It's the worst air disaster on Georgia soil in history and the anniversary is approaching.

April 4, 1977 was a day full of storms in the metro Atlanta area.  Those storms led to the crash of a Southern Airways DC-9 in Paulding County.

Flight 242 left Muscle Shoals, Alabama, stopped in Huntsville to pick up passengers, then continued on to Hartsfield Airport, on Atlanta.

While flying over Rome, the pilot ran into a severe storm, with hail clogging, then shutting down, one engine, while lightning disabled the second engine.

"They knew they were in trouble," says Cherry Waddell, the head of the Flight 242 Society.  "They saw an opportunity on this highway, which is now 381 but was Highway 92 at the time.

"The pilot tried to make an emergency landing," she tells WSB, "but it crashed."

Where the plane, which was carrying 84 people, went down was the spot of a country store.

"One of the wings clipped a gas tanks in front," says Waddell, "and that caused an explosion."

The explosion sent wreckage all over the area.  Wardell's great-aunt was in the front yard of the house three doors away when she was killed by debris.  Three young mothers, a pair of sisters and their sister-in-law, were in a station wagon with their four small children when the plane crashed.  All seven were killed.

Inside the store three people ran out the back door, but one man ran out the front, into the crash location.  He suffered terrible burns and died a few weeks later.

In all nine people in New Hope died in the crash, along with 63 passengers.  But, somehow, 21 people, including both flight attendants, survived.

"It truly is a miracle," says Waddell.  "When you see the pictures even she doesn't know how she got out."

People drive along Highway 381 everyday and have no idea what happened there 38 years ago.   There is no historical marker at the crash site because it's too soon for the state.  An event must be more than 50 years old before the state historical society will commemorate it.

Down the road from the site is a small cemetery and the society has erected a marker.  It has a narrative of the disaster on one side and a list of victims on the other.

The society is also working to keep the crash of Flight 242 in he public's eye.  A memorial service will be held at a New Hope church which will include the families of victims, and some survivors of the crash.

For Waddell, seeing the cars driving by the location and knowing those drivers have no idea what happened. At the site is frustrating, but it also gives her a purpose.

"I want traffic to stop, almost like a funeral procession," she says.  "Out of respect.  I want them to know what happened here.  I want them to pause so it gives the families comfort."