lives on the fateful day in 1978. (SDASM Archives/Flickr)

Captain James McFeron, 42, attempted to warn passengers of the impact that was about to take place as he told them to 'brace themselves'.

He then told air traffic controllers: "Tower, we're going down, this is PSA."

Then an unidentified voice in the cockpit - thought to be either McFeron, first officer Robert Eugene Fox, or flight engineer Martin J. Wahne - issued a message to their mom knowing that their death was imminent.

"Ma, I love ya," he said.

Family members of those who lost their lives in the crash continue to pay tribute to those on board the plane that day.

Lorie James, whose father, Farrell Kimball, died in the crash, told NBC San Diego: "To go back to that day, it's like it happened yesterday."

Topics: US News, Travel, YouTube

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.