More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. The autothrottle system failing to engage was the first red flag, with the stall warning being the second. Maus had logged 20,859 flight hours during his career, including 1,359 hours on the MD-82. Relatives took her in, protecting her from the media throughout her childhood. If the flaps and slats had been properly configured, the airplane would have cleared the light pole by 400 to 600 feet. There were 148 passengers and six crewmembers killed. View Comments. Unfortunately, we'll never know. Terms of Use | Online Privacy Policy, NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Flight 255. About 18:53, flight 255 departed Saginaw and about 19:42 arrived at its gate at Detroit. [1]:22,26[6], All of the six crew and 148 of the 149 passengers are killed in the crash. "When we pulled up, I didn'tthink we would find anybody," said Thiede, who still works for the Romulus Fire Department. On Sunday, Rhett Bushongs grandmother drove him to the airport here, where he checked in for his flight to Orange County on Continental Airlines. The flight crew had to reconfigure the on-board computer for taking off on runway 3C. Jerome D. Cook, 48, Phoenix, off-duty Northwest employe. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. On Aug. 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed shortly after takeoff from the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Mich., killing 154 on board and two on the ground. It then broke apart, with the fuselage skidding across the road, disintegrating and bursting into flames as it hit a Norfolk Southern railroad overpass and the overpass of eastbound Interstate 94. Family and friends of the victims and others from across the Metro Detroit area (including local media) attended, and a local priest read each victim's name aloud. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Want to solve climate change? Two motorists on nearby Middlebelt Road also perished and five people on the ground were injured, one seriously. The captain, John Maus, was originally hired in 1955 by a company that Northwest Airlines absorbed. Had the lost passengers been local . If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Murdy said Kirk had just graduated from the University of Oklahoma and planned to go back for his MBA. As the sun set, about 200 people listened as. The flight's captain, John R. Maus, was an experienced pilot with 31 years of experience with the airline. The National Transportation Safety Board later determined the planes crew failed to use a checklist to ensure that wing flaps and slats were extended. Northwest on Monday released the names of the crew on Flight 255 and the names of three off-duty employes who were killed aboard the plane. August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after take-off from Detroit Metro Airport. Family and friends of Flight 255 victims gathered at the memorial site for a ceremony at 8 p.m. Wednesday to honor the lives of their loved ones. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. On Tuesday, those who had loved ones on that tragic flight remembered them with a memorial service in Phoenix. Other pilots who had recently flown with Dodds later described his performance Copyright 2022 by WDET and Wayne State University. Investigators believedhuman error most likely caused the crash. [1]:6 At the time of the accident, the aircraft was painted in a hybrid livery between Northwest Airlines and Republic Airlines, featuring blue Republic striping with red Northwest titles and a white tail. in favorable terms. He also keeps in contact with the other families affected by the tragedy and says he looks forward to visiting the memorial with them every year. One hundred fifty-seven people were killed. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employee. The plane was still rolling to the left when it collided with the ground, Middlebelt Road. Aside from one training report during his early probationary period, captains that flew with him would describe his performance as average or above. It was a day you wouldnt want anybody to go through, said Pontante of Fulton, New York. The witnesses also stated that the flight rotation began about 1,200-1,500 feet from the end of the runway and that the tail of the aircraft came close to striking the runway. Other pilots described the two as "competent and capable.". Most were traveling to the GM Desert Proving Ground in Mesa, Arizona. The last-minute change to the flights runway was a decision based on the tower supervisors judgment that the wind direction was changing from southwest to northwest. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Runway 3C was the shortest of the three available runways. [1]:1 The crew read out the before-start checklist, and started the engines at 20:33:04. The NTSB was unable to determine a cause for the electrical-power failure in the central aural warning system (CAWS): "The failure of the takeoff warning system was caused by the loss of input 28V dc. Their spirit lives on.". var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); Family members have yet to make the trip to the morgue to sift through belongings. including Northwest Airlines flight 255 at Detroit, Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, Continental Airlines flight 1713 in Denver, United Airlines flight 811 over the Pacific Ocean, United Airlines . About 20:32, flight 255 departed the gate with 149 passengers and 6 crewmembers on board. All rights reserved. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. It was warm and muggy. So over the years, hes used a website and social media to keep everyone connected. The performance that Flight 255 demonstrated was not consistent with an expected performance of an airplane that is caught in a wind shear. Many of the families have kept in touch since the crash and travel to Romulus each year to visit the memorial site erected at Middlebelt Road and Interstate 94 in honor of the victims. Exploring the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, immediately after takeoff at Detroit Metro Airport on August 16, 1987. Subscribe today. [1]:3, Flight 255 made its takeoff roll on Detroit's runway 3C at 20:44:21, with Maus at the controls, as recorded on the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR):[1]:3, The plane lifted off the runway at 170kn (200mph; 310km/h), and began to roll from side to side[1]:4 just under 50ft (15m) above the ground. Weve stayed very close, said Ratliff, whose daughter and ex-wife moved to California 14 years ago. The 25th anniversary of the Michigan crash will be commemorated by victims . Here is a look back at this Southeast Michigan tragedy. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 ATC recording, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 CVR recording, MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, List of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting in at least 50 fatalities, List of sole survivors of airline accidents or incidents, "Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Airlines, Inc. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, N312RC, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Romulus, Michigan, August 16, 1987", "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) N312RC Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW)", "United States of America air safety profile", "Ten worst aircraft accidents with lone survivors", "Picture of the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (DC-9-82) aircraft", "Crash Survivor's Psychic Pain May Be the Hardest to Heal", "4-YEAR-OLD CECILIA AWAKENS, ASKS FOR MOTHER, THEN DOLL", "Mother May Not Have Saved Lone Survivor of Plane Crash", "Flight 255: Tragedy Lingers After 20 Years", "Sole Survivor Of Metro Airport Crash Breaks Her Silence", "Northwest Airlines (NW) #261 FlightAware", "Flight Finder Detroit Metro Wayne Co (KDTW) - Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (KPHX) FlightAware", "A mother's long journey follows son's final flight", "Memorial held for victims of 1987 Flight 255 plane crash", "30 years later: Flight 255 bonds victims' families", "Sole Survivor Of Plane Crash Breaks Silence", "Survivor of 1987 Mich. plane crash breaks silence", "1987 Plane Crash: 'Sole Survivor' Cecelia Crocker Breaks Silence On Northwest Airlines Flight 255 Accident", "Tom Higgins: The Wreaths of Middlebelt Road", Pre-crash photos of N312RC on Airliners.net, Evergreen International Airlines Flight 17, 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northwest_Airlines_Flight_255&oldid=1130000402, Airliner accidents and incidents in Michigan, Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error, Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1987, Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas MD-82, Northwest Airlines accidents and incidents, Airliner accidents and incidents caused by stalls, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, # = Expletive deleted; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; (()) = Commentary; - = Break in continuity; Shading = Radio communication. Thirty minutes before the accident, other pilots reported wind shear alerts near Detroit Metro. As the plane rushed down the runway, it lifted only 40 feet off the ground. Northwest Airlines Flight 1466 (to Detroit tower). Director Ian Robertson Writers Andre Barro Bernard Vaillot Mike Sheehan Stars Jonathan Aris (voice) Michael Kremko Bill Lake See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review Three zero zero at one three and we'll be going to page avjet. Ill never forget the images of body bags among the debris. Twenty years ago today, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 from Detroit to Phoenix crashed moments after taking off. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. Northwest fourteen sixty six so far that's approved I'll advise different. Family and friends of the victims and others from across the Metro Detroit area (including local media) attended, and a local priest read each victim's name aloud. After passengers disembarked the flight from Saginaw, a Northwest mechanic entered the cockpit to review the airplane and cabin maintenance logbooks prior to Captain Maus and First Officer Dodds taking over. More than 30 of the passengers were under the age of 25; two 12-year-olds were unaccompanied minors. "Went out to the ambulance checked in with our dispatchers and they told us you're responding to Metro Airport for an aircraft down. She heard on the news the plane had crashed.. "[1]:53. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. The airline has been extremely protective of the families privacy, even taking the highly unusual step of withholding the list of those who were on the flight. It sits at the top of a hill at Middlebelt Road and I-94. Their statements on whether or not the flaps and slats were extended varied, but most responded that they were extended, although they could not tell how far. There were 155 people on board, 110 from Arizona. As mentioned previously, basically, all of this technical mumbo jumbo just means that as long as the pilots set their flaps to 11 degrees, their plane would safely get off the ground even with their high takeoff weight and short runway.. Even with time, however, the numbers do not tell the story. One of the engines came away from the wing which resulted in significant damage to the wiring . Now after three decades, a local first responder is paying tribute to the. But if I do actually stop and think about it, yeah, I feel teary, Marsh said. Her son was on board. Two people on the ground were also killed. "It was me and my sister's family at the house, you know, [I] just got done fishing with my best bud that day." Witnesses say that after rolls between 15 degrees and 90 degrees, the planes wings leveled off before veering violently to the left and striking a light pole in a rental car parking lot. According to the accident report, the flight crews training records did not reveal anything abnormal. Justin Behnke was 7 when his mother died in the crash. Surviving family members of the 156 persons who perished in the plane crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 on Aug. 16, 1987, will gather for their annual memorial Monday night at . Amid the carnage was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan, the sole survivor of Northwest Flight 255. [19], On August 16, 2012, the 25th anniversary of the crash, another memorial service was held at the crash site. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. . "That was the first like a positive glimmer of hope after the traumatic night that wow somebody made it, what a miracle and just thank God," said Graves. Many will do so again on Aug. 16, 2017 at 8:46 p.m., the time of the accident. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan, Minnesota Flight attendant Pamela O. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Arizona Passengers KIlled Aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. satu-satunya yang selamat adalah seorang gadis berusia 4 tahun, Cecelia Cichan, yang menderita . Northwest Airlines Flight 255 1. At 20:35:43, the ground controller instructed to use taxiway C and switch to frequency 119.45MHz to communicate with another controller. Which of course as a first responder is something that's going to get your very immediate attention," said Northwest Flight 255 First Responder Andy Graves. Northwest Airlines Flight 255 is one of the deadliest aviation crashes in the nation. The victims of the crash included NBA player Nick Vanos, seven people from Orange County, California and a four-month old baby from Arizona. That flight was delayed, so Rhett switched to Northwest Flight 255. Many attendees had seen . He started heading for the scene. Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 766). / CW50 Detroit. The plane . As of. "I just think I was in the right spot.". ((Sound similar to nose gear strut extension)), ((Sound similar to nose wheel spinning down)). A black granite memorial erected in 1994 in memory of the victims of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 McDonnell Douglas MD-82, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on August 16, 1987. The sole survivor of the crash was Cecilia Cichan, a four-year-old girl from Tempe, Arizona, who was returning home alongside her mother, Paula, father, Michael, and a six-year-old brother, David, after visiting relatives in Pennsylvania. For some people affected by the incident, this was their first return to the site since the crash. This is all we do. If an airplane encounters a significant wind shear during takeoff, changes in airspeed and climbing angles will appear on the planes Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The FDR data showed that, at liftoff, the planes airspeed was about 169 KIAS (the airplane equivalent of MPH or KPH) and that instead of decelerating over the 14 seconds of the flight like an airplane that hit a wind shear would, the plane accelerated to about 184 KIAS and climbed almost 50 feet. They text about sports, life events and he attended her wedding in 2006. Basically, all of this technical mumbo jumbo just means that as long as the pilots set their flaps to 11 degrees, their plane would safely get off the ground even with their high takeoff weight and short runway. "You just learn how to move forward. [1]:6, The flight crew began August 16, 1987, by operating the incident aircraft as Northwest Flight 750 from MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport, flying to MBS International Airport in Saginaw, Michigan. Captain Maus asked his first officer to verify that they could use runway 3C for takeoff. 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