Raymond Frank Ray Thomson was 48 when he died December 7, 1987, aboard Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771, which crashed in San Luis Obispo County near Cayucos, California. The crash was caused by a deliberate act of violence: a former employee of USAir, David Augustus Burke, boarded with a loaded .44 Magnum revolver, confronted Thomson and others, and shot multiple people before the aircraft went down. All 43 people on board were killed.

Burke had been recently terminated from his job after being investigated for theft; Thomson had upheld the dismissal. Burke died in the crash, so there were no arrests or later prosecutions. The disaster prompted litigation by victims families against the airline and contributed to changes in how employees and access to aircraft were handled.

If anyone knew Raymond Thomson or remembers him at work or on that flight, please share information that could help preserve his memory.