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. 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. 4. [] CVR [ CVR ] CAWS :beep beep beep beep Stall x3 CAWS : ( )x3 Captain :ah, fuck! 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. First Officer David J. Dodds, 35, Galena, Ill. 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. Many remember the tragic crash of Northwest Airlines flight 255 off of I-94 in Detroit, now after three decades, a local first responder is paying tribute to. 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. 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. Everybody was milling around the table trying to see something, Donnie Ratliff said about the scene inside the morgue. Over the years, families of the victims have gathered at a black granite memorial near I-94 and Middlebelt to mark the anniversary of the disaster. The Safety Board had to exhaust all possible causes. Northwest Airlines Flight 185 (to Detroit tower). Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. The lone survivor was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan of Tempe, Arizona. Witnesses reported that the plane was at a 90-degree left wing down position when it struck a roof. The siren, I presume, was from one of the area fire departments, a signal to its first responders to report for duty. In total, 156 people lost their lives. The jet had entered service with Northwest Airlines immediately after the merger with Republic Airlines, and the aircraft was still wearing a hybrid Republic/Northwest . If it wasnt the pilots themselves, the aircraft, or the weather, it had to be the takeoff configuration. 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 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. 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. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employee. The report claims the flight crew failed to use the taxi checklist, leading to the aircrafts flaps and slats not being properly extended before takeoff. Cichan, now 34, whose married name is Crocker,was rescued by Romulus firefighter John Thiede. The only survivor was a child on the plane. The possibility existed that after receiving the runway change, the first officer delayed lowering the flaps, perhaps anticipating a different flap setting due to the runway change. 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. Binding together after the Flight 255 crash has also led to some changes in aviation laws. I was getting to the end of my shift, it was getting to be twilight when we got word that something had happened at Metro, Rick recalls. As the sun set, about 200 people listened as. 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. [1]:22,26 The plane rolled 90 to the left, striking the roof of an Avis Car Rental building. The fuselage explodedinto thousands of pieces. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Four flight attendants were also on board. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Steve drove his coworker to the airport. Other than one training report during his probationary period, all of the airline's captains with whom Dodds had flown graded him as average or above average. First published on February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM. Around 20:29, the flight crew took their seats. A 4-Year-Old Was the Sole Survivor of One of the Deadliest Plane Crashes in U.S. History 35 years ago today, Northwest Flight 255 crashed in Detroit and killed 156 people. Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. [5], Flight 255's captain was 57-year-old John R. Maus, from Las Vegas, Nevada. He started heading for the scene. "This song is emotional and beautiful and powerful and it captures that night," he said. 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. [1]:6, The flight's first officer was 35-year-old David J. Dodds, from Galena, Illinois. In Loving Memory: Listed below are names of Passengers and Crew Members who lost their lives in the crash. 3. Other pilots who had recently flown with Dodds later described his performance The plane hit lampposts and a rental-car office. The remnants of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 255 lay along Middle Belt road just south of I-94. With a full flight of passengers ready for departure and an experienced crew in the cockpit, their flight from Detroit to Phoenix was set to be smooth- once they got above the thunderstorms drenching the airport. 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. The wreckage stretched across half a mile. The high school reunion was Saturday. PHOENIX Thirty-five years ago, countless lives were changed forever when an airliner crashed shortly after take-off, killing everyone on board except a four-year-old girl. [citation needed], 1987 plane crash of an MD-82 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, Aftermath of the Flight 255 crash: Aircraft debris field scattered along Middlebelt Road. Rick, who now leads theMichigan Public Radio Networkin Lansing,saw the wreckage from a bridge. ROMULUS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Thirty-five years ago, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed moments after taking off from Detroit Metro Airport, killing everyone on board expect for a toddler. Morgan is a Digital Editor and has been with WDIV since May of 2022. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. The victims of the crash included NBA player Nick Vanos, seven people from Orange County, California and a four-month old baby from Arizona. Three possible conditions would have caused power to be interrupted at the P-40 circuit breaker - the circuit breaker was intentionally opened by either the flight crew or maintenance personnel, the circuit breaker tripped because of a transient overload and the flight crew did not detect the open circuit breaker, or the circuit breaker did not allow current to flow to the CAWS power supply and did not annunciate the condition by tripping. I have not visited the memorial. Aside from one training report during his early probationary period, captains that flew with him would describe his performance as average or above. On Aug. 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 took off from runway 3C at 8:46 p.m. with 148 passengers and six crew members. Virginia Robinson, 45, Fountain Valley, Calif. Capt. According to the accident report, the flight crews training records did not reveal anything abnormal. But those that are left behind after a death, they are left to deal with the intense reality.. The families of dozens of victims have . [] 1987 8 16, 255 4 . The forecast that evening called for a chance of thunderstorms. 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. Flight 255 made its takeoff roll on Runway 3C at approximately 8 . Other than a minor problem taxiing to the arrival gate, the flight from Saginaw to Detroit was uneventful. For the families who have come to Detroit, there is little to do besides identifying belongings and handing over dental and medical records. Dodds again acknowledged the instructions and this time acknowledged the new frequency and switched to it. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employe. Investigators believedhuman error most likely caused the crash. Crocker, then Cichan, was was 4 years old when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 . Their Airplane Flying Handbook stated that good cockpit management requires consistent checklist usage. The crew also received a brief weather report. Knowing those lost will not be forgotten. . Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Northwest Airlines yesterday released the names of the crew and three-off duty employees who were killed aboard the plane. 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. He said he was thankful for the two weeks he had with his daughter just before she died. It helps them to be in the presence of so many others who suffered the same thing. Terms of Use | Online Privacy Policy, NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Flight 255. But if I do actually stop and think about it, yeah, I feel teary, Marsh said. Two people on the ground were also killed. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. About 20:32, flight 255 departed the gate with 149 passengers and 6 crewmembers on board. Please enter valid email address to continue. After missing a turn, the pilots contacted ground control who then redirected them back to runway 3C. That doesnt mean something positive cant come out of it.. At roughly 20:32 EDT, Flight 255 departed the gate in Detroit with 149 passengers (including 21 children) and six crew members. Pat Batcheller is a host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET, presenting local news, traffic and weather updates during Morning Edition. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. The identification process has been slow, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday. [14] This circuit breaker also controls some of the stall warning sounds. About 18:53, flight 255 departed Saginaw and about 19:42 arrived at its gate at Detroit. 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 . Donnie and Mary Ann Ratliff had the gruesome task this week of going to the temporary morgue at Detroit Metropolitan Airport to identify the personal belongings of their 16-year-old daughter, Hidi. 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. 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. We just wanted to connect with other people who were dealing with the same type of situation, Zanger said. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. She heard on the news the plane had crashed.. He moved through the debris and bodies with a flashlight and discovered Cecelia strapped in a seat turned upside down. The DC-9 Super 82 pilots forgot to conduct their pre-flight checks, as a result, the warning system never turned on. It happened at 8:46 p.m. "We turned on the TV, and sure enough, there's a plane and flames on the freeway, Behnke says. As of 2014, Northwest, now owned by Delta, continues the retirement of 255 as a flight number. Northwest two fifty five runway three center turn right heading zero six zero cleared for takeoff. Two people on. Three zero zero at one three and we'll be going to page avjet. This evidence suggested that the aircraft had encountered a wind shear that decreased its performance capability. Traffic was already backing up on I-94 near the airport. Other pilots described the two as "competent and capable.". Pontante said the group went to Washington, D.C., and lobbied for the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act, which was passed in 1996. First Officer David J. Dodds, 35, Galena, Ill. Copyright 2022 by WDET and Wayne State University. Following the crash, investigators started to attempt to gain an understanding of how Flight 255 crashed. [21], The crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was covered in 2010 in "Alarming Silence", a season-9 episode of the internationally syndicated Canadian TV documentary series Mayday. 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 Bushongs want to take their sons remains home to Mission Viejo as soon as possible. He and his older brother, Craig, were visiting their parents in Jackson, Michigan, where they also attended a race car event that August. 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 . 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined. While the plane was taxiing, the pilots got a little lost on their way to the runway. in favorable terms. He, too, remembers that evening. 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. Weve stayed very close, said Ratliff, whose daughter and ex-wife moved to California 14 years ago. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. Now after three decades, a local first responder is paying tribute to the. Thiede recalled the rainy night of the crash when he heard amoaning voiceand saw a little arm flailing from the wreckage. In 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 255 crashed minutes after taking off from Detroit's Metro Airport, killing 154 people on board and two people on the ground, but leaving behind one tiny miracle. The crew was also informed about the update of the automatic terminal information service information, to which Dodds reported on weather data update. The same thing moved through the debris and bodies with a flashlight discovered. 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