When a small single engine plane crashed into the Our Lady of San Juan del Valle Shrine on the morning of Oct. 23, 1970, many in San Juan witnessed the event.

The crash caused the shrine to catch on fire, destroying it. The incident made national headlines and led to the creation of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle - National Shrine.

The old shrine stood where St. John the Baptist Catholic Church now stands.

For 89-year-old Maria Silva, the tragedy felt like it happened yesterday.

She said she remembered seeing the small plane piloted by former teacher Frank Alexander.

A 1955 report from the National Transportation Safety Board said Alexander deliberately dove into the shrine after “requesting churches in the area be evacuated.”

When Silva saw the plane, she said she had one question: “Why is he flying so low?"

Moments later, the crash happened.

“He hit [the shrine] right in the middle… and everything was surrounded by fire.”

Silva was on campus of the school next door getting ready to pick up her daughters when the crash happened. She said the fire came fast, and the sounds of the aftermath have stayed with her to this day. 

“It was so explosive… the flames were so high,” Silva said. “I was shocked. I cried, I was crying all the way home.”

Silva said that day was one of the worst days of her life, a sentiment echoed by Monsignor Juan Nicolau. 

“When you talk to me about this crash, I feel like crying because it was a terrible experience for me,” Nicolau said.

Monsignor Nicolau was among the over a dozen priests who were inside the church at the time of the crash holding Mass.

“I was on the pulpit leading the priests singing 'A New Commandment God Has Given Us' and at that time we heard a BOOM. Like a bomb,” Nicolau said.

The priests scrambled for safety and to save precious objects. 

“One [saved] the tabernacle, and the other one went to save the Virgin Mary [statue] so the Virgin Mary we have was saved,” Nicolau said.

READ MORE: Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle statue untouched by devastating 1970 fire

The tower at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is the last remaining structure of the original shrine of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle. 

It's now a symbol of the miracle that took place here, and a reminder for the people who witnessed the unimaginable. 

This week, Channel 5 News is taking a look at the 55th anniversary of the plane crash as part of our special report, Reflections of the San Juan Shrine Plane Crash.

Watch the video above for the full story.