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‘Think about them all the time.' 40 years pass since deadly Cerritos plane crash

Upon the 40th anniversary of the deadly midair collision of two planes in Cerritos, those who lost loved ones in the tragedy gather to mourn. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. Monday marked a somber anniversary as people who lost loved ones to one of the worst aviation disasters in history gathered in Cerritos to mourn those who died. Forty years ago, 82 people died after Aeroméxico Flight 498 and a Piper Aircraft plane collided midair over Cerritos. All 64 passengers of the Aeroméxico plane, all three passengers of the Piper aircraft and 15 people on the ground sadly died.

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Scoop News DeskCerritos · Published Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 5:02 AM UTCUpdated Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 4:46 AM UTC

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As I got closer, I saw it was a lot more than a little airplane.” Although four decades have passed since the devastating collision, the emotions remain raw for those who lost loved ones and those who witnessed the tragedy. “There’s no way you can forget,” Berry said. “What you saw, what you smelled.” ‘Think about them all the time.' 40 years pass since deadly Cerritos plane crash - NBC Los Angeles.

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Version 2updated
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 7:15 AM UTC
Latest update from NBC Los Angeles on MSN: Forty years ago, 82 people died after. Upon the 40th anniversary of the deadly midair collision of two planes in Cerritos, those who lost loved ones in the tragedy gather to mourn. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. Monday marked a somber anniversary as people who lost loved ones to one of the worst aviation disasters in history gathered in Cerritos to mourn those who died. Forty years ago, 82 people died after Aeroméxico Flight 498 and a Piper Aircraft plane collided midair over Cerritos. All 64 passengers of the Aeroméxico plane, all three passengers of the Piper aircraft and 15 people on the ground sadly died.
Version 3updated
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC
Upon the 40th anniversary of the deadly midair collision of two planes in Cerritos, those who lost loved ones in the tragedy gather to mourn. Hetty Chang reports for the NBC4 News at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. Monday marked a somber anniversary as people who lost loved ones to one of the worst aviation disasters in history gathered in Cerritos to mourn those who died. Forty years ago, 82 people died after Aeroméxico Flight 498 and a Piper Aircraft plane collided midair over Cerritos. All 64 passengers of the Aeroméxico plane, all three passengers of the Piper aircraft and 15 people on the ground sadly died.
Version 4unpublished
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 4:46 AM UTC
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