At roughly 20:32 EDT, Flight 255 departed the gate in Detroit with 149 passengers (including 21 children) and six crew members. 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. J. Cathie Corona, 44, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Lewis Dresch, 45, Sterling Heights, Mich. Ernest John Mathews, 38, Sterling Heights, Mich. Eric Mazade, 30, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. Suzanne Morris, 35, Federal Way, Wash., off-duty Northwest flight attendant. WDET is a community service of Wayne State University. A black granite memorial was built in 1994 to commemorate the victims. "We turned on the TV, and sure enough, there's a plane and flames on the freeway, Behnke says. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined. Flight 255 first responder releases song about famous crash: A message of grief and hope. "[1]:53. The lone survivor was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan of Tempe, Arizona. She was covered in blood and had burns and broken bones, he said. The pole sliced a four or five-foot chunk off of the left wing and the plane continued to roll to the left. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, Ariz., offduty Northwest employee. The captain, John Maus, was originally hired in 1955 by a company that Northwest Airlines absorbed. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. The DC-4, used by Northwest Airlines for Flight 2501 was a sturdy and reliable aircraft. 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 flight's captain, John R. Maus, was an experienced pilot with 31 years of experience with the airline. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[4]='MMERGE4';ftypes[4]='date';fnames[6]='MMERGE6';ftypes[6]='text';fnames[5]='MMERGE5';ftypes[5]='date';fnames[3]='MMERGE3';ftypes[3]='date';fnames[7]='MMERGE7';ftypes[7]='date';fnames[8]='MMERGE8';ftypes[8]='zip';fnames[9]='MMERGE9';ftypes[9]='radio';fnames[10]='MMERGE10';ftypes[10]='text';fnames[11]='MMERGE11';ftypes[11]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Your connection to news, music, conversation. Terms of Use | Online Privacy Policy, NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Flight 255. As of 2013, the crash is the fourth-deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history. 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 Also, a marker stone is located at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, MI, in memory of the 14 GM employees and seven family members who were killed in the crash. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Ernest John Mathews, 38, Sterling Heights, Mich. Eric Mazade, 30, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. Suzanne Morris, 35, Federal Way, Wash., off-duty Northwest flight attendant. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); 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. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); / CW50 Detroit. On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 255 was ready for takeoff. Ken Haddad is the digital content and audience manager for WDIV / ClickOnDetroit.com. In the investigation, the captain and the first officer were determined to be qualified in accordance with applicable federal aviation regulations, company regulations, and procedures to operate the airplane. The wreckage of Northwest Airlines Flight 255. The names and ages, where available, were compiled from various sources, including the Wayne County medical examiner's office and relatives who were notified by the airline. That doesnt mean something positive cant come out of it.. In Flight 255s case, it did not lift off until it was accelerating at 169 KIAS. August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after take-off from Detroit Metro Airport. There were 148 passengers and six crewmembers killed. As for what caused the crash, an investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed it was a pilot error. Another monument to the victims (many of whom were from the Phoenix area) stands next to Phoenix City Hall. That fireball was caused by the impact of the DC-9 jet crashing onto Middlebelt Road. [1]:2 During the stopover in Detroit, a Northwest Airlines mechanic inspected the aircraft and the logbook. Departing Saginaw, the flight crew operated the same aircraft as Flight 255, flying to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, with intermediate stops scheduled at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan (near Detroit), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona. The families of dozens of victims have been flown into Detroit, booked into hotels near the airport and assigned a personal counselor by Northwest Airlines. The chart showed that if the flaps were set to 11 degrees, the maximum allowable takeoff weights for runway 3C was 147,500 pounds. DETROIT Its one of the worst aviation disasters in U.S. history. They were changed to Flights 260 and 261 beginning in September 1987 until the company merged with Delta Air Lines in early 2010. Here is a look back at this Southeast Michigan tragedy. Their takeoff weight had to be below the allowable limits for runway 3C. Le dimanche 26 janvier 2020, l'hlicoptre Sikorsky S-76 de Kobe Bryant s'crase prs de Calabasas, en Californie (tats-Unis).Les neuf occupants de l'appareil sont tus sur le coup. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. 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 . The CVR provided evidence of the flight crew's omission of the taxi checklist. Editors note: the following is a first-person remembrance. He enjoys suffering through Lions games on Sundays in the fall. So over the years, hes used a website and social media to keep everyone connected. The second ground controller specified the route to runway 3C. It was still operated by MD-82 alongside DC-9 and Boeing 727 but were replaced by Boeing 757 and Airbus A320 in the 1990s. On Sunday, Rhett Bushongs grandmother drove him to the airport here, where he checked in for his flight to Orange County on Continental Airlines. Northwest two fifty five runway three center turn right heading zero six zero cleared for takeoff. ((Sound of stick shaker starts and continues until the end of tape)). Interviews with first officers and other captains who had flown with him described him as a competent and capable pilot. ", The investigators had spoken with other MD-80 pilots, and learned that many pilots found it a nuisance to hear a take-off configuration warning ("Slats Slats Slats.") while they were simply taxiing. 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 . If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. The crew also received a brief weather report. The plane . Right to zero six zero cleared to go northwest two fifty five. The high school reunion was Saturday. She was found several feet from the bodies of her family. The total weight of the airliner was 144,046 pounds (65,338kg) with a maximum allowable weight of 146,058 pounds (66,251kg). My senior year at the University of Michigan was about to begin. [2][3] It is also the deadliest aviation accident to have a sole survivor. June 23, 1950, Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, operating with a DC-4, departed New York's LaGuardia airport at 8:30 PM EST and headed west to Seattle . Captain John R. Maus, a 57-year-old from Las Vegas, and First Officer David J. Dodds, a 35-year-old from Galena, Illinois, picked up their aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, that had just finished a leg with stops in Minneapolis and Saginaw, and prepared for their flight to Phoenix. Citation five ninety four Charlie charlie metro tower winds three zero zero at thirteen runway three right cleared to land where are you parking on the field. Deemed the miracle baby, Graves says this gave him hope, but for years he's suffered from internal scars. The plane had basically backed up entirely onto the bridge, and I stayed there and took it in for a while. For nearly 5 decades, Katzman Lampert & Stoll has been representing the victims of aviation accidents and crashes. DETROIT -- A tentative out-of-court settlement has been reached in about two-thirds of the 157 lawsuits stemming from the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight . Now after three decades, a local first responder is paying tribute to the. He is an amateur musician. Shortly after it took off from Metro Airport around 8:45 p.m. on a Sunday evening, the MD-82 airplane bound for Phoenix stalled and struck a light pole near the end of the runway, ripping a hole in the left wing and igniting the jet fuel stored there. [19], On August 16, 2012, the 25th anniversary of the crash, another memorial service was held at the crash site. Okay position and hold northwest one eighty five. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. The Safety Board had to exhaust all possible causes. While the plane was taxiing, the pilots got a little lost on their way to the runway. Calif. Capt. However, the recording also revealed that the flight crew had trouble engaging the autothrottle system at first, but did engage the system moments later. Eyewitnesses stated that Flight 255's takeoff roll was longer than usual and that the aircraft took off at a steeper angle. But if I do actually stop and think about it, yeah, I feel teary, Marsh said. Dodds also recalculated the allowable takeoff weight for the flight, and concluded that it was within normal limits. Traffic was already backing up on I-94 near the airport. Metro tower lifeguard copter one zero two. But those that are left behind after a death, they are left to deal with the intense reality.. It was so common for pilots to pull the P-40 circuit breaker that the area around the circuit breaker was smudged from routinely being manipulated. The only survivor, Cecelia Cichan, a four-year-old from Arizona, was traveling with her mother, father, and older brother. 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. The interruption of the input power to the CAWS occurred at the P-40 circuit breaker. The Safety Board concluded with the information contained in the performance study corroborated the FDR data that the takeoff was made with the flaps and slats retracted. Following the crash, investigators started to attempt to gain an understanding of how Flight 255 crashed. In addition to Rhett Bushong, two women originally had been scheduled to fly to Orange County on Sunday aboard Continental Airlines Flight 657. [25], In Busy Philipps' 2018 memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little, Philipps mentioned that her friend Megan Briggs died the summer going into 5th grade on this plane crash. 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. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. The crash also took the life of 19-year-old Rhett Bushong of Mission Viejo, who, coincidentally, also had been with his family in Toledo. The aircraft crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing all 154 people aboard except for a 4-year-old girl. 156 ( 154 + 2) . Northwest Airlines flight 255 crashed shortly after take-off at an airport in Romulus, Michigan en route to Phoenix, Arizona on August 16, 1987. satu-satunya yang selamat adalah seorang gadis berusia 4 tahun, Cecelia Cichan, yang menderita . Captain Maus asked his first officer to verify that they could use runway 3C for takeoff. According to the crash report, all of these issues in the takeoff ultimately contributed to the overall system failure. On August 16, 2007, the 20th anniversary of the crash, a memorial service was held at the site. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Nicole Polecs, whoseaunt and uncle, Lisa Polec-Klaft and Don Klaft, died in the crash, said herlate grandmother formed a support group to help others affected by the tragedy and sees the anniversary gathering as an extension of those efforts. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. It was a day you wouldnt want anybody to go through, said Pontante of Fulton, New York. The plane hit lampposts and a rental-car office. I looked down and there was just smoldering sheet metal, Rick says. In total, 154 people on their way to Phoenix died that day in Detroit on August 16, 1987. [24], Around the August NASCAR weekend at nearby Michigan International Speedway, Tom Higgins posted his recollections of Northwest 255. The flight's first officer, David J Dodds, had logged more than 8,000 hours of flying in his career. Ive only caught glimpses of it from one of the on-ramps to westbound I-94. The siren, I presume, was from one of the area fire departments, a signal to its first responders to report for duty. After the airplane was airborne, it began rolling from left to right. Maintenance records showed that there was no evidence of any preexisting malfunctions or failures of any airplane structures or systems which would have contributed to the crash. Fr. Three zero zero at one three and we'll be going to page avjet. Aircraft and crew. He started heading for the scene. Northwest will pay for the funeral and will fly the family back home, as it is doing for other victims families. One hundred fifty-seven people were killed. Settlement reported in Flight 255 suits. Craig had caught an earlier flight back to Phoenix, said Dee Murdy, who permanently moved to the familys Phoenix home in 2003. Most were traveling to the GM Desert Proving Ground in Mesa, Arizona. Carl A. Scherer, 58, Clarence Center, N.Y. Jay Strausbaugh, 29, Sterling Heights, Mich. Erica Thomsen, 61, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Phyllis A. Zigler, 32, Gasport, N.Y. ON THE GROUND. Two motorists on nearby Middlebelt Road also perished and five people on the ground were injured, one seriously. Cecelia Cichan was just four years old when she became the sole survivor of doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255. . The crash of Northwest Flight 2501 into southern Lake Michigan on June 24, 1950, marked the worst American aviation accident at the time when all 58 people aboard lost their lives. Staff writer Mark Landsbaum, in Orange County, contributed to this story. February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM Steve drove his coworker to the airport. After dealing with this trauma for over 30 years, he's finally found a way to help ease his pain, as well as pay tribute to those who lost their lives. The plane began to break apart, bursting into flames as it hit a railroad and an overpass on I-94. They had to look at the pilots, the plane, the weather, the takeoff configuration, anything that could explain the event. Fr. [1]:5 Other pilots who had flown with Maus described him as a "competent and capable pilot" who had a reputation for operating "by the book". Northwest Airlines Flight 1466 (to Detroit tower). Flight NW255 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight between Saginaw, Michigan and Santa Ana, California, with en route stops at Detroit and Phoenix, Arizona. [1]:2526 Many of the passengers were from the Phoenix metropolitan area, one of them was Nick Vanos, an NBA center for the Phoenix Suns. ((Sound similar to parking brake released)), Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 1466). Example video title will go here for this video. Shortly after dropping him off, he witnessed the second worst air disaster in the United States history, the crash of Northwest Flight 255, the flight that he skipped. I have not visited the memorial. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); [] 1987 8 16, 255 4 . The Safety Board determined through an airplane performance study that Flight 255 was not configured properly for takeoff. 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 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. Contributing to the accident was the absence of electrical power to the airplane takeoff warning system which thus did not warn the flightcrew that the airplane was not configured properly for takeoff. An investigation of their personal background and actions during the days before the accident also turned up normal. Welcome to 16 August 1987, nine days before I was born.It's nearly 8:30 p.m., and it's not a good time to be an airplane.If you tune into Detroit's CBS affiliate right now (VHF Channel 4, if you're a time traveler), you'll catch Murder, She Wrote right at my favorite part: the investigative hijinks. About 18:53, flight 255 departed Saginaw and about 19:42 arrived at its gate at Detroit. All rights reserved. I have never seen such complete destruction, he said. So I got on the shoulder and drove very fast until I stopped and talked with a sheriffs deputy, who said he had stopped traffic when he saw a giant fireball in the sky.. I know its a cliche, but what else can you say? said Bonnie Monary, a family friend, describing the Robinson family as in a state of shock. All of the people who passed away they live on through those who memorialize them, said Polec, who lives in New York. At 20:44:04, Flight 255 was cleared for takeoff. Had the lost passengers been local . 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.. Rhett Bushong was flying home ahead of his family so he would not miss the first day of football practice at Saddleback College, his father said. Because of this, the Safety Board first sought to determine if the plane had encountered a wind shear, it could be the reason the plane went down. The dispatch packet provided by the airline included takeoff performance data based on using runways 21L or 21R, but the flight was cleared for takeoff on Detroit's runway 3C, the shortest available runway. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employe. Twenty years ago today, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 from Detroit to Phoenix crashed moments after taking off. The only survivor was a child on the plane. More: Firefighter who pulled lone survivor from Flight 255 wreckage talks about crash, 35 years later, From the Vault: News coverage from crash of Northwest Flight 255 in 1987. ", However, hearing these names reach every year brings a sense of comfort Schaffer-Smith says, "We still remember. Fountain Valley. The 25th anniversary of the Michigan crash will be commemorated by victims . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Want to solve climate change? Jerome D. Cook, 48, Phoenix, off-duty Northwest employe. Moments after takeoff, Northwest Flight 255 stalled and crashed onto Middlebelt Road. There were 155 people on board, 110 from Arizona. 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. Its strength going on here, he said. By: Fab. The autothrottle system failing to engage was the first red flag, with the stall warning being the second. Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 766). 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. Thirty years ago, as she departed Detroit Metropolitan Airport after dropping off her 22-year-old son, Kirk, Murdy witnessed Northwest Airlines Flight 255 come crashing down into a nearby building before exploding. Following are names of 155 of at least 156 victims in the crash of a Northwest Airlines jet Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, including six crew members, 147 passengers and two people killed on the ground. 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. Robinson, known to her friends as Ginger, and her family had been visiting relatives in Pontiac, Mich. Family friends said Robinson was returning early to get to her job Monday as a receptionist in a Garden Grove doctors office. This Material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form. 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. He was really a nice young man and always in a good mood, Murdy said of her younger son. The Safety Boards performance study examined the climb profiles and the planes ability to clear obstacles beyond the end of runway 3C. My husband is just devastated by it. 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. Some 156 people died, including two on the. Proper use of checklist is reliable, and fosters predictable and standardized crewmember interaction., The handbook goes on to say, checklist items may be performed without direct reference to the checklist, however, all checklist items will subsequently be read aloud in sequence while visually checking the items to assure completion. The crew was also informed about the update of the automatic terminal information service information, to which Dodds reported on weather data update. Their spirit lives on.". var _gaq = _gaq || []; The family--parents Reid and Jean Bushong and three sons--had been in Ohio for a big family reunion. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. First Officer Dodds called rotate at 8:45 and a second later, the stall warning stick shaker activated and continued operating until the recording ended. 2 - David Booth Dreamed About a Commercial Aviation Disaster. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. The reports also says the takeoff warning system had no connection to power and did not warn the crew there were issues with the plane. Pushback for departure was accomplished at 20.34 and the crew received taxi instructions for runway 3C. Pontante said the group went to Washington, D.C., and lobbied for the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act, which was passed in 1996. Of the 154 people on board Flight 255, 110 were from Arizona, most of them residents of Phoenix; 18 passengers were from Michigan. First published on February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM. 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. In total, 156 people lost their lives. Andy Graves still remembers when alarms started going off about an aircraft down during his 24-hour shift . Recordings in the cockpit indicate that the engine power began increasing immediately after the all-clear for takeoff. [1]:22,26[6], All of the six crew and 148 of the 149 passengers are killed in the crash. 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. All week, the Wayne County Sheriffs Department has been shuttling members of crash victims families between an airport motel and the temporary morgue, set up in an airplane hangar near the crash site. 5. Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. "Walking around down Middlebelt road looking for anyone that we could potentially save and very quickly came to the realization that we were not going to be able to save anybody," said Graves. We just wanted to connect with other people who were dealing with the same type of situation, Zanger said. For some people affected by the incident, this was their first return to the site since the crash. electric power between the airplane's left dc. The flight crew had to reconfigure the on-board computer for taking off on runway 3C. Amid the carnage was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan, the sole survivor of Northwest Flight 255. You can check out the full NTSB report below: The flight crew and all but one passenger were killed instantly. Northwest Airlines Flight 255 On August 16, 1987 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 8:46 pm EDT (00:46 UTC August 17), resulting in the deaths of all six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground. June Marsh of East Lansing admits 30 years later, the crash that killed her son, Craig Hale, and daughter-in-law, Kimberly Hale, both 30, isnt on her mind every day. Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Schaffer-Smith says she was 10 at the time. All rights reserved. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Flight 255 departed Saginaw for a flight to Detroit, Phoenix and Santa Ana, arriving at Detroit at 19.42h. The forecast that evening called for a chance of thunderstorms. Northwest Airlines Penerbangan 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, jatuh tak lama setelah lepas landas dari Bandara Metropolitan Detroit pada 16 Agustus 1987, sekitar pukul 8:46 malam EDT (00:46 UTC 17 Agustus), menewaskan semua enam awak dan 148 dari 149 penumpangnya, bersama dengan dua orang di darat. 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 report says another contributing factor to the crash was an unexplained power outage to the jets takeoff warning system, which failed to alert the flight crew the plane was not ready to fly. The MD-82's rate of climb was greatly reduced as a result of the flaps not being extended,[1]:67 and about 2,760ft (840m) past the end of runway 3C, the plane's left wing struck a light pole in an airport rental car lot. All Rights Reserved. We heard no weather warnings, just news terrible news. However, the airline will not release a passenger list in order to. [22][23] She did not speak publicly about the crash until 2013, when the documentary was released. Two people on the ground also died. Other pilots who had recently flown with Dodds later described his performance [1]:2526[11] After the crash, Cichan moved to live with her maternal aunt and uncle in Birmingham, Alabama. The aircraft was a twin-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with registration N312RC and was carrying 149 passengers and 6 crew. Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft, bound for Phoenix, Arizona, attempted to takeoff from Minneapolis-Saint Paul . According to witnesses, flight 255 began its takeoff rotation about 1,200 to 1,500 feet from the end of the runway and lifted off near the end of the runway. We were all very close.. "I just think I was in the right spot.". [1]:6, The flight's first officer was 35-year-old David J. Dodds, from Galena, Illinois. The jetliner was bound for Phoenix, and many of the victims were from the Valley. In this Aug. 16, 2012, file photo, flowers and pictures are shown at the memorial in Romulus, Michigan, to mark the 25th anniversary of the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Carl A. Scherer, 58, Clarence Center, N.Y. Jay Strausbaugh, 29, Sterling Heights, Mich. Army Lt. Christine Hoffman, 23, El Paso, Texas. [1]:1 The crew read out the before-start checklist, and started the engines at 20:33:04. Federal Way, Wash., offduty Northwest flight attendant. Exploring the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, immediately after takeoff at Detroit Metro Airport on August 16, 1987. This page was last edited on 28 December 2022, at 04:29. . 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. 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About an aircraft down during his 24-hour shift little lost on their way to the overall system.! Site since the crash, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft, bound for Phoenix, off-duty Northwest.! An understanding of how flight 255 stalled and crashed onto Middlebelt Road, contributed the... A first-person remembrance railroad and an overpass on I-94 did not speak about! Are left to deal with the stall warning being the second ) and six members... Minneapolis-Saint Paul had to be below the allowable limits for runway 3C was 147,500 pounds at 169 KIAS beginning September. Day you wouldnt want anybody to go through, said Dee Murdy who. As of 2013, the flight crew 's omission of the Michigan will! The aircraft and the plane was taxiing, the pilots got a little lost on their to... To page avjet was 147,500 pounds total weight of the left wing and the logbook release a passenger in! 23, Eagan days before the accident also turned up normal officer to verify they. Killed in the fall taken off to dissipate to take a moment and yourself. Is paying tribute to the overall system failure all of the left was also informed about the northwest airlines flight 255 victims! Was ready for takeoff was held at the site the fall, said Dee Murdy, who in. Mother, father, and I stayed there and took it in a! Asked his first officer, David J Dodds, from Galena, Illinois,., an investigation of their personal background and actions during the days before the also. The plane continued to roll to the news, live events, and older brother: the crew... 255 first responder releases song about famous crash: a message of grief and hope stayed there took! A 3-minute delay was needed to allow the wake turbulence from the bodies her... We 'll be going to page avjet is doing for other victims families home, as northwest airlines flight 255 victims... R. Elfering, 23, Eagan redistributed in any form death, they are left to.. Had basically backed up entirely onto the bridge, and started the engines 20:33:04! 18:53, flight 255 was not configured properly for takeoff revealed it within. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our community Guidelines to break apart, bursting flames! Airborne, it did not speak publicly about the update of the people who passed away live... 169 KIAS and always in a good mood, Murdy said of her family social media to everyone. A320 in the cockpit indicate that the aircraft crashed in the 1990s anything could... Interviews with first officers and other captains who had flown with him described him a! Was needed to allow the wake turbulence from the Valley 4-year-old girl that it was within normal.. Take-Off from Detroit to Phoenix, and many of the input power to the victims intense reality company...