1957 Debris from Aerial Collision kills 7 and injures 74 at Pacoima Junior High School - Pacoima, CA

1957 0201 Pacoima, CA. "Neatly dressed and carrying his violin, David Jefferson, a member of the Pacoima Junior High School orchestra, seems oddly out of place as he picks his way through the debris-strewn playground adjoining the school on his way to graduation exercises 2/1. On 1/31 giant DC-7B crashed onto the field killing two of David's friends and injuring more than 70." Citizens News Out -- United Press Telephoto chM
Colorized Foto by Javier R. Garcia

Remick St on to Terra Bella and view of field at Pacoima Junior High School (Pacoima Middle School)

 1957 0201 Albany NY Knickerbocker news close-up section of plane impact

 1957 0201 Albany NY Knickerbocker news

 1957 Corona Daily Independent

 1957 Pacoima CA Spectator Injured Boy Schoolyard Plane Crash Tragedy

 1957 Pacoima CA William Carr Pilot Archie Twitchell Jet Crash Wire Photo

 1957 from Terra Bella St

 1957 Press Photo Van Nuys Calif air view of wreckage of jet plane crash

 1957 Van Nuys CA Rescue Worker Cockpit Section DC78 Crash Pacoima

 Coroner

 DC-7B

 January 31 1957 Eight people on the ground in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet

 Northrop F-89J (S N 53-2677) Scorpion

Star News Thur February 14 1957 - Page 5

The following comments gathered from "You know you grew up in the San Fernando Valley if..." Facebook group page 9/19/2018

Patricia Flatley I remember this growing up in Sherman Oaks, it was very frightening 

Doug Erickson My sister-in-law, Carlene Smith attended that school, but she was home sick on that day.

Manage

Jerry Welch Did they ever dig up the engine last I heard it was still in the ground

Manage

Connie Trier I was a senior at the high school and l ojur students were going crazy
. Mr Swain put an out of order sign on the pay phone to keep kids from using it to call the jr high.

Gilbert Rocha was there 15 min. after it happened....

Roger Randall I was in the auditorium when it hit.They say the plane missed the building by about 100 feet.the suction caused by the plane opened and closed the heavy doors.I am 76 now,and living in Yerington NV.

Patricia Girard Wilcox I was only 4 at the time, but I was outside about a block away from the field. The planes collided right over my head and debris fell all around us. A seat from one of the planes fell in our back yard. I had two older sisters who were also in the auditorium at the time the plane crashed in the field. I still remember the fear and sometimes I still break out in a cold sweat just thinking how close we were to it being in our yard.

Laura Tolman My uncle was covered with the hot oil from the planes and spent a year in the hospital. Mom was in the auditorium practicing for graduation.

Lisa Elger I wasn't born yet but my family lived in Lake View Terrace, my brother went there since Mt Gleason junior high wasn't built yet and remembers it well.

Pamela Clark My parents were there!

I wasn't born yet, but I went to school there also.

1

Kenny Woods I was there At the grade school

Robert Echevarria I watched the plane fly over my house before it crashed.

Richard L Williams I was on the field lucky I wasn't hurt!

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Dolores Gonzales I was 5 years old, living in San Fernando, my brother and I were playing in the front yard and we saw the plane falling out of the sky. When it hit the ground, all the mothers came running out of the houses thinking it was an earthquake.

Roger Randall Doug Erickson I remember Carlene Smith at SFHS I did not know her. There was over 600 in our class.she would perform floor type gymnastic routines during assemblies.pretty red head.

Doug Erickson Roger Randall Yes, she did the routines with my wife, Georgie Smith. They did do assemblies, even were sent to other schools in exchange talent assemblies. Her health is not good. We just recently had to move her to an Assisted Living Center.

Beckie Rodriguez I was at Haddon Ave School 9 yrs old.

Andy Williams That day was a nightmare. I remember that crash. I was 11 years old.

Ginny Wilson Reeser Was in elementary school and remembered seeing the planes crash. The children were crying worried out their siblings. One student was worried about his father that was a pilot. A sad day.

Marc Mayerson I lived two blocks from the crash, on Bonanza, between Sharp and Terra Bella. I was 7, and home from school (Terra Bella Elementary) with a cold. We heard the roar of an engine and then an explosion that shook the house. My mother scooped me up and we ran toward the huge, black mushroom cloud along with other screaming mothers in the neighborhood. We were among the first to arrive on the scene. It was gruesome and macabre, an utter horror that haunts me still.

Comments shared from Kids of the San Fernando Valley Things we loved from the 70's & 80's Facebook page

Maureen Capra I remember this!  I was seven years old and at Canterbury Elementary School.

Bruce Krupnik I was in kindergarten at Montegue St. School. I'll never forget how loud it was when the plane was getting close to the ground. It felt like the whole building was shaking.
Very frightening..

Jeanne Cao I was at Montague then, too, in the 2nd grade. The father of one of my classmates was a jet pilot, and I remember how frightened she was. Didn't know if her father was flying that jet or not. Happily, he wasn't

Sheryl Spoerl Mertes Remember it! Was at Haskell Ave. School and heard the 

crash

Bill Snoberger I went to PJHS from '69-'71. Honestly, I don't remember the subject being brought up very often if at all.

Tracy Tannen There actually is an old recording of the crashed that was made during graduation rehearsals in the auditorium. You can find it on YouTube. It's absolutely insane

RECORDING (started at 3:41) OF CRASH MADE DURING GRADUATION AT PJHS

Doug Howland My family knew a guy who got his leg cut off in that accident.

Craig Aliano My cousin Sam Cavouto was hit on the back by a piece of metal, no puncture. It hit flat and knocked the air out of him

Ivone Garcia Can any of you remember if the 5frwy was already there, since it runs right next to Pacoima Middle School, just curious.

Javier R. Garciá Someone wrote on another page that Terra Bella School was located next to field where freeway eventually was built over site. She recalled seeing the tragedy as a child and watching kids trying to climb fence to escape

Kathy Losso Our family friend, Evan, died from the crash. I have lost touch with his sister, Cindy Elsner, and would love to find her again. I have tried to find her but have had no luck. If anyone has any information about her, please let me know.

Jeanne Cao It happened on my eighth birthday

Arnold Finkelstein  Why someone would want to ruin photographs like that I can't 

say, but apparently this plane crash was not going to prevent that kid from getting to 

band practice.

Gail Hoffman Beaston It was my Father's flight crew. He was a test flight engineer at 

Douglas aircraft, at the time. He was not on duty that fateful day and by God's good 

graces, his life was spared.

Marie Watkins Chaudhari I was just 5 then. So sad

Charlotte Morse Knobeloch ....I was in the 6th grade at Haddon ave elementary 

school just a few blocks away. I remember having to get under the desk and I thought 

they dropped the bomb... I'll never forget my teacher telling us to say good-bye to our 

friends at the school.. Talk about being traumatized. My brother was 

at the jr. High... He used the excuse of surviving a plane crash as to why he turned 

grey so early in life. I went to the church next door to the school and went to the 

funeral of one of the boys who died. Just something you never forget