I remember that incident like it was yesterday, because my boss at the time had changed my mind from getting on PSA and switching to Air California and coming to work. I still remember looking down the ramp and seeing the stewardress secure the door and say goodbye to the attendant who helped secure the door from the outside. I had a great weekend planned in San Diego and gave up my seat to a young man nicely dressed who said he had to get to San Diego on business who had been on standby. I would have been the last to board the plane.

I watched the PSA jet as it was backed away from the terminal and taxi to the end of the runway and take off. Little did I know my boss had just saved my life. I was 27 years old then, I am 53 now and I still do not fly anymore.

--Chris

There is a good chance that the young man he mentions, whom Chris gave up his seat for, was my brother Anthony Poli, who was flying standby in San Francisco, where the plane originated I believe, and was due back in San Diego on business. I think the plane also stopped in LA. He had only been released from active duty as a Navy E2C Hawkeye pilot (for 6 years), just the month before. 

Chris: Did the young man have reddish hair and freckles, about 5'11" inches tall?  Anthony was a Flying Tiger pilot, recently retired Navy pilot and was 29 years old.

He was given a full military burial at Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Chula Vista, CA, with the missing man formation flyover, as he was a naval aviator.  The memorial "burial" took place without a body, as it took weeks to identify all the remains from the crash, so we had the service anyway a week later and were told when his remains were finally identified and intured at Glen Abbey.

His nephew, whom he never knew, my son Matthew Seavitte, views my brother as his hero, never having known him, and in that vein has himself become a naval aviator, though a Marine officer, and has been assigned jets! and is currently finishing his flight training in Kingsville, TX, after Pensacola, FL, where his uncle also trained 32 years earlier, and will receive his wings of gold in early June.  He will then fly the Harrier or the FA-18.  Interestingly, Matthew's room at the BOQ in Pensacola and Anthony's room there, were only tworooms apart!, and there are hundreds of rooms at the BOQ in Pensacola.

[My brother] was an amazingly brilliant man and passionate pilot, born in England like me, but with a love of all this country offers to all who embrace it.  He died a happy man, living his dream, which continues with my son...............

Thank you again,
Janet Poli-Seavitte