ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — All walks of life came together Sunday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the worst plane crash in St. Louis history.
Friends and family gathered for a memorial to honor the victims and survivors of Ozark Air Lines Flight 809.
On July 23, 1973, first responders and helpers flooded the area near the University of Missouri St. Louis. Flight 809 was torn apart.
It's a crash that also tore apart families.
The plane came down just two miles short of the runway in a wooded area in Normandy. A downdraft from a thunderstorm pressured the plane, killing 38 passengers. Six people survived.
In the same spot on the same day 50 years later, multiple worlds merged. Trauma and tragedy tied their time together.
Barbara Glass was pregnant with her daughter Shannon when her husband died that day. Half a century later, Shannon helped organize this memorial commemorating the 50th anniversary.
Several people were involved in the year-long process, including St. Louis author Brice York, who's written books about the crash.
"When I became aware of other people and connect with them and realized it could be meaningful for others," Glass said. "That was my motivation to make something happen. Beyond friends and family, there were some people who had connections to that day, there is a man whose father was a first responder. There’s a priest speaking who was driving by and saw the site that day."
The anniversary connected different families, feeling the same pain.
Donna Diebold lost her grandparents.
"I was 17. Both of them, just at once gone, it was grandma’s first time on a plane," Diebold said. "All of our lives changed because of this."
Through this memorial, the Diebolds were able to connect with the Glasses. Time passes and their love only grows.
A tragic moment tore their lives apart and decades later, that very same moment brings them together.
Diebold said, "We met people here that we would have never met and it's sad that tragedy brought us all together, but I think it's comfort meeting some of these people 50 years later knowing we went through the same thing."
Two of the survivors, Stuart Sikes and Tanzi Cordin, have shared their stories of survival with 5 On Your Side. Neither of them was able to make it to the memorial, but both sent their love and support.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.