A Fateful Takeoff: The Tragic Saga of Northwest Airlines Flight

[@MaydayAirDisaster]

Want to see more Full Episode of Mayday: Air Disaster? Check out this playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLiXVS8S6-YAUBts83-WRHLjn1DCSSNcjb

[@jillwaisanen7062]

As as as as ea

[@rosaliechildress8959]

😅😅

[@billt6116]

That captain's name is pronounced like Mawss, not Mouse . What's his first name,... Mickey?

[@marine052520031]

When Mayday gonna do the Alaska Airlines crash in 1971 in Juneau ?

[@stunews2903]

It appears air disasters are more common than we are led to believe. Why has the media failed to report on many of the failures covered in your extensive video range.

[@calvinreeves]

At another airline that flew the MD-80 we had joint safety training with the flight attendants. The instructor played the voice recorder tape from this accident, ending with ‘fu-laps, fu-laps’ and then nothing. After a few moments of silence a flight attendant asked “so the pilots get distracted, forget to set one lever - and everyone gets killed?”. The instructor said “yes, that is how it works…” more silence…

[@natehill8069]

And there are numerous settings in a plane which could lead to a similar result - lift dumpers, anti-ice, autothrottle (particularly on an Airbus where the levers dont move). My favorite is the one in Cali, Columbia (American 965) where the pilot typed "R" for "ROZO" waypoint and wound up getting some other "R" and the plane flew itself into a mountain.

[@lcfflc3887]

​@@natehill8069on that one they were also unfamiliar with the airport's location and they were flying at night. That was and American Airlines flight.

[@lcfflc3887]

​@@natehill8069 what do you mean by the levers don't move?

[@5wheels178]

@@natehill8069 i know it's wrong but why does that last sentence sound almost comical to me

[@BaileyChap]

@@lcfflc3887 I believe autothrottle on certain aircraft, while still adjusting the actual throttle, do not move the physical levers.

[@yamato6114]

Cecilia’s situation sounds absolutely heartbreaking… imagine being 4 years old, waking up in the hospital, and having someone tell you that mommy, daddy, and big brother are never coming back?

[@RobbieStacks90]

Don't forget that Cecilia's mother saved her life by clinging to her before the plane started rolling, thus shielding Cecilia from some of the impact g forces and from sustaining fatal burns from the ensuing fireball.

[@ibrahimtoom9085]

😂

[@theresewilliamson9057]

@@yamato6114 Thankfully, she doesn't remember anything about it.

[@vickieclark5931]

@user-jk8sh2zm3l Yep. She literally lost her entire family in that flight. So heartbreaking. :(

[@WilliamDurrant-ll8xy]

I'd rather be 4 than any older

[@JamesStreet-tp1vb]

For 2 experienced pilots with thousands of hours of flying time, forgetting something as rudimentary as flap configuration on takeoff is tantamount to forgetting to open your mouth when youre eating.

[@ClearedAsFiled]

Damn, you are soooo right.....

[@danielwymer1580]

They were in a big hurry, trying to beat the weather, that’s when you forget stuff

[@arianebolt1575]

Incredibly basic step and disastrous to miss. Yep.

[@MarissaNye]

And yet the same things has happened more then once causing other crashes.

[@GlowingMpd]

👍Excellent analogy 😉

[@thefourelevensAO]

just watched a couple of videos where they interviewed Cecilia as she is today. i'm amazed, in the physical sense it's like nothing ever happened! simply amazing. and mental. even though she says she thinks about the crash everyday, she has a good head on her shoulders. she's married with children and really thriving. i love that for her!

[@verlinden80]

I heard she doesn't even remember the crash but I guess that was the wrong info🤷🏾‍♂️

[@jackcobb1090]

​@@verlinden80She lost her entire family in one shot. She doesn't remember the crash, but it affects her life everyday.

[@ChrisJohnson-hk6es]

She has a beautiful tattoo of an MD-80 on her wrist. A tribute to her family she lost. I was a child when this happened and my pops worked for Northwest and responded to the crash. I sent her a teddy bear. I think about her often, and I am so glad she doesn't remember this. Cecilia, if you read this..... You have a beautiful family! Hope all is well!

[@andrewdinns1746]

@@ChrisJohnson-hk6es why lie

[@Navalator]

@@kimemerson4608 What evidence do you have that she has gas?

[@Lasvegasnowman1]

It's amazing how much work they put into the recreation of the incident in the video.

[@dado-7775]

They actually take real plane, along as actors acting as passengers, and crash it killing all, to recreate the event realistically.

[@Lasvegasnowman1]

@@dado-7775 yes okay buddy Boeing 777

[@jkryanspark]

CGI.

[@jkryanspark]

@@dado-7775 The actors get paid time and a half.

[@Lasvegasnowman1]

@@jkryanspark oh I know a lot of it is CGI but I am talking about all the actors editing and directing not mention the actors and the interior of the airplane.

[@michaelamarshalll]

My sisters were supposed to be on that plane. My dad and his ex-wife were recently divorced and she moved back to Phoenix. He lived about an hour from Metro. He bought my sisters, (around 7 and 9) tickets. He said it was perfect because it was a direct flight and it was later in the day so he’d beat the traffic getting there. About a week prior to that, he asked the judge if he could keep the girls until the following week so they could go to a family reunion in Michigan before they moved to Phoenix. The judge said he could take them to the reunion. If the judge would’ve said, “No. We agreed they’d be in AZ on Monday morning”. They would have died. About 4 years ago, I flew from Detroit to Phoenix and saw them for the first time in about 20 years.

[@tubechic71]

A relative of someone I know lost her life on that flight. Same situation. She was due to return home to her mother in AZ, and she begged her Dad to stay a little longer, but he forced to go home because school was starting soon. He never forgave himself for her death. He died a few years later in a car crash after he had a seizure while driving.

[@MrNobody2828]

A real tear jerker, glad they were saved!

[@jcoppeta9474]

❤

[@lizhjelmeseth5485]

Computer in take off mode.

[@LincolnLoud-ht1vb]

cap

[@azopene]

An alarm system that goes off when there is no problem is completely worthless!

[@cornells.1727]

Not only useless but it's actually extremely damaging as it has the effect of people ignoring it or just turning it off, like seems to be the case for some pilots.

[@natehill8069]

I used to work with a mobile DoD communications system called the TSQ-111. It had something like 30 alarms that were all 2800Hz (high pitched beep) and they went off at the drop of a hat. There was a printer that did (almost) _nothing_ other than print alarms and it would go through a box of paper in about 3 days. We _always_ switched off the alarms. The most important alarm was a power failure, cause if we didnt catch that in time the system would shut down abruptly after the battery ran down (7 minutes max) and we would lose that day's work. But with no way to tell a "real" alarm from the preceding 2,391 valueless alarms that hour we would usually just notice that it was getting warmer (the A/C was not backed up and the van produced a LOT of heat, there were no plenums so it had to be kept very cold because the power supply was at one end and the A/C was at the other because government) so anytime you started getting comfortable that meant something had failed, which would make us look at the circuit breaker. Then shove in a backup tape and do a checkpoint and race to start a different generator before the battery finished running down. I always said airliners should have a separate alarm that goes off whenever an alarm goes off that DOES mean something to warn you this one is real. Kind of like the US Government creating a new security agency after 9/11 because there were too many competing security agencies.

[@amirahal-wehbi]

That’s worse than worthless, that’s a problem waiting to happen! In fact, it is a problem CAUSER!!!! Oooof.

[@andrewjones-productions]

Modern cars with their beeps, bongs and bings come to mind. Eventually, it becomes 'elevator music', meaning of course, that the brain becomes immune and even though they sound, one doesn't hear them anymore. It is a classic real life playout of 'crying wolf'.

[@junehalog024]

It's like that wife that keeps nagging at you when there was nothing to nag about. It's infuriating...

[@cynthiaweir5697]

I’ll never forget it, I lived about 20 miles north of the airport at this time, and I came out of the hospital where my granddaughter was just born that day, the sky was dark like night time, even though it was still daytime. A big storm was coming, got home, and this was on the news. It was a big shock for Michigan folks. One survivor, a little girl. 💔

[@Camille-wk9zs]

I had a cousin that was supposed to have been on this flight. She didn’t take it. She got another flight. She’s here because of a decision to take a different flight to Phoenix. I actually had a dream about a plane crashing in this area b4 it happened. When this actually happened, I remembered the dream I had. Never told anyone about it.

[@Bob31415]

@@Camille-wk9zs A "planet" crashing? Planets can't fly. They just float in outer space.

[@ashleyreagan8875]

Cecilia, the lone survivor, is now all grown up however she still stays in touch with her rescuers from that day ❤ Amazing that she survived.

[@thomaszinser8714]

@@Bob31415 Well, there are in fact some cases of planets crashing into one another. That's how Earth got the moon, it's essentially the agglomerated rubble of a planet that crashed into us.

[@sludge8506]

@@Bob31415 Plus, *every* flight will have people who didn’t make the flight, and will have people who replaced them. That’s just the way it is.

[@koisneurotypical]

Its amazing how missing just one thing like flap configuration can end up killing so many innocent folks. These kinds of episodes really bum me out. But they are so well made… i cannot stop watching 💜

[@andredarin8966]

Check out the episode about the crew that forgot to return an a/c pack to “auto”. It was a Helios charter. As I was watching it, I was muttering “Check the pack position… .” The warning sound on 747-8s is unmistakable but exactly like that for a takeoff-configuration warning. One missed little switch and it’s hellfire.

[@chrisx5127]

Planes should be more capable.

[@koisneurotypical]

@@andredarin8966 oh lawd! I will check it out! Helios reminds me of the Cessna that collided with a charter plane- did you see that one? The visual is horrific.

[@joyceemefaakoto3676]

@@koisneurotypical They were so focused on taking off before the storm hits.

[@alexcross3286]

Agreed. I think videos like these validate some people’s fears of flying. A plane can be struck by lightning and be perfectly fine but if 1 sheet of metal doesn’t extend from the wings or in some cases 1 single screw or bolt becomes compromised it’s enough to start a chain reaction to bring down the entire plane

[@AVerOR]

I lost two good friends from a project we served on together in Saudi Arabia. Both were pilots. One was riding on the jump seat in the cockpit and the other was traveling back in the cabin. This video hits me right in the gut just like the news did that my friends were on board. I “see” and imagine what was going through their minds right after liftoff. Still feel their loss today.

[@beckydemoor1190]

I still remember that night and how there were so many planes just circling around the sky

[@dubyah8824]

Man, imagine driving on the road next to the end of the runway (which I do on my commute to work everyday) and seeing a flaming ball of metal hurling at you at a couple hundred miles an hour!

[@lethabrooks9112]

That would scare the 💩 out of me!

[@lorenjackson8961]

My brother was one of the first people on the scene after the crash. He was driving west on Wick Rd approaching the traffic light at Middlebelt Rd. The plane was coming towards him, banking to the left. It hit along Middlebelt road in between the railroad tracks and I-94. My brother had nightmares for a while after that. He remembers the burning smell of jet fuel and seeing nothing but a bunch of burned body parts. He wishes he never turned right at the light onto Middlebelt Rd and just kept driving west on Wick towards the airport. He said the crash site was the most horrible thing he had ever seen.

[@pt68picaso]

​@@lethabrooks9112only in the theater & your dreams after the event. There's no time to process the events.

[@stephendacey8761]

you better hope you're driving to work in a tank.

[@stephendacey8761]

@@lorenjackson8961I'm amazed that little girl survived.

[@bryanjackson2807]

I flew through Detroit a couple of days later and the wreckage was still where it crashed. We flew right past when we took off. I was pretty sobering.

[@hfrt29]

wow eerie

[@CarmenJLemon]

Wow!!

[@faithevolution552]

Glad that each disaster leaves something new to learn and something to improve...making air flight safer than it was yesterday. This was another great show. Thank you.

[@Adrianafaith123]

I read somewhere that unfortunately the new safety regulations are "written in blood"...so true...🙏🙏

[@andycross9840]

I think that is an inappropriate use of the word 'glad'. However, the unfortunate thing with making air travel safer and learning from mistakes is that the lessons have all too often carried a huge human cost.

[@tylerbuckley4661]

I remember this like it was yesterday just because of that little girl who survived this was one of the saddest day in aviation history

[@vickieclark5931]

I remember when this happened. I was a teenager, and my mom showed me this story in the newspaper when it happened and that photo that it just showed in this video of the little girl and her family. I remember my mom telling me that they looked like a happy family. Very heartbreaking. This plane crash has always stood out to me more than anything because of that 4 year old surviving something that was not survivable.

[@maxalberts2003]

@@vickieclark5931 Her mother's final actions on earth were to protect that beautiful, precious child. This is just heartbreaking.

[@DBEdwards]

My dad was a US Navy pilot. He showed me photos of his squadron. And I won't forget the number of his group killed in accidents. They were his friends and colleagues. And he remembered their names.

[@thecommonsenseconservative5576]

What squadron and what was the number 😂😂😂

[@DBEdwards]

@@thecommonsenseconservative5576 ZP-1 Lighter than Air. Weeksville, North Carolina. I was born in Elizabeth City there

[@Goodboy0953]

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s plane crashes were major news events and covered for hours on end with everyone in family watching. Like the Washington DC air Florida crash I will never forget it!!!

[@nicholass7563]

Being born in the 80s not knowing so many planes have crashed. Now I understand my mothers fear. Most of these videos are 70,80,90’s crashes. I didn’t hear many crashes in the early 00’s but then again they were able to learn from mistakes to get to where we are today.

[@jonathanstephens7015]

There are fail safes now. The computer will alert the pilots if their take off configurations are in any way incomplete or wrong for the take off conditions.

[@mr.c5217]

70s-90's was a very bad time for aviation there were MANY crashes

[@maxalberts2003]

@@mr.c5217 Not to mention hijackings and bombs.

[@smithsmithy7652]

My father seen this happen. He worked at northwest at the time and was on his break when he seen this go down. My grandmother also was there coming home from work and was on I-94 when she seen the plane come down over the freeway and slam into middlebelt rd. My father and a few others raced to the seen to see if they could help. Terrible tragedy

[@stacyjaye6350]

I hate to be that guy, but my father saw... my grandmother saw...they raced to the scene. And that's a homonym. ☮️😘

[@deborahparrish2201]

saw this happen; saw this go down; she saw the plane; raced to the scene.

[@Christine-b7h]

My husband was on the disaster team at U of M hospital that day. They prepared for mass casualties but no one showed up. Because all but one died. He is haunted by that every day.

[@Dion-rz3fz]

@@stacyjaye6350 Show some respect! You may be commenting to Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies!

[@Mal1234567]

"seen"

[@bradleydavis8714]

Flew out of Salt Lake City on a flight to houston some years back and it was an extremely hot day. We sat for at least an hour on the runway. Plane was a full flight. And when we were given the go ahead , the pilot made the comment to us that due to us being so full , we had to have perfect wind to get us off the runway. You talk about nerve wracking.

[@Chris-de2qh]

There are 2 factors at play here. One in the winds and the other is what is called Density Altitude. When temperatures increase the air density decreases. The air density also decreases with an increase in altitude. The less dense the air the less lift is provided by the wings. Salt Lake sits at 4300 ft which already decreases air density then factor in a temp of let's say 100* F and the air density would be the equivalent of taking off at an altitude of up to 8,500. Now if there was a crosswind component or tail wind component on the takeoff, there would be a decrease in lift available. All of this information is available to the pilots and rules and regulations prohibit them from taking off with degraded performance. There's nothing to be afraid of. The pilots did the right thing and weren't going to risk their lives intentionally just so the passengers can get home or make connections. Sounds like you were in good hands.

[@RindaJane]

The same thing happened to the plane we were flying back to North Carolina. We were flying home from Vegas with a layover at Dallas. June of 95. We were in a long line waiting to take off. We took off an hour and 15 minutes later. Our captain had come over the intercom saying something about the wind. It makes sense to me now after watching these videos and reading your comment..

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

​@@Chris-de2qhWell, some guys decided everyone needed to go w them when they committed suicide, but that's two, I think, out of all of these.

[@LuciferSatan-xs3cr]

Such a tragedy that so many perished, but a miracle that the precious little 4-year-old girl survived. Sounds like she has grown up now and been able to enjoy her life that was saved.

[@LorBell]

I lived 15 miles north of Metro at that time, and to this day I can still hear the horrible sound of metal scraping cement and then a BOMB explosion. A few seconds later, I looked out the window and saw the thick black smoke mixed with fire. It was a horrific day. Just awful.

[@Christine-b7h]

Same.

[@stephenbrown7545]

You heard the crash from 15 miles away ?

[@dyanshane]

@@stephenbrown7545 I call that one out as well. We were on a flight that day, I lived 6 miles from that airport and my neighbors heard nothing. Metal scraping, sure lady. Right now I live 14 miles away and there is no way I would have heard that plane crash.

[@Navalator]

B.S.

[@tedwalford7615]

That was more than "pilot error." It was pilot gross negligence.

[@dyanshane]

It's called "being human".

[@JamesStreet-tp1vb]

@dyanshane Yeah well, accidentally drift into oncoming traffic and cause a fatality and try that defense.

[@khendralibbey617]

@@dyanshaneno. Pilots are trained for HOURS to remember all of this. Those two idiots killed themselves as well as over 100 other people.

[@dyanshane]

@@JamesStreet-tp1vb I am NOT making excuses for them, we are ALL human, and WE ALL F up bad sometimes, don't we! They paid for that error as well. They are D E A D.

[@dyanshane]

@@khendralibbey617 So no other pilot in history has ever caused a plane to crash! There is tons of them who made terrible errors.

[@LadyHeathersLair]

The most irritating thing that someone can say about a survivor is that “God was on their side”. Think about the reverse of that. He wasn’t on the other people’s side? I dare anyone to say that to the family members of the dead.

[@brigidtheirish]

Yeah. I'm Christian and believe that God does protect people, but there's also chance and personal choice. Unless the laws of physics take a vacation around someone, it's more than a bit insensitive to say something like that. Edit: Another point, the known cases of God saving someone from death were all God saying, essentially, "Nuh-uh. You don't get to clock out until your job's done. Back to work."

[@MukisaSS]

Life happens, simple as that. We are all going to die at some point and God still lives.

[@sherylstory7809]

He has a plan for us all🙏

[@williamparker1085]

there are always a few delusionals and their fantasy worlds

[@bluecollartradesman715]

God Was Never On Your Side - Motörhead

[@peanutgallery4159]

I lived 3 miles from the airport n heard and felt this crash... A buddy of mine was just blocks from the crash n he was shaken when he saw and realized what he was looking at, when we heard that little girl survived, that was something...

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Yeah, because the seat was much bigger than she was. That's why she lived.

[@thebelieversplace]

@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 God has a plan for her.

[@sludge8506]

@@thebelieversplace ​​⁠ Really, champ? He let everyone else die, but saved that little girl? The little girl who survived because her seat, and her mom, protected her?? Tell me more why God protects one person, but not the other 154 people, please.

[@thebelieversplace]

@@sludge8506 I can't, God can. Why don't you ask him. She survived, i am grateful.

[@albtckl]

​@thebelieversplace hate to be the one to break it to you but "god" isn't real 🙄

[@briarpalek9254]

Absolutely no address to the fact that both pilots RUSHED the take-off, when the plane should absolutely have been grounded due stormy weather.

[@Sirianstar10]

Right? So gd concerned about money and on time schedules. Dangerous weather, cancel the flight. Was it worth it??? Terrible mistake.

[@briarpalek9254]

@Sirianstar10 Just imagine being on that flight and not being informed about the seriousness of the weather and not being given a choice to disembark the plane.

[@vickieclark5931]

@@Sirianstar10 Yep that little girl would still have her mom, dad, and brother along with all of those other innocent people on the plane if the pilots would have put safety over the schedule. Money is always the motivating factor on everything. SMH

[@Sirianstar10]

So sad

[@Geenyo2025]

The pilot was not 100 %. Happy , you See from his face. But the airline wants the plane to go. Avoiding delay. Why go when you see troubles

[@Stuart.Branson.]

"the take-off configuration warning could be a nuisance to pilots" - DOH I am impressed that the Investigators heard the discrepancy and lead to the cause. Good work.

[@zyglo9826]

This was not the proudest moment for the pilot profession. Checklists, set procedures, and training are useless if people fail to use them. No amount of training can overcome human negligence.

[@lcfflc3887]

​@fiddlersthree8463perhaps over stress lack of sleep and random interruptions in the cockpit is the main factor, the human factor don't forget about, i don't two people in charge of so many lives on board will just simply ignore part of a checklist on purpose but there's always the exception, getting too comfortable in the cockpit happens specially when flying on your own as single pilot, best thing every pilot can do is to everyonce on while remind themselves it's not a car they are driving, never get too confortable, keep on the alert while flying.

[@DrMatey215]

So great detective and forensic work by crash investigators.

[@thecrunchyferrett6985]

I'm starting to think we need a new agency whose sole job is to review randomly selected cockpit voice recordings for takeoff / landings and look for mistakes. The NTSB is a great agency, but they're reaction based. I think we need something more proactive.

[@ecclestonsangel]

That sounds like an excellent idea. If there is a task force that randomly listens to the CVR and studies the FDR. Maybe that would make certain there is proper CRM and sterile cockpit. Also, if someone is interrupted during reading the checklist, they should start again from the beginning so they don't miss anything. These pilots really should have canceled the flight and rescheduled for the next day. Also, it was a Mad Dog. Some people think they're great, but I think they were a menace, and I'm glad they're gone. McDonnell-Doulas was one of the worst planemakers ever! What's worse is, the bigwigs got jobs with Boeing, and they're destroying that company! ETA; Well, I just finished watching this programme. Now I know of the impracticality of starting over from the beginning of the checklists when interrupted. It was a good thought, though.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

​@@ecclestonsangelWell, they HAD what, 45 minutes to do it!

[@lcfflc3887]

The problem is the pressure airlines put in to pilots to take off no matters what, back in those days it was even worse, today airports get shutdown easily when it needs to without hesitation, pilots are less afraid of getting fired for refusing to take off for whatever reason.

[@TrexelCat]

A simple solution to the checklist problem is to use a laminated card and a dry erase pen/marker. Mark which steps have been done(with a pen/marker that is a drastically different color than the printed text). Once the plane has landed at it's destination, while the pilot is bringing it into the terminal, the other erases the marks from the previous take off. Reuse for next. I understand that now they use the onboard computer to perform the checks. But they did mention redundancy, and having a dry erase checklist card as a backup would be beneficial. Especially for smaller or older planes that can't or don't use a sophisticated computer system. As someone with ADHD, I struggle with memory problems. And interrupting me in the middle of something is the best way to cause me to forget critical steps. On tasks that need to be performed the same way every time I use a dry erase laminated card to mark the steps I've completed, so that if I'm interrupted, I know where I was at. I'll usually back up a step or two to make sure that I really was at that part, and that I wasn't interrupted BEFORE performing the marked step. I also include a "continued on..." step if the number of steps exceeds the space on the card. As a visual reminder that if all the steps are marked on that card, see next card. Keep going until all steps are seen as complete, or I find the card that has incomplete steps.

[@hallietadajewski]

Or maybe a wet marker so it doesn’t wipe away on accident

[@Geronimo2Fly]

This reminds me of the cases where parents leave their children in their cars and the kids die of hyperthermia. One change or interruption in the routine, and your brain thinks that thing you've done hundreds of times before has already been done. It's horrible that the pilots didn't realize that they must have forgotten the checklist when they realized the other checklist item hadn't been done. They were just so focused on the weather and getting out of there that neither one was thinking straight. What a tragedy. I'm so glad the little girl survived.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Wouldn't you get in the habit of ALWAYS checking, tho? Jic?

[@francinecole2350]

My step father was an EMT that was on scene at this wreckage. So tragic.

[@TheSilmarillian]

I hear you.

[@Navalator]

Your step father was tragic? In what way?

[@46fd04]

Pulling Breaker 40 is like people pulling batteries from their smoke alarms, because the sounds are annoying

[@Revkor]

still think its an engineer failure. them using one engine just to taxi should have been thought of

[@kirakaffee9976]

which people absolutely will do if the alarm goes off for no good reason. that's just a badly designed alarm

[@air.abraham]

yall are posting faster then i can watch

[@TaurusMoon-hu3pd]

Not to worry. It's the same few episodes over and over.

[@natehill8069]

@@TaurusMoon-hu3pd Only about 1 in 25 is something new. Usually its a rerun with the cool parts edited out.

[@deputy1968]

Great video and SCARY. When I heard the moderator say these changes are SLOWLY making their way through the new planes...

[@shaofuchang515]

Cecelia Cichan, the four-year-old girl from Tempe, Arizona, who was returning home alongside her mother, Paula, father, Michael, and a six-year-old brother, David, after visiting relatives in Pennsylvania, lost everyone, blunt trauma, felt nothing

[@bobwhite6262]

Sorry

[@pt68picaso]

2 months in the hospital? 36 years ago. You related or know her?

[@stephendacey8761]

I can't blame her for remaining anonymous. If she did go public it would obviously be a media frenzy, and some people would make her into this supernatural being that can save people from cancer, etc.

[@draines9237]

​​@@pt68picaso she did a interview that's on KZbin not too long ago. You will have to look up her name to find it.

[@MrNobody2828]

She will see them in heaven one day when her time comes.

[@jeffreykoran4820]

ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS...MATT MCLOUGHLIN...AND HIS NEW FIANCE WERE BOTH KILLED ON FLIGHT 255...THEY WERE IN DETROIT SO JEANNA COULD MEET MATTS FAMILY BEFORE THEY GOT MARRIED...I DIDN'T KNOW JEANNA....MATTS FIANCE PERSONALLY..MATT WAS VERY GOOD TO ME OVER THE YEARS...HE WAS A GREAT GUY....I REALLY MISS HIM...R.I.P MATT & JEANNA AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON THAT TRAGIC NIGHT...

[@Sirianstar10]

How sad. So sorry for your loss.

[@Random.dorkXD]

@jeffreykoran4820 oh no..I'm so sorry.

[@albtckl]

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT US??? Take off the caps lock, you dolt. Plus your story isn't even true 🙄

[@iandtexarkana4549]

Electronic check-list with audio would be better: the computer would say "flap extended" and the pilot would confirm or deny by using his electronic keyboard.

[@beakt]

16:11 Wow, he's using a computer from the 1980s. Very good work recreation!

[@Kylefassbinderful]

lol i noticed that too. a lot of these production teams just kinda used whatever they had around.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

​@@KylefassbinderfulI get bothered when Forensic Files shows a 74 Honda and then shows the inside of a 90s one later on. Lol. That bugs me.

[@mlester3001]

These mayday vids are my favorite on KZbin.

[@SharonElizabethWhitfield]

Me too.

[@peninah_wakesho]

@@mlester3001 me too

[@Navalator]

Why do we need to know this?

[@deanh7190]

Checklists are important to other forms of travel as well. This tragedy serves as a reminder for many of us who rely on them.

[@bradschwamberger1217]

To think I was driving on 94 that night and had crossed the bridge a few minutes before.

[@albtckl]

Suuuuuure 🙄

[@DanaX09]

There is something called a “desire path” which is the path that people take to traverse a campus regardless of the pathways installed for that purpose. I think you can apply that concept to other things like checklists as well, when dealing with humans. We will always take the path of choice over the designed path if the designated path is harder or less logical. We seek the path of least resistance. So if you have a system that is consistently subverted, it’s not the people who are the problem, it’s a poorly designed system.

[@Dion-rz3fz]

I think you may have thought about this a little too much! Lol. And you lost me on the third turn!

[@thiagopinheiromusic]

I'd say read that checklist and do it as instructed would have worked.

[@liamscott9496]

There's a lesson right here man .... if ya wanna live then NEVER take a red eye or a flight that's been hugely delayed, or simply NEVER EVER fly on a BAD WEATHER DAY !

[@veeherreraJanecka]

Anyone else afraid to fly now after seeing these videos ? These pilots here overlooked important steps. They thought they had done it. Scary ! Those passengers trusted them 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@deezkhajiit184]

Nope, I actually feel safer now. Because every single one of these crashes leads to new technology or new procedures that makes flying even safer than before.

[@NickSilcox3]

I would say yes however, this was back in the 80s, and it seems like the 80s was not a good time to be flying. I feel safer now, enough where I would watch these while waiting for my plane to depart lol

[@Thankingyou1]

Why don't people take the time to do the job right? Why the rush? What a tragic loss of human life. The aircraft was in perfect mechanical shape as well.

[@jonathanparle8429]

It is a well known problem, colloquially called get-there-itis.

[@SirWilly77]

Passed the spot of the crash just last week after getting my rental car. Eerie.

[@biff5856]

Here we go again , black box orange box. There are two one is a CVR cockpit voice recorder. It's on a 20-30 minute loop. The other is The data recorder for the aircrafts sytems. It doesn't record cockpit conversations.

[@akira808state4]

148 of 149 of the passengers were killed, along with the crew. The soul survivor of the crash was 4 year old Cecelia Cichan, from Tempe, Arizona. She sustained 3rd degree burns and fractures to her collarbone, skull, and left leg, and was found several feet from the bodies of her family and she was still belted in her seat which was facing down. The cause of the crash was improper takeoff configuration.

[@beckydemoor1190]

It was very clear skies over the area that night. I remember!!

[@princedarius7224]

We were coming home from church that night in inkster. We lived less than a few miles down the street off middlebelt rd. I remember seeing the smoke not knowing what happened untill the news came on.

[@MrMississippiMan]

Long vid short: Improper take-off configuration due to pilot error, mis-management of aircraft, and confusion

[@joeylamuel5828]

Mass confusion. 😮

[@karenshafer234]

As Columbo would say: "I don`t like to speak ill of the dead"...attitude of the pilots portrayed as impatient and critical...

[@ElizabethMayo-sf4wg]

I love this program . I know pilots are humans and it is heartwarming to see other humans using their skills to unravel what went wrong and then to make the necessary changes so it won't happen again.

[@helookalikaman79]

"Final Destination" is not something you want to say with an airline...

[@meghanmisaliar]

Why not? Planes have final destinations. That's factual. And yes I Know it was a movie. And?

[@ranapratapsingh3416]

This is an awful tragedy which could have been avoided if the pilots were alert.

[@kentgutzmer1977]

Its bad enough when there is mountains beyond the end of the runway, let alone a poorly placed light pole.

[@TheShockwaveDragon]

That is like saying your front door was poorly placed if your morning routine was interrupted by a phone call, and you then mistakenly went outside without any clothes on because of it. The light pole was in a place that no aircraft should have ever been passing through at an altitude low enough to hit it unless things had already gone hopelessly wrong - the NTSB has made specific mention of obstacles such as light fixtures and other impediments they believe did or could reasonably pose an unnecessary and remediable threat in other crash investigations before; the fact that they did not point to the light pole as a contributing factor to the accident clearly suggests this.

[@jackcobb1090]

​@@TheShockwaveDragonWell said 👏

[@Demon-default]

Poor little girl. What a hard thing to go through.

[@lisaanderson7924]

I was a passenger on a small turbo prop (we called them puddle jumpers) during a storm with 60mph winds, flying from Seattle to the small airport in Bellingham. We bucked up & down & from side to side. I didn’t have enough Valium in my system & I was terrified! I was crying & when we landed, people asked who was crying & it was myself & an off duty flight attendant! I’m glad I didn’t hear her & know she worked for an airline or I would have completely lost it!

[@Navalator]

Why do we need to know this?

[@jasonweinberg932]

“If there delayed by weather, they may not make their final destination.” More like, “If they were delayed by weather, it may not have been their final destination.”

[@cariboukeeper2661]

Why on earth to the pilots have control of a circuit breaker that turns off the safety features? Or the transponder? Or the recorders?

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

In case it blows, so you can reset it, just like at home, I'd imagine.

[@deputy3690]

Those pilots really screwed up because they got annoyed with a warning light.

[@donnamauer3215]

I love the videos on this channel but one thing bugs me. Are the investigators working inside a dark underground cave? They always have little reading lights at their desks & can't see anything without a flashlight. 😎

[@MrBsbotto]

😮Oh, the drama!

[@justinschexnayder8485]

They’re working after hours to solve the case

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

It's not to see it, but to REALLY get a good look.

[@rudytagala7076]

A computerized checklist should be a must ... an incomplete one should prevent any plane from taking off.

[@turbofanlover]

I just watched the previous version of this vid yesterday. LOL.

[@Chatta-Ortega]

NBA player Nick Vanos and his fiance died in this accident.

[@sithlordhibiscus9936]

I realize businesses need to make a profit and I realize we all need to save money and get to places on time, but you don’t rush safety measures that could cost you your life. And you lose more money when it happens.

[@Sirianstar10]

Exactly!!!!

[@JamesStreet-tp1vb]

@sithlordhibiscus9936 If the pilots announced that the weather is too bad to take off, I wouldn't care if we had to wait until the next day. You're absolutely right. You don't rush safety.

[@lcfflc3887]

​@@JamesStreet-tp1vbback then it was different environment, unchecked hostility in the cockpit and between the pilots and the airlines, refusing to take off undermining the other pilot and airline too didn't ended up good for you, neither crashing, better without a job and alive to keep flying and tell your story about how you got yell at so many times.

[@Geenyo2025]

It’s always about the delay. To be safer is better. Even passengers can complain about delay. You will never know maybe you are running to a disaster ❤❤

[@maxalberts2003]

That sweet little had a loving mother whose final action was to save her daughter's life. Heart-wrenching

[@albtckl]

How do you know she saved her daughter's life??

[@lisaanderson7924]

My grandfather was a mechanic for Northwest, as was his son, my uncle. This tragic crash happened many years after my grandfather had passed away & my uncle was then working in Washington state. What a tragedy! I had a great uncle who was a pilot with Braniff after flying in WWII. It’s always a gut punch seeing so many people die such a terrifying death.

[@Navalator]

Why do we need to know this?

[@exploreworldbirds]

When are you going to do a show on crash in Evansville, IN, in late 90's? A military plane crashed into hotel, killing a dozen of my friends. It was extreme disaster for the whole city of Evansville, a city of 160,000 people.

[@jimharris4734]

In addition to my comment below... the last minute runway change was yet another pressure point - and therefore distraction - those pilots didn't need!

[@lizhjelmeseth5485]

Checklists, insure items are done correctly.

[@jimknapp8731]

Two common issues in so many crashes are; in a hurry and need to get home.

[@RMInt-qp8mq]

There were hundreds of teddy bears etc sent to the girl who survived, they filled up a storage room. Every child in the hospital for miles around got a teddy bear that week. I remember reading the news story.

[@jonathanparle8429]

That is so sad yet uplifting at the same time.

[@michellevesque2130]

Could there be a way of shutting the engines back to idle if they forget to do the take off configuration properly ? Or maybe now there is ?

[@jimmyday9536]

Mile for mile, air travel is still by far the safest way to travel. It's just that a family killed in a head-on car accident isn't nearly as spectacular as a plane going down.

[@meghanmisaliar]

Lies. Car crashes are often SURVIVABLE.

[@BrainWasherAttendent]

Ok? What was the point of this comment.

[@petehuckleberry5068]

Bullshit

[@bevcamren1316]

​@All_l4umany ships burn trash aboard I was stuck in a cruise ship elevator for half hour not fun. the back of ship caught fire but they got it out pretty fast...can you imagine....

[@G0dspeedwastaken]

People are more likely to die in car accidents, but there is a higher survival rate in car accidents than airplane crashes. VERY rarely do people survive airplane crashes, which is why so much has been done to prevent them. More people will likely die, airlines carry way more people. Hundreds of people can die in an airplane crash and even people on the ground which is a higher number of people than 5-10 in a car. Also nothing is spectacular about a plane going down, it’s tragic and devastating. Car accidents happen everyday, people care more about airplane crashes because most likely many people will die and it’s a rare occurrence these days.

[@quackers584]

5:31 lmfao “C for 3 Center-Right”

[@donnahdunthorn5207]

23 years' worth of material and you do a re-upload.

[@stischer47]

You don't have to watch. Or perhaps start your own channel.

[@donnahdunthorn5207]

@@stischer47 Bless your heart.

[@-danR]

@@stischer47 Nobody has to watch _any_ youTube video. Some videos do need shiIl-defenders though.

[@sijecicbih3927]

So many videos have been re-uploaded. I wait weeks just for it to be a re-upload

[@meghanmisaliar]

​@@donnahdunthorn5207did someone force you to watch?? All of the new episodes are available to buy. Stop being cheap and then complaining about what's FREE!!

[@StevenOBrien]

1:59 Pilot with a cigarette in his hand hanging out of the window 😂

[@Moo2oob]

An open letter to commercial pilots. We, the passengers, will heap praise on you for being safety conscious if you err on the side of caution and wait for severe weather to pass before you feel the need to get us to our destination on time at all costs. So...return to the ramp....take a few deep breaths....and be sure to do your checklists meticulously from start when you are truly ready to go.

[@bauerdraws6163]

I remember this accident. In the eighties it seemed like there was an accident every six months. It became a kind of macabre game with my father, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial pilot, where he would surmise the cause of air disasters. As with all the others, this one he got perfectly correct, cockpit discipline. This accident bothered him the most because he always stressed cockpit discipline, "The only conversations in the cockpit should be flight related." Immensely sad all of them but this one in particular for some reason.

[@monghuni798]

The little girl's name is spelled Cecelia Cichan. Google her name and she's right at the top with photos and crash info. She's now 40 years old...

[@roseschultz5803]

I went searching for this video because my grandfather's brother was in this crash. It's crazy to see what happened in my family that I had not much information on. He was in his 20s. I won't say his name for family sake but it's truely devastating that I never got to meet him. My grandpa was 1 out of 6. I know 3 of his siblings and have met 4 of them, really wish this never happened.

[@PreciousPayne-i5k]

Rest in peace

[@grahamstevenson1740]

Vert much the same happened with a Spanair MD-82 taking off from Barcelona in August 2008. It was suggested that the takeoff configuration warning system was defective in that case. Crew was probably distracted by a technical error that necessitated a return to the stand for repair, causing delay.

[@bbalderston125]

Wow talk about a series of events leading to disaster 🤦🏾‍♂️ RIP ☠️🙏🏾

[@philfrizzell4571]

Why fly in that kind of weather anyway

[@starguy2718]

Stewardess: "I don't mean to cause a panic, but does anybody here know how to fly an airplane?"

[@Emma88rose]

YAY thank you!! a new one too

[@MegaFieldy1]

“Only the damaged flight data recorder can verify this." I verified it when their computer was not in take-off mode.

[@babyboomermemories6150]

I saw that plane crash. I was on I-94. But I swear it wasn't raining at the time. I remember it vividly like yesterday. It wasn't even dark.

[@meghanmisaliar]

A lot of people saw it.

[@meghanmisaliar]

It was raining. It was actually storming.

[@michaelduchene6656]

@babyboomermemories6150 is correct. I was headed to Washington, DC on the flight directly behind 255, waiting to start our takeoff roll. It had been a hot, sunny August 18th. Pre-storm type conditions developed around Metro Airport (the sky actually turned "green"!) and flights were delayed. The skies cleared again and takeoffs and landings resumed. At the time of the actual crash the skies were clear and it was still quite light out, not even dusk yet. We sat at the end of the runaway for over two hours in a sweltering aircraft, not being told a thing, before taxiing back to the terminal.

[@babyboomermemories6150]

@michaelduchene6656 Thank you! I can never forget and I don't understand how so many people remember or claim it was storming or dark. So relieved to have someone else confirm it. Not that it really matters in the bigger scheme of things. So many innocent people died, including a girl I went to school with who was killed on the ground in her car.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

It can rain on one side of the street and sunny on the other, if you've seen that.

[@maxalberts2003]

That airport is notorious for its short runway.

[@Kent-qo6xp]

Triple checks with ways of keeping your place on the list. With back up warning alarms.

[@msdinba]

Why can’t they make the checklists automatic rather than dependent on the crew remembering to do it.

[@crimony3054]

Run the checklist... check.

[@jackiwheeler6963]

I remember the Dallas crash in 1985. We were in the plane behind it!!

[@formercoach1202]

I remember this crash. I was 11 when it happened about an hour from my house.

[@ComicbookGuy70]

My cousin worked the gate. She said there was a basketball player running late but just made the flight. She felt bad that she didn't pull the gate a few minutes sooner.

[@pamsmith1665]

Why?

[@ComicbookGuy70]

@@pamsmith1665 Had she done normal procedure and not waited, the player would have missed the flight therefore still here. Think about it for minute. It's the ones that slip through our fingers we remember most.

[@pamsmith6890]

@@ComicbookGuy70 thank you. i watched the video a few days ago and had forgotten the story