SAN DIEGO — Monday marks 45 years since Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 crashed in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.

A memorial ceremony was held at Dwight and Nile streets to commemorate the deadliest aviation crash in California’s history.

At 9:03 a.m. on Sept. 25, 1978, PSA Flight 182 collided mid-air with a Cessna. The Cessna broke apart, and fragments of the commercial flight came down. A total of 144 people, including those on the ground, died.

During the ceremony, each victim’s name was read aloud. A rose for each person was placed in a flower pot. Three San Diego police cars from the era also made an appearance.

“It was 45 years ago. I was only 31 then,” Richard Carlson, who was on the ground after the deadly crash, said to FOX 5. “It was hard to understand the magnitude of it because when I got here, there were still flames in the air. As it died down, you could see what the carnage had been from this. It was like a war zone. There was debris everywhere. It was just an awful sight to see and it sticks in your mind.”

For years, the PSA Flight 182 Committee has tried to erect a monument in memory of those who died. But so far, little progress has been made with the City of San Diego.

FOX 5’s Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.