“Say a prayer and be thankful”
A mechanic walks past the remains of the right engine from USAir Flight 427 in a USAir hangar Sept. 14, 1994 in Coraopolis. National Transportation Safety Board inspectors, along with investigators from Boeing and USAir, pieced together the ill-fated Boeing 737 in hopes of determining a cause for the Sept. 8 crash that killed 132 people in Aliquippa.
Investigators stand near biohazard collection containers at the crash site of USAir flight 427, September 11, 1994, in Hopewell Township. All 132 passengers and crew aboard the Boeing 737 were killed when the plane plunged 6,000 feet, Sept. 8, 1994.
The wreckage of USAir Flight 427 litters the ground in Hopewell Township, Sept. 9, 1994.
A memorial to those who were killed in the crash of USAir Flight 427 Sept. 8, 1994 is in Sewickley Cemetery.
Beaver County Sheriff George David routinely directs visitors to a memorial for the crew and passengers of USAir Flight 427 at the crash site on his property in Hopewell Township. Behind the stone used to lie a small pile of aircraft debris, left by people who found the pieces in the surrounding woods. The debris has since disappeared, probably to souvenir hunters, David said.
It happened 20 years ago today, but the memories of those who helped clear the crash of USAir Flight 427 in Hopewell Township are still vivid.
“I still remember it,” Dennis Berty, who spent three days at the scene after the crash, said. “And I didn’t see the gruesome parts.”
On Sept.8, 1994, six minutes before it was supposed to land at Pittsburgh International Airport, USAir Flight 427 fell from the sky and crashed into a ravine, killing all 132 people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the plane’s rudder jammed into the left position due to a valve malfunction. The plane stalled and crashed as a result.
Berty spent the next 72 hours following the crash in Beaver County. He said his next two days were spent serving with the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing team from Allegheny County, speaking with fellow first responders who were tasked with removing victims’ remains from the scene.
“I talked to a lot of people,” he said.
“One in particular sticks out in my mind. She was the only female in her unit. They had her catalog what they were recovering as they graphically described the body parts. Wasn’t a good time.”
On the third day, Berty and his wife, Patti, worked in the morgue, which was a hangar converted into a collection site.
“We walked the body parts back and forth,” he said. “The biggest piece was six inches.”
The couple, along with other members of the now-defunct Cecil Area ambulance service, felt compelled to go to the scene after the crash.
“It was just something we needed to do,” Patti Berty said. “We needed to do it for the families.”
The couple, who have been first responders for 30-plus years and are currently active with Cecil Volunteer Fire Department, said the crash is the worst thing they’ve assisted with over the years.
“(Today) is going to be pretty rough,” Patti Berty said.
Several Washington County residents were on board the Boeing 737 when it crashed. The Observer-Reporter’s attempts to contact victims’ families were unsuccessful.
In the years after the crash, a memorial was erected in a corner of Sewickley Cemetery. Loved ones gather there each September to pray and comfort one another. This year, they will meet at the DoubleTree Hotel in Moon Township for the 20th and final Flight 427 Air Disaster Support League remembrance service.
Bracken Burns, who was then the Washington County director for emergency services, also volunteered at the crash site. Burns and his son, Bracken Burns Jr., helped carry the remains of the victims.
“It was difficult,” he said. “I spent 25 years in emergency services, but nothing has touched that day in significance or sadness.”
Burns said he thinks about the crash often.
“I can’t get on an airplane without thinking about it,” he said. “It was an emotional and physically draining experience.”
Burns and the Bertys haven’t returned to the crash site since the accident. Burns said he thinks of that day every time he’s in the area.
Patti Berty said she considers the site hallowed ground.
“That’s just for the families,” she said.
Patti Berty said she’ll be sure to take a moment today to reflect on the past.
“We’ll have a moment of silence,” she said. “Say a prayer and be thankful that we are still here.”