Thank you for posting this video. August 16, 1987. Northwest Airlines Flight 255. I will never forget. I have ties to this terrible day. It still brings tears to my eyes over 34 years later. At the time, this was the 2nd worst airplane accident in US history. I was stationed in Tucson, Arizona, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and was a Senior airman. I served with the Englert's and knew them for three and a half years. Karen was a Staff Sargent and was the NCO (non-commission officer) in charge of my shop. Charles was in our shop when I first arrived for duty but later went into the reserves, attended college, and worked for the USPS. They were also good friends. My wife did daycare for Charles Jr. (14 months old) My wife and myself were house-sitting for them while visiting their parents back east. We were supposed to pick them up at the Tucson, Arizona airport that night. It was a beautiful day as we waited to go to the airport. That beautiful day turned into the worst day of my life when I got that phone call. Karen’s father called us, and he was concerned that they were on that airplane. Of course, we went to the airport anyway. While waiting at the Tucson Airport, we called the airline to get information. They asked if we were relatives, and I lied. I said that my wife was Karen’s sister. The airline said that they were listed as being on that flight. We waited at the Airport for the connection flight to arrive in Tucson, hoping for a miracle, but they didn’t get off the airplane. As we privately hugged and cried, a news station was filming. I’m so glad that they did not approach us. Several other people were also waiting. One couple waiting for their mother did not know about the crash. I had a copy of the local news story on VHS that a friend recorded for us, but it was destroyed in a house fire several years later. We went back to their home but didn’t get much sleep that night. In the days that followed, I was ordered to turn over the house keys to the Air Force. I was given the solemn duty of accompanying an Air Force Officer to the airport to pick up their parents so they could pack up their belongings. The Air Force Base held a memorial service. This happened three months to the day that my Air Force enlistment was ending, and I spent my remaining time in a mental fog. Last year I attended the 34th annual memorial service at the crash site in Romulus, Michigan. The first time I've ever attended one. I meet the first responders that are in this video and family members. They are the nicest people! I'm planning on attending the 35th this year. I posted a video of the memorial service two days ago, and it is in my UA-cam library. May God Bless you all!
We know now that this crash was the result of the crew not properly configuring the aircraft for takeoff, as the flaps were not set. How 2 professional, highly experienced airmen could make such a blunder, is the height of total incompetence and gross negligence.
I was recently at the memorial site and even all these years later, the shock and horror of that night still haunts me to this day. Everyone from Michigan knows exactly where they were that night.
I knew one of the flight attendants on this flight. At the time, I lived in the Twin Cities-also a hub for Northwest, so I knew a lot of flight attendants. This woman was not scheduled to work this flight but switched last minute so her coworker could celebrate her anniversary. It was a tragic and heartbreaking event. We just never know, right?
I'm originally from Phoenix where many of the passengers were headed (the rest were going on to Los Angeles) Phoenicians have not forgotten this tragic event 37 years later. All because of a pilot error that no experienced captain would ever ignore and never would they turn off the alarm which someone did. Cecilia Cichan is now 41 years old.
On that late afternoon, I was RACING down I-94 to Metro Airport to catch my flight home to LAX. I returned my rental car, took the shuttle to the terminal, and RAN through the airport (post-security) to my gate. I was the last one to board just before they closed the plane's door. Had I missed that flight, my only option was NW Flight 255 to Orange County Airport (after the scheduled stop at PHX). I would have called my wife to pick me up there instead of LAX. It was a viable option thankfully I did not have to use. RIP to all non-survivors.
Cecilia was the sole survivor of this “unsurvivable” crash. She is alive and well to this day. The pilots neglected to set the flaps and slats for the takeoff, which caused the plane to remain in ground-effect and clip the rental car building, then crash into the road and the overpass. Setting the plane for takeoff is a crucial component of flying.
I remember this , I live 3 mile from the crash, we were riding bikes when it happened about a half mile away, sitting at a red light, felt the ground shake...
Remember the Day in History! It was the day my 2nd daughter was Baptized , and we heard from the news as we were eating dinner...God bless 🙌 🙏 all who werel lost and the Lone Survivor ! Love from Michigan U.S.A on 8 - 27 - 24 ..
I was on a flight that landed around the same time this happened at ten years old. Remember the traffic stopping on the overpass to see the fiery wreckage.
13 for me but same experience coming home from Miami/Dade county. Summer break.. Heading back to Toledo took hours to get home… We had WJR on the whole way back 😥
Even after all these years, when I travel down Middlebelt through the I94 underpass I think of that night, it is one of those events were you remember what you were doing when you heard about it, Sunday evening me and some friends hanging out in the garage, working on a car (and a few beers) 😊 it was warm and muggy with a few storms in the area. I remember we had a radio on and they interrupted the song right in the middle of it and told the tragic news, we was so shocked.. I was 21 at the time, a long time ago but still vivid
I remember this was all over the news.I believe a little girl was the only survivor.An NBA player was also killed in this horrible crash.Nick Vamos I think was in his 2nd year with the Phoenix Suns.Northwest Orient before shortening to Northwest Airline.The plane was en route from Detroit to Phoenix from there the final destination to Orange County,Ca.I was 14 at the time and I was horrified watching the footage.
I knew a woman who was the wife of the Romulus police chief who was on the scene when this happened, she told me that he had to retire shortly after because he was affected by all of the death and carnage he saw at the crash site.
I was 11 years old waiting for my aunts plane to come into the gate that 255 was boarding from. I watched everyone hug and say goodbye before they got on the plane. There were no cell phones so we didn't know what was happening when my aunts plane didn't land as expected. They made an announcement but it wasn't clear if it was a big crash or if the plane was coming or going. A few hours later, my dad to took my sister and I to see my grandfather. We only knew what was happening once we had access to a TV. We went back to the airport and waited until the morning. The sent a ll the planes to other airport to fuel up before getting them back to Detroit.
The 4 year old girl that survived this flight does anybody know the level of compensation she received from the airlines for the loss of her parents and brother and injury compensation ?
If you hover over the video at about 4:17, you can see what appears to be the crash. But when playing the video like normal, it's as if the crash has been edited out.....
I will never forget that evening night I had gone to a friend's house to talk about the upcoming bowling season I lived in Taylor my buddy lived in Redford I rode my motorcycle over to his house got there about 600pm talked to my buddy until about 750 pm I heard thunder off in the distance so I told my buddy I better get home on my motorcycle before it started storming got home about 830 pm my dad was gone out I let my dog out we had close to a half an acre our house was on Pelham Rd between Wick and Goddard the back of our property faced to the west almost in line with Metro Airport it was about 840 saw large sparks then saw the same thing a few seconds later then saw the fireball and smoke went in the house and got my radio and heard it was a plane I worked for Airborne Freight at the time and our terminal was at 28055 Wick Rd we had to go back streets to get there the police had Wick blocked off at Wick and Inkster to Middlebelt.
My friend and I arrived at Metro that same night. We had just arrived from the National Fire Academy, and we ran into the son of one of our Fire Departments Captain's. He and his friends were getting on Flight 255 to depart for the University of Arizona. We found out that 255, had crashed just a few moments, after we drove under Middlebelt and got on I-94. We never knew until we got home near Lansing.
Did the Detroit stations interrupt local programming due to this breaking news story. I don’t know if stations in Minnesota did so(Northwest was headquartered in the Twin Cities). I know they had coverage over the next few days. IIRC I heard about it on the radio as I had hit the sack earlier than normal due to starting High School football practice at 7 AM the next morning.
Yes, we just returned from my son's 1st birthday party after visiting my parent's home about 45 minutes from Detroit Metro. He was born August 16th 1986 and this happened on his 1st birthday. We lived about 10 minutes from the Airport. It was a very strange evening with thunderstorms and winds blowing from different directions. I said to my husband I feel something really bad is about to happen and I had know idea what. The only time I ever felt this. There was a big news flash accross the screen. My. sister, husband and her young children lived in Phoenix. They took the same flight and aircraft at the same time 2 weeks prior to this to Phoenix where. they lived. Phoenix has a memorial for this flight.
0:11 I can’t believe this was shown. It’s a body that was torn apart! You can see under the dress her hip, a single leg and a single arm. Then looking at the plane, follow it to the right until it’s gone and roughly .5 inches after, you can see the other parts of her body scattered around . 😮
Well, gee. If you are moving, hit something and keep moving, stuff will continue to scatter as you move. If you hit a solid surface and stop, stuff tend to stay in one place. Physics is so much fun!
That night scarred a lot of men and women for life, as well as instantly took hundreds of people away from us just in an instant. The men and women who had to clean up the area saw some horrific things. Air travel was very safe even back then, the problem is WHEN something goes wrong the outcome is usually not a good one.
Right after this I booked my honeymoon flights from Mpls/St. Paul round trip to CanCun with layovers both ways. I was a frequent flyer all over the US, Mexico and the West Indies from 1980 until 2013. I will never ever fly again. I'm good 😉 Too many events for me.... Godspeed to those of you who must fly. There are too many UA-cam channels dedicated to HEMS crashes for me to even make road trips any more. I'll never make the drive from Minnesota to visit family in N.C. again either. Especially not with 10 million non English speaking folks being handed a driver's license....
Northwest flew many wide body planes to the Orient. I had another family friend that would do two deadhead trips a month to Asia and then be done for the month. She is long since retired now but she had a great job in the day.
I finally, after almost 40 ỳears cab say a family of 5 with young children and 2 younger agult parents were saved of this tragedy and lived most stin.. today
I always wondered why there was all that debris all over after 255 crashed, but none at all where the plane hit the pentagon on 911. Both sad, sad days.
Because the wreckage was mostly inside the rings of the building. But some wreckage is available and all you need to do is search "Pentagon flight 77 debris."
Thank you for posting this video.
August 16, 1987.
Northwest Airlines Flight 255.
I will never forget. I have ties to this terrible day. It still brings tears to my eyes over 34 years later. At the time, this was the 2nd worst airplane accident in US history. I was stationed in Tucson, Arizona, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and was a Senior airman. I served with the Englert's and knew them for three and a half years. Karen was a Staff Sargent and was the NCO (non-commission officer) in charge of my shop. Charles was in our shop when I first arrived for duty but later went into the reserves, attended college, and worked for the USPS. They were also good friends. My wife did daycare for Charles Jr. (14 months old) My wife and myself were house-sitting for them while visiting their parents back east. We were supposed to pick them up at the Tucson, Arizona airport that night. It was a beautiful day as we waited to go to the airport. That beautiful day turned into the worst day of my life when I got that phone call. Karen’s father called us, and he was concerned that they were on that airplane. Of course, we went to the airport anyway. While waiting at the Tucson Airport, we called the airline to get information. They asked if we were relatives, and I lied. I said that my wife was Karen’s sister. The airline said that they were listed as being on that flight. We waited at the Airport for the connection flight to arrive in Tucson, hoping for a miracle, but they didn’t get off the airplane. As we privately hugged and cried, a news station was filming. I’m so glad that they did not approach us. Several other people were also waiting. One couple waiting for their mother did not know about the crash. I had a copy of the local news story on VHS that a friend recorded for us, but it was destroyed in a house fire several years later. We went back to their home but didn’t get much sleep that night. In the days that followed, I was ordered to turn over the house keys to the Air Force. I was given the solemn duty of accompanying an Air Force Officer to the airport to pick up their parents so they could pack up their belongings. The Air Force Base held a memorial service. This happened three months to the day that my Air Force enlistment was ending, and I spent my remaining time in a mental fog.
Last year I attended the 34th annual memorial service at the crash site in Romulus, Michigan. The first time I've ever attended one. I meet the first responders that are in this video and family members. They are the nicest people! I'm planning on attending the 35th this year.
I posted a video of the memorial service two days ago, and it is in my UA-cam library.
May God Bless you all!
Beyond words...
@@stevefoster4326indeed, I completely agree.
We know now that this crash was the result of the crew not properly configuring the aircraft for takeoff, as the flaps were not set. How 2 professional, highly experienced airmen could make such a blunder, is the height of total incompetence and gross negligence.
this is an amazing collection of news videos from the event. props to the digital archivists that saved and transferred all of it.
Thank you Local 4 for sharing this...I'm a Detroiter and remember when this happened!
I was recently at the memorial site and even all these years later, the shock and horror of that night still haunts me to this day. Everyone from Michigan knows exactly where they were that night.
So does everyone in Phoenix. 😥
I flew from Detroit Metro airport to Phoenix and back several times prior to and after this crash happened. This tragedy really hit home!
I knew one of the flight attendants on this flight. At the time, I lived in the Twin Cities-also a hub for Northwest, so I knew a lot of flight attendants. This woman was not scheduled to work this flight but switched last minute so her coworker could celebrate her anniversary. It was a tragic and heartbreaking event. We just never know, right?
I'm originally from Phoenix where many of the passengers were headed (the rest were going on to Los Angeles) Phoenicians have not forgotten this tragic event 37 years later. All because of a pilot error that no experienced captain would ever ignore and never would they turn off the alarm which someone did.
Cecilia Cichan is now 41 years old.
On that late afternoon, I was RACING down I-94 to Metro Airport to catch my flight home to LAX. I returned my rental car, took the shuttle to the terminal, and RAN through the airport (post-security) to my gate. I was the last one to board just before they closed the plane's door. Had I missed that flight, my only option was NW Flight 255 to Orange County Airport (after the scheduled stop at PHX). I would have called my wife to pick me up there instead of LAX. It was a viable option thankfully I did not have to use. RIP to all non-survivors.
Cecilia was the sole survivor of this “unsurvivable” crash. She is alive and well to this day. The pilots neglected to set the flaps and slats for the takeoff, which caused the plane to remain in ground-effect and clip the rental car building, then crash into the road and the overpass. Setting the plane for takeoff is a crucial component of flying.
But that would never happen now if you tried to takeoff with no flaps you would have so many horns going off
I remember this , I live 3 mile from the crash, we were riding bikes when it happened about a half mile away, sitting at a red light, felt the ground shake...
Remember the Day in History! It was the day my 2nd daughter was Baptized , and we heard from the news as we were eating dinner...God bless 🙌 🙏 all who werel lost and the Lone Survivor ! Love from Michigan U.S.A on 8 - 27 - 24 ..
I was on a flight that landed around the same time this happened at ten years old. Remember the traffic stopping on the overpass to see the fiery wreckage.
13 for me but same experience coming home from Miami/Dade county. Summer break.. Heading back to Toledo took hours to get home… We had WJR on the whole way back 😥
Even after all these years, when I travel down Middlebelt through the I94 underpass I think of that night, it is one of those events were you remember what you were doing when you heard about it, Sunday evening me and some friends hanging out in the garage, working on a car (and a few beers) 😊 it was warm and muggy with a few storms in the area. I remember we had a radio on and they interrupted the song right in the middle of it and told the tragic news, we was so shocked.. I was 21 at the time, a long time ago but still vivid
I remember that day. We lived one mile from the crash site
I remember this was all over the news.I believe a little girl was the only survivor.An NBA player was also killed in this horrible crash.Nick Vamos I think was in his 2nd year with the Phoenix Suns.Northwest Orient before shortening to Northwest Airline.The plane was en route from Detroit to Phoenix from there the final destination to Orange County,Ca.I was 14 at the time and I was horrified watching the footage.
I knew a woman who was the wife of the Romulus police chief who was on the scene when this happened, she told me that he had to retire shortly after because he was affected by all of the death and carnage he saw at the crash site.
I was 11 years old waiting for my aunts plane to come into the gate that 255 was boarding from. I watched everyone hug and say goodbye before they got on the plane. There were no cell phones so we didn't know what was happening when my aunts plane didn't land as expected. They made an announcement but it wasn't clear if it was a big crash or if the plane was coming or going. A few hours later, my dad to took my sister and I to see my grandfather. We only knew what was happening once we had access to a TV. We went back to the airport and waited until the morning. The sent a ll the planes to other airport to fuel up before getting them back to Detroit.
The 4 year old girl that survived this flight does anybody know the level of compensation she received from the airlines for the loss of her parents and brother and injury compensation ?
If you hover over the video at about 4:17, you can see what appears to be the crash. But when playing the video like normal, it's as if the crash has been edited out.....
15:27 - That can explain why Celelia survived thanks to her mother shielding her with her body protecting her.
I will never forget that evening night I had gone to a friend's house to talk about the upcoming bowling season I lived in Taylor my buddy lived in Redford I rode my motorcycle over to his house got there about 600pm talked to my buddy until about 750 pm I heard thunder off in the distance so I told my buddy I better get home on my motorcycle before it started storming got home about 830 pm my dad was gone out I let my dog out we had close to a half an acre our house was on Pelham Rd between Wick and Goddard the back of our property faced to the west almost in line with Metro Airport it was about 840 saw large sparks then saw the same thing a few seconds later then saw the fireball and smoke went in the house and got my radio and heard it was a plane I worked for Airborne Freight at the time and our terminal was at 28055 Wick Rd we had to go back streets to get there the police had Wick blocked off at Wick and Inkster to Middlebelt.
My friend and I arrived at Metro that same night. We had just arrived from the National Fire Academy, and we ran into the son of one of our Fire Departments Captain's. He and his friends were getting on Flight 255 to depart for the University of Arizona. We found out that 255, had crashed just a few moments, after we drove under Middlebelt and got on I-94. We never knew until we got home near Lansing.
Thank you
Local 4
Did the Detroit stations interrupt local programming due to this breaking news story. I don’t know if stations in Minnesota did so(Northwest was headquartered in the Twin Cities). I know they had coverage over the next few days. IIRC I heard about it on the radio as I had hit the sack earlier than normal due to starting High School football practice at 7 AM the next morning.
Yes, we just returned from my son's 1st birthday party after visiting my parent's home about 45 minutes from Detroit Metro. He was born August 16th 1986 and this happened on his 1st birthday. We lived about 10 minutes from the Airport. It was a very strange evening with thunderstorms and winds blowing from different directions. I said to my husband I feel something really bad is about to happen and I had know idea what. The only time I ever felt this. There was a big news flash accross the screen. My. sister, husband and her young children lived in Phoenix. They took the same flight and aircraft at the same time 2 weeks prior to this to Phoenix where. they lived. Phoenix has a memorial for this flight.
Nick Vanos--Phoenix Suns RIP
I had a friend from my high school days in Scottsdale (class of '86) who was 19 and lost both parents in the crash.
0:11 I can’t believe this was shown. It’s a body that was torn apart! You can see under the dress her hip, a single leg and a single arm. Then looking at the plane, follow it to the right until it’s gone and roughly .5 inches after, you can see the other parts of her body scattered around . 😮
I was there, i was 11 years old, I saw the crash, I remember everything, 13 years later I was in a plane crash... my un told story
Fatalities 154
Injuries 1
Survivors 1
Well, gee. If you are moving, hit something and keep moving, stuff will continue to scatter as you move. If you hit a solid surface and stop, stuff tend to stay in one place. Physics is so much fun!
What was the significance of the boeing 757?
Even back in 1987 those camera crews are right up those family members rear ends to get a pic!! running to catch up.
That night scarred a lot of men and women for life, as well as instantly took hundreds of people away from us just in an instant. The men and women who had to clean up the area saw some horrific things. Air travel was very safe even back then, the problem is WHEN something goes wrong the outcome is usually not a good one.
Right after this I booked my honeymoon flights from Mpls/St. Paul round trip to CanCun with layovers both ways. I was a frequent flyer all over the US, Mexico and the West Indies from 1980 until 2013. I will never ever fly again. I'm good 😉 Too many events for me.... Godspeed to those of you who must fly. There are too many UA-cam channels dedicated to HEMS crashes for me to even make road trips any more. I'll never make the drive from Minnesota to visit family in N.C. again either. Especially not with 10 million non English speaking folks being handed a driver's license....
when did this happen
August 1987.
All pilot error. Unbelievable.
Oh my God.
Cant hear a thing
Wow, WDIV reporter Debra Silverstein was darned attractive.
All because of neglect to activate flaps.
Cecelia Cichan
8:01 This happened in Metro Detroit, why does this yokel sound like he's from Kentucker??
half the people in michigan are from kentucky
Well, they call Taylor, which is less than 5 miles away, "Taylortucky" for a reason!
@@StopMAGA hazeltucky too
@@davidjones-vx9ju Ypsitucky, too. The list goes on. It seems the farther North you go the farther South you get!
It’s almost as if people can move to places other than where they were born and raised 😮 🤯
Year 2008 in madrid spain, same plane, same pilots fault, almost same fatalities 155. Flight 5022 spanair
PD. Amazing no obese people back then
That was a crazy topic shift lol
Northwest Orient🤔
Northwest flew many wide body planes to the Orient. I had another family friend that would do two deadhead trips a month to Asia and then be done for the month. She is long since retired now but she had a great job in the day.
I finally, after almost 40 ỳears cab say a family of 5 with young children and 2 younger agult parents were saved of this tragedy and lived most stin.. today
If they could have gained just 10 more knots before rotating away from the runway .. they'd have had an uneventful flight.
Even her Grandfather was wrong!!
They found her mother 30 feet away from where Cecelia was found!
The impact could easily separate them. Even those few seconds when she shielded Cecilia were just enough for her to survive.
I always wondered why there was all that debris all over after 255 crashed, but none at all where the plane hit the pentagon on 911. Both sad, sad days.
Because the wreckage was mostly inside the rings of the building. But some wreckage is available and all you need to do is search "Pentagon flight 77 debris."
My comment got removed for telling the truth.
Because there was no hitting !!!
The forward speed of the Pentagon plane made all the debris go into the building, leaving only minimal pieces of the plane outside the building.
@@hoppes9658 that's because the Pentagon wasn't hit by a plane, was it?
People had much more hair back then, certainly the hairstyles are better than the odd looking hairstyles of today, terrible tragedy.