  Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 126 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 66.184.3.44 |
Any memories of Metro's worst crash? I remember listening to the news that fateful Sunday evening. The headlines the next few days..."Out of the Crash, one Tiny Survivor" ... | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 437 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
I was on 94 just West of Middlebelt when this happened. It was a mess! Wasn't close enough to really see anything but we did see the cloud of smoke and the fireball. | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1848 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 70.228.57.79 |
I remember the pictures of that girl being pulled from the wreckage. Since I was about her age when it happened it had quite an impact on me. I also remember that they didn't fix the potholes, divots and other damage to I-94 as a "memorial" to the crash. The problem was no one noticed it being any worse than any of the other roads. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 232 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 68.62.6.138 |
I was only 5 when it happened, but I remember my parents being very shocked when it happened...I remember my Dad mentioning something about being able to see body parts laying around in the wreckage in the photo on the front page of the Detroit News | ||
Detroitteacher Member Username: Detroitteacher Post Number: 438 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
The memorial webpage http://flight255memorial.com/i ndex.html | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 127 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 66.184.3.44 |
I still see a memorial of flowers in the brush on the roadside. I often wonder who still pays homage to the lost souls of yesteryear?.... | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1501 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.14.122.57 |
I remember being home that Sunday evening with my son who was less than a year old at the time. It was horrifying, hearing the news and watching the television coverage!! And ever since, whenever I drive by the crash site at Middlebelt and I-94, I look at the memorial tree grove and think about the crash and wonder how Cecilia Cichan is doing. I'll always remember... | ||
Irish_mafia Member Username: Irish_mafia Post Number: 604 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 70.227.219.108 |
I was on the tarmac on the plane that was to leave for Califonia right behind it. 255 was stoppping in AZ and then continuing on to CA. I had a professor from MSU aboard 255 and a friend who graduated with me from high school several years before. I fell asleep waiting to take off and then they made announcements and they pulled our plane in for an indefinite period and suggested that we call relatves etc. While in line for a phone, but before I had the opportunity to get my call into my family to let them know that I was ok, they told us to get back on the plane if we wanted to depart that night. Figuring that my family was asleep anyways, I got onboard. When I finally arrived in LA, I found out that my dad had been up all night waiting for my call. That was not good. A lot of good people were lost. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 131 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 66.184.3.44 |
Amen. | ||
Hysteria Member Username: Hysteria Post Number: 1155 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 152.163.100.8 |
I was pretty young and on my way to Orlando from South Bend via Detroit. It really scared me. 19 years? Wow. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 3571 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 68.110.101.59 |
My family and I had often taken that flight from Detroit to Phoenix, we figured over the past years prior approximately 50 times. It was a great flight - always left somewhere around 7pm, arriving in Phoenix around 8:30pm. There was always dinner on board. Since it was later, and the last nonstop, it allowed a full day of fun in Michigan with family, then jump on board, have dinner and arrive in Phoenix before the sun went down. It was a very popular flight, and nearly always full. Almost every time we traveled, or relatives from Michigan visited, we used that flight - and still do. As with all fatal flights, the flight # with that airline is retired, and now that flight is #261 leaving around 7:30pm. The survivor was from Tempe, AZ and after some updates on her condition, an agreement was reached with the press to not contact the family in the future unless initiated by her or her guardians. Though most of the victims were from AZ, the crash seemed to have much less impact here than in Michigan, likely because MI held the crash site. After a year or 2 had passed, the tragedy was rarely mentioned in AZ. A tragic loss for all. A cemetery (in Plymouth?) has a small mass grave for unidentified souls, as well as a memorial to the survivor, a bronze of a girl on a swing. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1292 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 69.242.223.42 |
I was at Truax airport in Madison WI on business when it crashed. That airport picked up a lot of extra NW (or was it still Republic Airlines) traffic that day. They had to park their airliners all over the place. I had just gotten my FAA A&P Mechanic's Certificate some three months earlier. | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 891 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 69.242.213.101 |
I was 14 at the time...but I remember it clearly on the news. It seems like there were a couple bad crashes at metro within a few years...a few years later I remember another NW plane that hit another plane on the ground and caught fire. | ||
Bvos Member Username: Bvos Post Number: 1851 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 134.215.223.211 |
That was also the era of the TWA hijacking too. A real bad time for airlines in general. | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 379 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 67.107.47.65 |
I was nowhere near the airport that day but I still was afraid to fly for a long time afterwards. Xmas of 87 I took a trip west on Amtrak. (One of the last trains out of the Detroit station.) | ||
Newman Member Username: Newman Post Number: 73 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 216.82.180.22 |
I remember being in Basic Training in South Carolina when it happened. My Drill Sergeant brought me a copy of the Detroit News. When I got out of the military, a friend of mine was a photographer for the Michigan State Police and showed me photographs from the site. To this day, I wish I had never seen them. I am impressed that the media have actually respected the wishes of the survivor. I have faith in the process... | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 2344 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.246.29.74 |
I was walking down the street in Valencia, Spain with a friend when the headlines on a newspaper stopped me in my tracks. "PLANE CRASH IN DETROIT; 1 Survivor!" Another photographer I know later showed me pictures. It's amazing that anybody survived. I've always what Cecilia did with her life. | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 6280 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 70.236.198.22 |
Driving westbound on Warren Avenue towards Outer Drive...I remember distinctly seeing a pillar of deep black smoke rising from the area around the airport...just KNOWING that many souls vacated at nearly the same instant. Months later, we thought it cool to bring home the 'Faces of Death' video tape...and I learned what projectile vomiting was, forced from the overload of death in my psyche. I cannot imagine what happens to people directly within the horrors. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 8718 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 70.54.69.58 |
I remember it quite well. If I recall correctly, the plane didn't get very high off the ground whe it banked hard and slammed across the highway. Didn't someone in a car get killed when the plane hit the highway? Also, I remember the news saying local people were scrounging over the dead bodies taking jewelry from the dead bodies. I never knew if this was just false or actual facts. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1363 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 68.42.251.225 |
We lost a wonderful human being and the Detroit legal community lost an excellent lawyer when that NW plane came down. He was on his way to visit his son in Arizona. And our law firm represented one of the car rental agencies when they were third-partyed into the NW litigation that followed the disaster. As I recall, NW's theory against the rental agency was that the plane's wing clipped a parking light pole in the agency's rental lot, "contributing" to the accident. NW claimed the pole was too tall, "misplaced" in the parking lot, etc. Not a very strong theory, and eventually, our client was dismissed from the suits. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1469 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 69.220.230.150 |
The pilot forgot to set the flaps which caused to plane to never gained much altitude roughly 50-100 feet, it then stalled and clipped an AVIS Rental Car Building before crashing into the embankment. It was pretty much all pilot error, including never reciting the mandatory pre-flight checklist. They also removed the fuse which would have indicated the flaps were set incorrectly. I remember the family of the pilot trying to sue after the press got of hold of it being pretty much the pilots fault and bad mouthing them. I believe the merger of Republic And Norhtwest was still fresh and the plane might have still had the republic paint job. I thought the plane crashed on Middlebelt, not I-94? (Message edited by _sj_ on August 18, 2006) | ||
Quinn Member Username: Quinn Post Number: 892 Registered: 01-2005 Posted From: 64.139.64.80 |
I hope the families were given some cash to help cusion the blow. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1470 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 69.220.230.150 |
I remember there being a few lawsuits between Northwest and the maker of the aircraft over whose fault it was, but I do not believe the settlements were ever made public. | ||
Thnk2mch Member Username: Thnk2mch Post Number: 268 Registered: 02-2006 Posted From: 71.65.11.152 |
I was on my deck, staining shelves for my 1 year old son's room. They have a memorial for the crash, with a bronze statue of a girl representing the girl that survived at United Memorial Gardens at Curtis Road and North Territorial in Plymouth. | ||
Blaw82 Member Username: Blaw82 Post Number: 103 Registered: 02-2005 Posted From: 132.47.128.201 |
Here's a little more info on the crash.....I do warn you that the pictures are graphic! http://www.mchealth.com/wcep/m aterials/Flight255/NWFlight255 .pdf#search='Flight%20255%20crash%20in%20d etroit' | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 3552 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 65.222.10.3 |
God, I hope they didnt feel it or suffer for long. | ||
Matt_the_deuce Member Username: Matt_the_deuce Post Number: 661 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 69.14.248.252 |
I was also on the tarmac that night. My flight from San Diego had just landed and it took an unusual amount of time to get to the gate. I never tried to figure out the exact timeline, but I figure the crash accurred while we were taxiing to the gate. I don't recall anybody noticing the crash while we were still on the plane - just seemed like some kind of delay. Once we deboarded, there was a sense at the airport that something had happened. Law enforcement walking briskly and running in some cases, and an overall feeling in the air that wasn't good. I think in baggage claim is where we first heard of a possible crash. By the time we had walked outside and were waiting for the shuttle to take us to the parking lot, everybody knew what had happened and all I can say is that it was a really bad scene, especially since you could see the light and smoke in the distance. The shuttle driver had the radio on and everyone was hoping it wasn't a bad crash. We took a different way home and the radio got turned off at some point, my dad figuring to try to minimize the exposure to it all. What a tragedy. (Message edited by Matt The Deuce on August 18, 2006) | ||
Mallory Member Username: Mallory Post Number: 51 Registered: 05-2006 Posted From: 207.230.140.240 |
WOW, does this take me back. I grew up in Taylor and was working at WGPR when this happened. I went with the news crew, because it was difficult to get to the scene with all of the roads shut down. I knew all of the back ways in. There are two things I remember most about the tragedy: #1 - the smell. Oh sure, you remember the sites of everything, but the smell. It was a combination of fuel and flesh. I have to stop a moment. #2 - the pavement. At the time of the accident, my now ex-wife worked at the airport (she was off that night). From time to time I had to take her to work. After the accident, when everything returned to normal, you could still see the grooves in the pavement on Middlebelt where the plane skidded across the way as it headed toward the train bridge. I can see it like it was yesterday. Truly a dark day in Detroit history. Does anyone remember the planes that collided on the runways a few years later? That's another one that I won't forget. Very foggy, and my ex was at work. I went to pick her up and I remember commotion in the terminal when all of the news crews were there and the families were all wailing and being ushered into a private area. More shivers. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1471 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 69.220.230.150 |
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/ 1990/1990-69.htm | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 3554 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 65.222.10.3 |
So the plane skidded onto Middlebelt? How fast was it going at impact?? High high did it ven get? | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 2822 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 66.202.227.12 |
Damn that is Graphic...I remember that event so dang clearly... | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 3582 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 68.110.101.59 |
I believe A&E or History Channel did one of their very detailed graphic reenactments of the final moments. As the pilots tried to gain control of the plane it began to rock, first clipping light pole(s) at Avis, twisting completely upside down at one point and, according to the graphics, veered down Middlebelt on its top - though who knows where and how all the wreckage landed, since the plane was disintegrating quickly. Patrick, for a plane to become airborne it must be going a minimum of approx 170MPH. Under full throttle, this plane was going at least that. It was mentioned on TV but don't recall, but is probably buried in the data in the above reports. Truly amazing and a miracle that even 1 survived. For an idea of the area, go to "rental car row" on Middlebelt (I was there last week) as you can practically reach up and touch the planes as they land. If things are generally in the same place, 255 was taking off on that runway, veering north onto Middlebelt and striking the RR overpass, as shown in the photo. As I've said earlier, though most victims were from AZ, my sympathies lie with Michiganders who daily have physical reminders of this horrific tragedy. Surprisingly, Arizonans burried their dead and moved on, though a few of the families journey to Detroit for a periodic memorial service. Simply stating facts, there is virtually nothing in the media about the crash these days, nor has there been for years. | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 19 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 69.152.250.195 |
Is this the major airport for Detroit, and if it is, how far is it from downtown Detroit ? Some one flew thru Detroit recently and raved about how beautiful and swanky their airport is. Thank you....... Jane | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 2823 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 66.202.227.12 |
Interesting side note... Pheonix Suns Center, Nick Vanos was among the victims who were killed in that crash. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 2655 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 4.229.105.170 |
Jane, DTW (Detroit/Wayne County Metropolitan Airport)is about 20 miles due west of downtown Detroit in a suburb by the name of Romulus. It is right next to (east/west) Interstate 94. The airport is immediately south of the interstate, but the crash happened approximately 1/2 mile north of the interstate. | ||
Cushkid Member Username: Cushkid Post Number: 56 Registered: 08-2005 Posted From: 136.1.1.154 |
I think the crash was a half mile south of the interstate because the railroad bridge is south of 94 | ||
Janesback Member Username: Janesback Post Number: 20 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 69.152.250.195 |
Thanks Gistok  | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 2663 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 4.229.105.170 |
Cushkid, I'm not saying you're wrong... (because I have never been to the site, nor could I pinpoint its' exact location)... but I thought that ALL the Rent-A-Car sites were north of I-94? | ||
Messykitty Member Username: Messykitty Post Number: 71 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.21.198.33 |
There was at least one car rental lot in the northeast corner of the airport's footprint (right by the old radar tower), on the corner of Wick and Middlebelt. The railroad bridge is just north of Wick, followed by I-94. (Message edited by messykitty on August 19, 2006) | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 3604 Registered: 09-2005 Posted From: 68.110.101.59 |
Gistok & others, The crash occured south of I94. I was there last week and have been in that area many times. If you pull up this link (also posted above on this thread) www.mchealth.com/wcep/materials/Flight255/NWFlight255.pdf#search='Flight%20255%20crash%20in%20detroit' there are detailed maps, not all with "N" at the top. However, there are many large rental car operations north/east of the main airport terminals, south of I94. The plane took off due NE, veered N, hit the RR bridge abuctment crossing Middlebelt Rd, traveled N over/under as it broke apart, headed further N under/over I94, debris killing (I believe) 2 traveling in their car(s) on I94. The carnage finally ended at I94, at/on Middlebelt Rd. The first link (255 Memorial) is not working, at least for me. (Message edited by karl on August 18, 2006) | ||
Fnemecek Member Username: Fnemecek Post Number: 1843 Registered: 12-2004 Posted From: 70.225.113.209 |
I remember that my Dad and I had driven along that section of I-94 about 20 minutes prior to the crash. When we got home and heard what happened; heard about cars that were in the impact zone being pretty much vaporized, I was really, really glad we hadn't stopped off somewhere like I wanted to. (He was driving so he got to overrule me on whether we stopped.) | ||
Crash_nyc Member Username: Crash_nyc Post Number: 636 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 24.193.163.45 |
Damn, I remember that night very vividly -- sitting on the floor in my parents TV room, watching WDIV news coverage of the crash. The idea of one little survivor always stuck with me. Just one, out of 155 (and her parents died too). That has got to be the cruelest mind-f**k for someone to grow up with. Wikipedia has a page about her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C ecelia_Cichan | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 1273 Registered: 06-2004 Posted From: 69.130.18.100 |
The plane came down south of I-94 and slid underneath the east bound side of the freeway on Middlebelt. There was concern the fire had damaged the overpass rendering it unsafe for traffic. It seems like they ended up rebuilding it but I'm not positive. The NTSB summary states three occupied vehicles were struck and numerous vacant rental vehicles. Among on the ground victims were two fatalities and five injuries. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 158 Registered: 04-2006 Posted From: 64.131.176.232 |
All the rental cars agencies are South of I-94. | ||
Swiburn Member Username: Swiburn Post Number: 12 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 35.10.67.132 |
The lone survivor, Cecelia Cichan, is a college student in Alabama, brought up there by her maternal aunt and uncle. Cecelia has never visited the crash site. | ||
Scofield Member Username: Scofield Post Number: 24 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 64.12.116.204 |
August 16, 1987, I remember it very well. Me and my folks were going to a bluegrass festival, (My parents love the music, not I... however, I was kid, so, I had to go with them.) Anyhow, the festival was located at the KOA campground on the Ohio/Michigan border, off US-23. We usually would take I-94 West to US-23. but for some reason, my dad decided that, 1. We were going to stop and get a pizza, at little ceasers on Springwells Ave. and so, we did... 2. we were going to take I-75 South down to monroe and somehow cut across over to the camp ground. According to what time that plane crashed... Had we not stopped for the pizza and had taken I-94, as usual. We would have been, right in the direct path of that plane. That hunted us for a long while. Anyone who says there isn't a God in Heaven, IMHO, is a fool. He prevented our deaths. and for that, I'm most greatful. Scofield | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 1254 Registered: 05-2005 Posted From: 198.208.251.22 |
no, your dad's love of pizza did. | ||
Leob Member Username: Leob Post Number: 72 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 69.14.9.224 |
A family member was a Firefighter at Metro that evening. A lot of the guys from his house had a hard time afterwards handling the carnage they witnessed that day. Post traumatic stress disorder is rough. There was but a single soul rescued, everyone else did not have a chance. | ||
Scofield Member Username: Scofield Post Number: 25 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 205.188.116.137 |
true gravity, that too helped. | ||
Realitycheck Member Username: Realitycheck Post Number: 350 Registered: 08-2004 Posted From: 68.41.173.240 |
Inevitably, that dark day brought out the best and worst in human instincts. We've read here about the best -- dedicated rescue personnel and widespread public compassion that these posts show clearly endures. The flip side included the reported jewelry-looting that Goat recalls and representatives of bottom-feeding lawyers (no, that's not redundant, so save it) unethically soliciting prospective plaintiffs -- including a clerical collar-wearing phony 'priest' who I believe was charged with misrepresentation of some sort. It made the papers and sticks in my mind with an image of vultures circling. I believe the Michigan Bar clarified or tightened its ethics guidelines afterward as a direct result. | ||
Ptero Member Username: Ptero Post Number: 36 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 4.229.33.230 |
What a dark day indeed. I was some 2,000 miles away outside Vancouver, BC on a vacation. That day I got a motel room instead of camping. Checking out the TV, I was shocked about the crash "back home". Even moreso because the TV feed for the three main networks were the Detroit stations. It seems (at least back then) they would grab the feed in Windsor and send it country wide in Canada. Seeing the local news reporting was stunning even though I was nowhere near home. | ||
Harsensis Member Username: Harsensis Post Number: 70 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.227.102.82 |
What I will always remember is all of the scraps in the road and the curb that was knocked out at the corner of Wick. They have done a pretty good job of erasing everything, but I think you can still see some of the wear on the railroad bridge. If I remember correctly, the plane was sideways when it hit the Avis Building before it slammed into the ground. I also remember somebody stealing a part of the plane and getting caught. It was South of I-94 too. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 2757 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.43.15.105 |
I have no amazing stories of escaping the reaper by minutes - I was far from the scene, driving on US-10 in the vicinity of Midland when I heard about it on the radio shortly after it happened. However, I can tell you a few things about the fateful flight. As sj said above, the crew simply did not set the flaps, but with every accident there's always a chain of events or a series of contributing factors which compounded the mistakes made. This was the fourth flight of six the crew was to fly that day. They started in Minneapolis, flew to Detroit, to Saginaw, back to Detroit, and after Phoenix were to continue on to Orange County. By the time of the accident they had been working nearly eight hours. During the preflight in Detroit it was clear they were concerned about making it to Orange County before the airport's curfew, about the thunderstorms enroute and near Detroit, and whether those would delay them even further. If they missed the curfew in Orange County, would they spend the night in Phoenix? Would they fly to LAX instead? If they stayed in Phoenix, where would they go the following morning; to Orange County to resume their schedule, or somewhere else instead? On the two previous flights into DTW, they landed to the southwest. DTW was still departing and landing to the southwest as they pushed off the gate but storms were starting to build in the area, and a few aircraft had reported windshear encounters on arrival. The wind was shifting from the southwest to the northwest so the controllers decided to switch the airport around to depart and land to the northeast. The crew starts the engines, disconnects from the pushback tug, and begins to taxi under the impression they would be departing on runway 21C (Center) not realizing the traffic flow had been reversed. The usual procedure is for the first officer (co-pilot) to set the flaps as soon as they start taxiing. The DC-9 has several degrees of flap settings with the first two or three settings used for takeoffs and the remaining for landing. The crew is given weight and performance data for several runways before they leave the gate, but the aircraft’s final weight usually is not known until after they have left the gate and the ramp personnel have tallied the weight of baggage and passengers. The crew has a good estimate before hand of what the final weight will be and which flap setting to use, and once the final weight is transmitted to the crew they can change the flap setting if needed. Several other tasks need to be accomplished during the taxi, after which the taxi checklist is performed to verify that nothing has been missed. In my opinion, taxiing an aircraft is always the most hazardous phase of flight. Each airport layout is different, taxiways and runways intersect at crazy angles, signage and pavement markings are poor, aircraft seem to be coming at you from every direction, the controller chatter on the radio is constant and distracting, and it’s one of the busiest times for the crew. The captain steers the airplane while the first officer runs through a variety of tasks, usually with his head down and only a faint awareness of what’s going on outside. You know that adrenalin rush you get when you’re driving on I-94 at 70 mph, you look down for a second but when you raise your head, you discover that the car in front of you has stopped? Well, imagine that in addition, when you do look up not only has the car in front of you stopped, but somehow you’ve ended up on the Lodge. That’s what it’s like for the first officer during taxi. As soon as the crew started rolling, the first officer gets loaded with tasks. Ground control instructs them to taxi to runway 3C - the opposite end of 21C - disrupting their mind-set and expected flow. Answering radio calls by ATC, getting a new weather report on a different radio, getting a passenger count from the lead flight attendant, obtaining the aircraft’s final weight, finding the weight limit for takeoff on 3C (the preliminary data they received earlier at the gate only had info for 21C) all interrupt the first officer’s routine and he never sets the flaps. Add to it the captain missing a turn on a taxiway, reports of aircraft encountering windshear on arrival, alarms by the airport’s windshear detection system, and the darkening skies as storms moved closer, and soon they are at the end of the runway and neither the flaps have been set nor has the taxi checklist been accomplished. All hope is not lost though, because the DC-9 has a takeoff warning system. When the throttles are advanced to the takeoff thrust range, a sensor is activated and a rudimentary computer will sound a warning horn for several reasons: if the leading edge slats aren’t in the takeoff position, if the trailing edge flaps aren’t in the takeoff position, if the horizontal stabilizer trim is out of the normal takeoff setting, or if the parking brake is set. It’s been nine minutes since they started to taxi from the ramp when flight 255 is cleared for takeoff and given a northeast heading to fly to avoid rain showers north of the airport. The captain sets takeoff thrust but for some reason the auto throttle system doesn’t take control of the throttles. Immediately they discover that the thrust computer wasn’t set to the takeoff mode, preventing the auto throttles from activating (another sign of distraction during the taxi), but the first officer quickly sets it and away they go. In the meantime, the warning horn never sounds and their last chance to avoid disaster has passed. It would be found later that power to the warning computer was lost. The system had a warning light if it malfunctioned, but it was discovered during the investigation that it only checked the internal circuitry of the computer and would not illuminate due to a loss of power to it. The NTSB never could determine why it lost power but suspected that either the circuit breaker to the system popped unnoticed, or failed internally. They seemed to discount that it was intentionnly opened by the pilots. The aircraft slowly accelerates toward takeoff speed. It’s heavy - just 2,000 lbs below the maximum for that runway (or about % 98.5 of the maximum) - and at that weight it needs to reach 144 knots (165 mph) to start its rotation for lift off, IF the flaps and slats are set correctly. At 144 knots the first officer calls out “Rotate” and the captain pitches the nose up. Here’s where physics come in to play, and perhaps the first evidence to the crew that something isn’t right. The aircraft rolls along the ground for a considerable distance before lifting off at 168 knots (193 mph), the speed it needs at that weight with flaps retracted. Within a second the wing aerodynamically stalls and a stall warning system activates. The stall warning computer turns on a motor connected to the flight control column which noisily shakes the column, simulating the buffeting feeling of a stall caused by the disrupted airflow over the wing. Stall recovery procedure calls for lowering the nose and adding power to accelerate, but when you’re only a few dozen feet off the ground, it takes a lot of willpower to intentionally lower the nose. A secondary stall alarm system activates about four seconds after liftoff and this one illuminates a stall warning light in front of each pilot and a warning horn. As the nose angle increases, causing the airspeed to decrease, it will activate another motor which forcefully pushes forward on the control column in an attempt to lower the nose, and will cause the leading edge slats to extend fully from the intermediate takeoff position. Extended slats and flaps will lower the stalling speed. One big problem though: the slats won’t extend automatically and the pusher motor won’t activate if the slats are not at least in the partially extended takeoff position. Later it’s discovered that the lost power to the takeoff warning computer also cause the warning light and horn on the captain’s side to malfunction. Around the same time it begins to roll back and forth, sometimes quite dramatically, probably due to variations in lift over each wing while they were stalled or nearly so. To counteract the roll, the captain turns the control wheel in the opposite direction to level the wing, moving one wing aileron down and the opposite one up. At higher speeds it would take little input to get the required roll to correct the bank, but at this lower speed it takes large inputs and high aileron deflection. More complications: the aileron which moves down creates drag , reducing the climb performance. Drag on one side causes the nose to yaw in that direction - the direction opposite of the bank. To alleviate this, on the top side of the wing are “spoilers” which raise up to reduce lift. They are interconnected to the ailerons so that the spoilers on the wing opposite of the lowered aileron will rise to help with the bank and reduce the amount of aileron input needed and therefore the amount of drag from the aileron. However, in this stalled condition, the captain is using large aileron inputs and the spoiler deflection is killing what little lift remains. In quick succession the aircraft banks 8° left, 16° right, 33° left, 35° right , and while rolling left again through 27°, it clips the first light pole just 37’ above the ground, breaking off the left wing tip. By the time it hit the car rental building it was in a 90° bank (wings perpendicular to ground) and continued rolling upside down before it hit the ground. Each time the stall horn sounded the captain lowered the nose, but only slightly; the column shaker operated continuously. I believe, and the NTSB gives much credence to this possibility, that the crew thought they were encountering windshear. Storms were building, airport sensors were reporting shears, aircraft landing were experiencing large variations in airspeed on final, the winds were gusty, while taxiing the captain remarked “it’s blacker than ___ out there”, referring to the stormy sky. The Delta L1011 that crashed on landing in Dallas three years earlier experienced a downburst on final approach and in an attempt to maintain approach speed, the pilot lowered the nose until they flew into the ground. Had he let the speed decrease to near stall speed, the aircraft would have stayed airborne and made it through. I think during training sessions this was being emphasized as a new way to deal with windshear, and perhaps 255’s captain was trying to maintain a climb or level flight near the stall speed to get through the imagined windshear, unaware that the real culprit was the lack of flaps/slats and that his actions were degrading the aircraft performance. In any event, they never climbed above 45’ altitude. The last 27 seconds from the cockpit voice recorder, all times local to the tenth of a second: CAM = Cockpit Area Microphone 20:44:57.7 CAM-2 First Officer “rotate” 20:44:59.1 CAM ((sound similar to nose gear strut extension)) 20:45:02.7 CAM ((sound similar to nose wheel spinning down)) 20:45:05.1 CAM ((sound of stick shaker starts and continues until the end of tape)) 20:45:09.1 CAM ((sound of secondary stall recognition aural warning starts)) 20:45:11.4 CAM ((sound of secondary stall recognition aural warning starts)) 20:45:11.9 CAM-? ("__ right up to the vee bar") 20:45:14.3 CAM ((sound of secondary stall recognition aural warning starts)) 20:45:15.7 CAM ("ah -expletive-") 20:45:17.1 CAM ((sound of secondary stall recognition aural warning starts)) 20:45:19.3 CAM ((sound of first impact)) 20:45: 19.t CAM ((sound of second impact)) 20:45:22.7 CAM ((sound of third impact)) CAM-? Unintelligible 20:45:23.1 CAM ((sound of fourth impact)) 20:45:24.2 CAM ((sound of fifth impact)) 20:45:24.4 CAM ((sound of sixth impact)) 20:45:24.6 CAM ((sound of seventh impact)) 20:45:24.7 ((end of recording)) | ||
Gannon Member Username: Gannon Post Number: 6361 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 70.236.198.22 |
Mikem, Wow. Thanks. ((end of comment)) | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1107 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.39.170.78 |
Wow, Mikem, Thanks for that... as someone who is scared of flying it was very interesting for me to read about all that goes in to getting a plane off the ground.
Too good of an analogy... | ||
Mtm Member Username: Mtm Post Number: 72 Registered: 06-2006 Posted From: 134.67.6.11 |
Great write-up, Mikem! At the time of the crash I had just arrived home after dropping my husband off at Metro for a NW flight to Phoenix. It was several tense hours before I knew it wasn't his flight. His ex-wife even called me to find out if I knew anything. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1477 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 69.220.230.150 |
This was key, they never did really determine if the pilots had pulled the breaker, which they had been warned and disciplined in the past. If that horn goes off or they realize the flaps are not set correctly they clear that pole by at least 300-400 feet. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 2764 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.43.15.105 |
The NTSB came up with three possibilities: the breaker was intentionally opened by someone, the breaker popped without the crew realizing it, or current failed to pass through the breaker even though it was in the proper closed position. Another pilot rode in the cockpit with the crew on their flight to Saginaw. He testified that after landing, the captain had to make a sharp turn on a taxiway and used enough power that it triggered the takeoff warning. The crew who flew the aircraft earlier in the day also claimed that the takeoff warning system tested O.K. during their preflight check. Circuit breakers pop open occasionally, especially during the switch from ground supplied power to ship's power, or during engine starts when the engine driven generators come on line. They usually make an audible snapping sound. This particular breaker was located behind the captain's seat. The captain used a hearing-aid but it could not be found at the accident scene. Regardless, he was able to pass the hearing test during his medical exams without the use of it. Also, crews stow their baggage behind their seats and there's a tendency for the baggage to catch on circuit breakers as they stow or remove them, causing them to open. I can't recall if this circuit breaker was in a vulnerable position. The NTSB also faults the first officer for not taking enough time to closely inspect the circuit breaker panel during his preflight checks. The circuit breaker was damaged during the accident to the point that it could not be determined if it was open or closed at the time. It was inspected by both the NTSB and the manufacturer. Several other of the suspect circuit breaker from other aircraft were examined as well, and some were found to block the flow of current due to tarnish buid-up even though they were in the closed position. The aircraft manufacturer previously issued a bulletin to operators of the aircraft notifying them of the possibility of the failure of circuit breakers in the closed position. The NTSB never did rule out any of the three possibilities. The investigation seemed to center on the last mode of failure and I suppose in the subsequent lawsuits, the manufacturers were eager to place the blame on the crew. Even with the flaps up, the NTSB performance engineering study found that the crew could have cleared the light pole by nearly 80 feet had they lowered the nose enough to stop the stall warning and probably prevent the aircraft from rolling. (The banking was estimated to reduce the climb performance by 20%.) I say that's a difficult reaction at such a low altitude even if you realize what's happening; it would take quite a bit of finesse on the controls. When you're not aware of the cause, or are under the impression that it was caused by windshear, it would come as quite a shock and the short time available to discern the real problem and react to it properly may not be (was not) enough. Also, in training a scenario was usually run where the stall warning would falsley activate on takeoff even though the aircraft was fine, the goal of the exercise to safley fly the aircraft back to a landing through the distraction. (Message edited by MikeM on August 24, 2006) | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1478 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 69.220.230.150 |
I might be thinking of another crash with the pilots pulling the breaker. |
