Monument remembers 83 who died in 1969 plane crash near Shelbyville
LONDON, Ind. (WISH) — Monday marked 50 years since a tragic plane crash in central Indiana.
On Sept. 9, 1969, Allegheny Flight 852 was bound from Boston to St. Louis with a stop in Indianapolis when it collided with a small plane being flown by a student pilot.
It happened in the skies above Shelby County.
All 82 people on the Allegheny flight and the student pilot in the small plane were killed.
Shelbyville leaders on Monday revealed a monument dedicated to the victims.
Diane Elrod, daughter of Capt. James Elrod, a pilot on the Allegheny flight, said, “It’s a permanent reminder of the tragedy that happened and a place to go to remember all the lives that were lost so that they will never be forgotten. And, it just a beautiful place to go. And it’s very peaceful. In a way, you can be here and kind of feel the energy of the souls that were here.”
Thirty-two victims are buried in Shelbyville.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the cause of the crash to be inadequate rules of the airway.