"We turned on the TV, and sure enough, there's a plane and flames on the freeway, Behnke says. All Rights Reserved. Investigators had to exhaust every option to determine the cause of the crash. AP Photo Flowers and pictures are shown at the memorial Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Romulus, Mich. to mark the 25th anniversary of the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 near Detroit . Northwest fourteen sixty six metro tower traffic your following is a very short final runway three left cleared to land winds three zero zero at one three. Northwest Airlines held a very strong position on pre-flight checklists. All rights reserved. The Northwest hangar at the airport served as a temporary morgue. . Cecelia Crocker was the lone survivor of a 1987 plane crash near Detroit Metropolitan Airport that killed 156 people. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash. The plane had basically backed up entirely onto the bridge, and I stayed there and took it in for a while. Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); WDET is a community service of Wayne State University. Virginia Robinson, 45, Fountain Valley, Calif. Capt. And I remember that humid night 30 years ago. They said he always used the airplane checklist, one first officer stated that he was a by-the-book pilot who would not tolerate any deviation from standard procedure.. [22][23] She did not speak publicly about the crash until 2013, when the documentary was released. . That flight was delayed, so Rhett switched to Northwest Flight 255. He moved through the debris and bodies with a flashlight and discovered Cecelia strapped in a seat turned upside down. The Safety Board had to exhaust all possible causes. There were 155 people on board, 110 from Arizona. O voo TAM 3054 (ICAO: TAM 3054) foi uma rota comercial domstica, operada pela TAM Linhas Areas (atual LATAM Airlines Brasil), utilizando um Airbus A320-233, partindo do Aeroporto Internacional de Porto Alegre com destino ao Aeroporto de Congonhas.Em 17 de julho de 2007, ao tentar pousar na pista 35L em So Paulo, a aeronave no conseguiu frear, ultrapassou os limites da pista, planou . While the investigators felt that the P-40 circuit breaker probably had been pulled by the pilot on the incident flight, they could not definitely confirm if the circuit breaker had been tripped, intentionally opened, or if electric current failed to flow through the breaker to the CAWS while the breaker was closed: "Because the P-40 circuit breaker was badly damaged during the accident, the NTSB could not determine positively its pre-impact condition. ", However, hearing these names reach every year brings a sense of comfort Schaffer-Smith says, "We still remember. The flight was headed to California when it left the gate in Detroit. Cecelia Cichan was just four years old when she became the sole survivor of doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255. . The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 turbofan engines. The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a full investigation of the crash. . DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Many remember the tragic crash of Northwest Airlines flight 255 off of I-94. Settlement reported in Flight 255 suits. In the process of taxiing, Flight 255 missed the required turn, so Dodds contacted the ground controller and received instructions on how to proceed to runway 3C, and also to switch to 119.45MHz. Runway 3C was the shortest of the three available runways. U.S. District Judge Julian A. Cook . Their Airplane Flying Handbook stated that good cockpit management requires consistent checklist usage. Jerome D. Cook, 48, Phoenix, off-duty Northwest employe. The jetliner was bound for Phoenix, and many of the victims were from the Valley. 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. Other pilots described the two as "competent and capable.". Flight attendant Michael L Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minnesota. Aircraft and crew. Relatives took her in, protecting her from the media throughout her childhood. The aircraft continued to slide on the road, hitting multiple rental cars, a railroad embankment, and three occupied vehicles before bursting into flames as it hit a railroad and an overpass on I-94. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, Ariz., offduty Northwest employee. 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. Thiede recalled the rainy night of the crash when he heard amoaning voiceand saw a little arm flailing from the wreckage. 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. Most were traveling to the GM Desert Proving Ground in Mesa, Arizona. Northwest Airlines Flight 1466 (to Detroit tower). View Comments. Hidi was among at least 154 passengers killed Sunday night when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed on takeoff from Detroit's Metropolitan Airport. Rhett Bushongs suitcase arrived in Orange County unscathed late Sunday night--presumably aboard the Continental flight he was originally booked on. 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. Northwest Flight 255 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight of a MD-82, that day being N312RC, between Saginaw and Santa Ana, California, with en route stops at Detroit and Phoenix, Arizona. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. But after a mechanical problem was detected, the Continental flight was delayed and its passengers were offered seats on the Northwest flight, Continental spokesman Rick Scott said. The devastation claimed the lives of six crew members and 148 passengers, along with two people on the ground. Subscribe today. Welcome to Northwest Flight 255 Memorial Home | The Crash | In Loving Memory | Resources | Guestbook | eMail | Search View the Memorial Marker Copyright 2003 Flight 255 Memorial. The crash is the seventh worst aviation accident in U.S. history. If it wasnt the pilots themselves, the aircraft, or the weather, it had to be the takeoff configuration. [1]:2526[11] After the crash, Cichan moved to live with her maternal aunt and uncle in Birmingham, Alabama. As of 2014, Northwest, now owned by Delta, continues the retirement of 255 as a flight number. The National Traffic Safety Administration determines that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crews failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, page 68. Even with time, however, the numbers do not tell the story. It sits at the top of a hill at Middlebelt Road and I-94. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. However, the airline has repeatedly said it will not release a passenger list. 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 First published on February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM. Thirty years ago today, a flight outbound from Detroit Metro Airport on its way to Phoenix never reached its destination. Graves along with singer Mindi Odom recorded a song in the summer of 2019, shortly after visiting the crash site memorial on Middlebelt off I-94 honoring those who died in the crash. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. The CVR provided evidence of the flight crew's omission of the taxi checklist. J. Cathie Corona, 44, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Lewis Dresch, 45, Sterling Heights, Mich. Peter Frank, age and hometown unavailable. [19], On August 16, 2012, the 25th anniversary of the crash, another memorial service was held at the crash site. . Twenty years ago today, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 from Detroit to Phoenix crashed moments after taking off. The couple was headed back home to Arizona after spending a week with family in Owosso. However, the recording also revealed that the flight crew had trouble engaging the autothrottle system at first, but did engage the system moments later. Northwest will pay for the funeral and will fly the family back home, as it is doing for other victims families. We heard no weather warnings, just news terrible news. The controller advised that a 3-minute delay was needed to allow the wake turbulence from the previous aircraft that had taken off to dissipate. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined. Binding together after the Flight 255 crash has also led to some changes in aviation laws. My senior year at the University of Michigan was about to begin. I have not visited the memorial. [17] The memorial has a dove with a ribbon in its beak reading, "Their spirit still lives on"; below it are the names of those who perished in the crash. However, examinations of flight 255s Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and FDR showed that the airplane had not encountered a decreasing headwind type of wind shear. trial was to have determined whether and to what degree Northwest and McDonnell Douglas were to blame for the crash of Flight 255 on takeoff from Detroit for . The wreckage stretched across half a mile. Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Some family members, including Dee Murdy, say their wounds havent healed. At 20:44:04, Flight 255 was cleared for takeoff. 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. They said proceeds from the song will go to the salvation army, who has supported the victims' families for decades during the annual day of remembrance. The NTSB published its final report on May 10, 1988, in which it concluded that the accident was caused by pilot error: "The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure that the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. Dodds again acknowledged the instructions and this time acknowledged the new frequency and switched to it. 5. The aircraft was a twin-engined McDonnell Douglas MD-82, FAA tail number N312RC piloted by Captain John R. Maus, 57, and First Officer David J. Dodds, 35.Northwest 255 was carrying 149 passengers and 6 crew. The flight's captain, John R. Maus, was an experienced pilot with 31 years of experience with the airline. This Material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form. This is all we do. That fireball was caused by the impact of the DC-9 jet crashing onto Middlebelt Road. Erica Thomsen, 61, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Ernest John Mathews, 38, Sterling Heights, Mich. Eric Mazade, 30, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. Suzanne Morris, 35. The identification process has been slow, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday. As the sun set, about 200 people listened as a violinist played while mourners snapped photos or paused in front of a marble memorial adorned with flowers and stuffed animals. [1]:17, At 20:34:40, the pushback tug was disconnected from the aircraft and at 20:34:50, the controller cleared Flight 255 to taxi to runway number 3C (center). Northwest Airlines Flight 255 memorial (Bing Maps). . Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employee. Maus was an experienced pilot who had worked for the airline for 31 years, flying Fairchild F-27, Boeing 727, Boeing 757, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. Andy Graves still remembers when alarms started going off about an aircraft down during his 24-hour shift . She is survived by her husband, Bill, 46, son, Scott, 16, and daughter, Theresa, 11, who remained in Michigan. Copyright 2022 by WDET and Wayne State University. The Safety Boards performance study examined the climb profiles and the planes ability to clear obstacles beyond the end of runway 3C. On August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 people. All of the people who passed away they live on through those who memorialize them, said Polec, who lives in New York. The Indian investigative team ruled that the probable cause was the pilots selecting the "Open descent/flight idle" control mode rather . 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. Four flight attendants were also on board. Many attendees had seen . The second ground controller specified the route to runway 3C. He was employed for 31 years and was certified to fly several different types of planes. I was helping my brother move into a house in rural Wayne County on August 16, 1987. The Safety Board concluded that the airplane had not encountered a wind shear and directed its investigation elsewhere. A few miles from where we stood, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 from Detroit to Santa Ana, Calif. via Phoenix had crashed seconds after takeoff from Metro Airport. Amid the carnage was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan, the sole survivor of Northwest Flight 255. 4. There were 148 passengers and six crewmembers killed. Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 255). However, the airline will not release a passenger list in order to. Northwest two fifty five runway three center turn right heading zero six zero cleared for takeoff. As the sun set, about 200 people listened as. 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northwest airlines flight 255 victims
