September 8, 1994

7:03 p.m.

USAir Flight 427 crashes near Pittsburgh, PA

All 132 on board perish

    In those first few hours, back home in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia,  the family of Dave Lamanca were still hoping for a miracle.  But news soon came that Dave was indeed on board USAir Flight 427. 

    Dave's wife Kristi, was pregnant.  His parents, John and Shirley were in shock.  His sister, Debi had lost her only brother.  Uncles, cousins, friends, neighborhood, community; all in disbelief that this tragedy had touched their lives in some way.

    At the time of his death, his family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Dave's memory.  There was an outpouring of support, as the community at large was touched in so many ways by this family's sudden loss. 

    Eight days after the accident, Shirley, Dave's mother, urged John, Dave's father to get out and play a round of golf with his three brothers.  As difficult as it seemed, it was a day for the four of them to have alone, a day to comfort each other; it was a day that Dave would have wanted them to have.   

    On this day the idea was born to have a golf tournament in honor of Dave's life. The four brothers and Dave's brother-in-law Allen, took a single dollar bill, and signed it as a pledge to establish a memorial fund in Dave's name thru a golf tournament.  Numerous family members and friends joined the effort and in less than 8 months, the first annual Dave Lamanca Golf Scholarship Tournament was held.  Today and forever the name of Dave Lamanca lives on thru golf and this scholarship fund.  

USAir Flight 427 would become the longest investigated air crash in aviation history.  It was in the news:  Washington Post, L. A. Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, Life Magazine and more.  4 years later, an investigation determined that a faulty rudder valve had caused the crash.  Boeing redesigned the rudder system, making air line travel safer.  Because of USAir Flight 427, Congress required airlines to deal more sensitively with the families of crash victims.  In more ways than one, this crash changed aviation  history.