David Anthony Burke — Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771: Aviation's Deadliest Sabotage
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 — Luftfartens dødeligste sabotage
Who Was David Anthony Burke?
David Anthony Burke was a 35-year-old American who had previously worked as a baggage handler for Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). Burke was employed by the airline at its San Diego base, where he developed a reputation as an unreliable worker with a persistent pattern of absenteeism. His time with the company ended badly when he was fired after being convicted of theft in the workplace. That dismissal would become the catalyst for one of the darkest episodes in American aviation history.
Colleagues described Burke as a man with a troubled relationship with authority — temperamental and impulsive. He harbored a deep personal grievance against a former supervisor, whom he believed had treated him unjustly and played a key role in his termination. That conflict became the fuel for Burke's growing anger and resentment toward PSA.
Planning and Preparation
In the days leading up to the attack, Burke systematically gathered materials to construct an explosive device. He acquired dynamite and an improvised detonation mechanism. Burke had previously studied how to gain access to the cockpit of a PSA aircraft and knew that his former status as an airline employee would work in his favor, as he still held certain access privileges at San Diego International Airport.
On December 7, 1987, Burke arrived at San Diego International Airport and boarded PSA Flight 1771, bound for San Francisco. He had planned his act of sabotage down to the last detail. On board were 36 passengers, 5 crew members, and Burke himself — 43 people in total.
The Disaster
Shortly after takeoff from San Diego — approximately 15 minutes after the aircraft left the ground — Burke detonated his homemade explosive device inside the cockpit. The blast was immediate and devastating. Captain Raymond Foiles and First Officer Robert Gloan were killed instantly. With the cockpit destroyed and the control systems critically damaged, the aircraft became uncontrollable and entered a catastrophic dive.
The plane crashed in an area near Ramona, California, approximately 30 kilometers north of San Diego. All 43 people on board were killed — 42 of them in the final moments of a flight they had no reason to fear, and David Anthony Burke himself, dead as a direct consequence of his own act of sabotage.
