AC Flight 621 crashed on July 5, 1970 attempting to land at Pearson Airport

On my walks this past week, I visited two memorials dedicated to the 109 people who died 54 years ago when AC Flight 621 crashed in a field just north of Pearson International Airport.

The first memorial I visited was in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto where 49 and 3 unidentified victims are buried. A memorial plaque at the base of the monument has 109 names inscribed of those on board. There were no survivors.

The second memorial was in Purple Lilac Park which is located in a residential area in Brampton, Ontario and together with the cooperation of the developer, the City of Brampton and the Regional Conservancy dedicated a portion of the park as a public memorial. The location of the site is exactly where the DC-8 aircraft landed on July 5, 1970.

109 polished granite markers are arranged in a mosaic on the path to symbolize each victim. They are placed in clusters to represent the family members who had travelled on the plane together.

On July 4, 2013, Purple Lilac Park was officially named for the flowers that grew at this site before the crash occurred.