Northwest Airlines yesterday released the names of the crew and three-off duty employees who were killed aboard the plane. ", However, hearing these names reach every year brings a sense of comfort Schaffer-Smith says, "We still remember. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined. He is an amateur musician. Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16729709-1']); (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. Northwest Airlines flight 255 crashed shortly after take-off at an airport in Romulus, Michigan en route to Phoenix, Arizona on August 16, 1987. [14] This circuit breaker also controls some of the stall warning sounds. 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.. The plane was still rolling to the left when it collided with the ground, Middlebelt Road. 45. We heard no weather warnings, just news terrible news. First Officer Dodds had to refer to the companys Runway Takeoff Weight Chart Manual. We can cry about it.. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 turbofan engines. in favorable terms. ((Sound similar to parking brake released)), Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 1466). Please enter valid email address to continue. Most of them want to be here, to be where it happened, said a Northwest official who requested anonymity. })(); Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minnesota, Copyright 2002 Check SixThis page last updated Tuesday, July 10, 2012. The flight crew had to reconfigure the on-board computer for taking off on runway 3C. Thirty years ago today, a flight outbound from Detroit Metro Airport on its way to Phoenix never reached its destination. Eyewitnesses stated that Flight 255's takeoff roll was longer than usual and that the aircraft took off at a steeper angle. As we stood in the living room of his new place on Arsenal Road, we heard a sirenoutside the kind youd hear if a tornado warning were issued. Everybody was milling around the table trying to see something, Donnie Ratliff said about the scene inside the morgue. [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. Two people on. [1]:6, The flight's first officer was 35-year-old David J. Dodds, from Galena, Illinois. All rights reserved. We didnt even know he was on that flight until his grandmother called, Reid Bushong 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. Many will do so again on Aug. 16, 2017 at 8:46 p.m., the time of the accident. On August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 people. The crew was also informed about the update of the automatic terminal information service information, to which Dodds reported on weather data update. It then crashed onto Middlebelt Road and struck vehicles, killing two people on the ground. Two motorists on nearby Middlebelt Road also perished and five people on the ground were injured, one seriously. So over the years, hes used a website and social media to keep everyone connected. Surowitz, a recent high school graduate, was traveling to join her parents at their new home in Tustin. At 20:44:04, Flight 255 was cleared for takeoff. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employee. Other pilots who had recently flown with Dodds later described his performance The DC-9 Super 82 pilots forgot to conduct their pre-flight checks, as a result, the warning system never turned on. ", 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. Because lets face it, after the funeral, people go back to their lives. The CVR provided evidence of the flight crew's omission of the taxi checklist. [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. Links: flight255memorial.com, virtualglobetrotting.com. Tragically, Vanos' life was cut short on August 16, 1987 when his Phoenix-bound Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed on takeoff, killing 154 passengers.. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. [1]:22,26 The plane rolled 90 to the left, striking the roof of an Avis Car Rental building. 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. Two people on the ground were also killed. There was only one survivor, a 4-year-old girl from Tempe. 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. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. Other pilots described the two as "competent and capable.". Dodds had logged 8,044 flight hours during his career (including 1,604 hours on the MD-82), and had worked for the airline for more than eight years. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. 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. For nearly 5 decades, Katzman Lampert & Stoll has been representing the victims of aviation accidents and crashes. Northwest Airlines Flight 185 (to Detroit tower). . Had the lost passengers been local . Hidi was among at least 154 passengers killed Sunday night when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed on takeoff from Detroits Metropolitan Airport. Right to zero six zero cleared to go northwest two fifty five. The victims of the crash included NBA player Nick Vanos, seven people from Orange County, California and a four-month old baby from Arizona. The takeoff performance data that was in the flight crews package was based on using either runway 21L or 21R. 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. DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Many remember the tragic crash of Northwest Airlines flight 255 off of I-94. Indian Airlines Flight 605 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bombay to Bangalore.On 14 February 1990, an Airbus A320-231 registered as VT-EPN, crashed onto a golf course while attempting to land at Bangalore, killing 92 of 146 people on board.. [] CVR [ CVR ] CAWS :beep beep beep beep Stall x3 CAWS : ( )x3 Captain :ah, fuck! 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. Two motorists on Middlebelt Road were also killed. The support from the group of other Flight 255 relatives has been her salvation., I consider us family, Marsh said. Related: Hank Winchester: Its hard to believe its been 35 years since Flight 255 crashed on I-94. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. I have never seen such complete destruction, he said. Although 156 people perished in the crash, Graves learned the next day, of a miracle. 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. satu-satunya yang selamat adalah seorang gadis berusia 4 tahun, Cecelia Cichan, yang menderita . In addition to Rhett Bushong, two women originally had been scheduled to fly to Orange County on Sunday aboard Continental Airlines Flight 657. 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. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. Orange County-bound Virginia Robinson, 45, of Fountain Valley, and Joanne Surowitz, 18, of West Bloomfield, Mich., were the others who accepted the change in flight plans and boarded the ill-fated Northwest plane. 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. 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 forecast that evening called for a chance of thunderstorms. 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. On Tuesday evening, Joan Pontante laid a sketched picture of her brother, his wife and three kids on the black granite memorial. February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM Cecelia Cichan was just four years old when she became the sole survivor of doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255. . It was the day when American Airlines Flight 191 crashed minutes after taking off from O'Hare Airport in Chicago. 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. The Bushongs have mostly stayed in Toledo since the crash. Flight 255 departed Saginaw for a flight to Detroit, Phoenix and Santa Ana, arriving at Detroit at 19.42h. 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. Within minutes, the plane began to roll from side to side just. Some family members, including Dee Murdy, say their wounds havent healed. [1]:2526[11] After the crash, Cichan moved to live with her maternal aunt and uncle in Birmingham, Alabama. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. Dodds acknowledged the instructions to follow the taxiways, but did not repeat the new frequency and did not tune the radio to it. The aircraft was a twin-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-82 with registration N312RC and was carrying 149 passengers and 6 crew. On 16 August, 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, killing all of the crew and passengers except for a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries. 156 ( 154 + 2) . The remnants of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 255 lay along Middle Belt road just south of I-94. The reason for the absence of electrical power could not be determined. The law provides protection and benefits to families and survivors of aviation disasters including prompt notification, family support services, briefing for families about investigations before press notification, a memorial service and bans unsolicited communication from attorneys for 45 days after a crash. Unfortunately, we'll never know. The pole sliced a four or five-foot chunk off of the left wing and the plane continued to roll to the left. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. The crash is the seventh worst aviation accident in U.S. history. It was a day you wouldnt want anybody to go through, said Pontante of Fulton, New York. James Wieging, who ministered to families who lost loved ones during the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 disaster at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in 1987 as well as in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, died Aug. 11 at the age of 79. 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 hit lampposts and a rental-car office. Kirk's flight, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, took off just about 8:45 p.m. Investigators later discovered that the pilots hadn't properly gone through their. The only survivor was four-year-old Cecelia Cichan. By: Fab. Investigators had to exhaust every option to determine the cause of the crash. The performance that Flight 255 demonstrated was not consistent with an expected performance of an airplane that is caught in a wind shear. There was lots to celebrate: Reid Bushongs parents 50th wedding anniversary, the wedding of one of his nieces and the 30th reunion of his 1957 DeVilbiss High School class. 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. 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. The Safety Board concluded that the airplane had not encountered a wind shear and directed its investigation elsewhere. Crocker, then Cichan, was was 4 years old when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 . Kirk Murdy was returning to Phoenix where he and Craig were living and working. 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. The now uncontrolled plane crashed inverted onto Middlebelt Road and struck vehicles just north of its intersection with Wick Road, killing two people on the ground in a car. [10] She sustained severe burns and fractures to her skull, collarbone, and left leg. Flight attendant Michael L Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minnesota. She is also studying political science and communications at Wayne State University. 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. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; We turned on the radio. As for what caused the crash, an investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed it was a pilot error. Detroit tower (to Northwest Airlines Flight 766). August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after take-off from Detroit Metro Airport. Hidi was among at least 154 passengers killed Sunday night when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed on takeoff from Detroit's Metropolitan Airport. The near bridge is the, During the takeoff roll, the pilots noticed that the aircraft's autothrottle was not engaged, indicating that the aircraft's computer was not in takeoff mode. All Rights Reserved. Both engines were operating at or above takeoff power, according to the accident report. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, off-duty Northwest employe. Justin Behnke was 7 when his mother died in the crash. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. 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. At 8:44 p.m., Flight 255 was cleared for takeoff. She heard on the news the plane had crashed.. My senior year at the University of Michigan was about to begin. Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. Each time I drive through Middlebelt and Goddard, I see the burn marks on the railroad bridge just north of the intersection. The devastation claimed the lives of six crew members and 148 passengers, along with two people on the ground. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. [4], The aircraft involved in the crash was a twin-engined McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registration number N312RC), a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and part of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series of aircraft. 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.. The high school reunion was Saturday. Example video title will go here for this video. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); We were all very close.. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters. Craig had caught an earlier flight back to Phoenix, said Dee Murdy, who permanently moved to the familys Phoenix home in 2003. [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. Offering Aviation History & Adventure First-Hand! A Northwest representative calls a few times each day just to keep in contact with us and to work out the details of returning Rhetts body to them, Reid Bushong said Wednesday, speaking from Ohio. VICTIMS OF FLIGHT 255 - The Washington Post VICTIMS OF FLIGHT 255 Following are names of 155 of at least 156 victims in the crash of a Northwest Airlines jet Sunday at Detroit. 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.. Ill never forget the images of body bags among the debris. 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. Another monument to the victims (many of whom were from the Phoenix area) stands next to Phoenix City Hall. But if I do actually stop and think about it, yeah, I feel teary, Marsh said. Morgan is a Digital Editor and has been with WDIV since May of 2022. There were 148 deaths -- and one miraculous survivor. 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. May 25, 1979, was one of the worst days in American aviation history. It wasalmost two years before I got my first real job in radio. 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 true scope of the tragedy is revealed in the flight manifest. Northwest will pay for the funeral and will fly the family back home, as it is doing for other victims families. They were changed to Flights 260 and 261 beginning in September 1987 until the company merged with Delta Air Lines in early 2010. It helps them to be in the presence of so many others who suffered the same thing. Tulare sheriff said a drug cartel, then backtracks. The flight's first officer, David J Dodds, had logged more than 8,000 hours of flying in his career. Its been 35 years since Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed onto I-94, killing all but one passenger. [1]:4. On Aug. 16, 1987, Geiger, 36, his wife, Valerie, and daughters Lauren and Lisa of Gilbert, were among 154 people on Northwest Flight 255 killed when the plane crashed in Romulus, Mich.,. In memory of the victims, a black granite memorial was erected in 1994; it stands (surrounded by blue spruce trees) at the top of the hill at Middlebelt Road and I-94, the site of the crash. One hundred fifty-seven people were killed. Romulus Dee Murdy knew just after the plane crashed. Northwest seven sixty six contact ground one two one point eight. 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. 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. 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. Nick Vanos, a 24-year-old center for the Phoenix Suns, was killed. Now after three decades, a local first responder is paying tribute to the. "This song is emotional and beautiful and powerful and it captures that night," he said. Andy Graves still remembers when alarms started going off about an aircraft down during his 24-hour shift . 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 . The chart showed that if the flaps were set to 11 degrees, the maximum allowable takeoff weights for runway 3C was 147,500 pounds. First published on February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM. WDET is a community service of Wayne State University. The crew also received a brief weather report. [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. Rick Pluta was a reporter for United Press International at the time. 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. The interruption of the input power to the CAWS occurred at the P-40 circuit breaker. "She was a flight attendant," says Elizabeth Schaffer-Smith, who lost her mother in the crash. 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. 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 , resulting in the deaths of all six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground. If it wasnt the pilots themselves, the aircraft, or the weather, it had to be the takeoff configuration. It was the second-deadliest aviation accident at the time in the United States. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. On August 16, 1987, Northwest Flight 255 crashed shortly after taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 people. The second ground controller specified the route to runway 3C. Subscribe today. Traffic was already backing up on I-94 near the airport. 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