A Fateful Takeoff: The Tragic Saga of Northwest Airlines Flight

On August 16th, 1987, at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Northwest Airlines Flight #255 faced operational hurdles, including weather delays and a last-minute runway change. During takeoff, an unexpected roll occurred, leading to an incident involving a light pole, with significant technical consequences.
Want to see more FULL EPISODES? Check out this playlist: • Full Episodes | Mayday...
Mayday: Air Disaster - From Season 9 Episode 2 "Alarming Silence": August 16th, 1987 - Northwest Airlines Flight #255 is on the tarmac at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The pilots are bound for Phoenix Arizona, but first they have to find their runway.
Controllers have given them a last minute change and the pilots are having a hard time
locating the entrance to their runway. Finally, 1 hour behind schedule, the pilots taxi the DC-
9 into position. The airplane is soon roaring down the runway at 170 miles an hour (270
kilometers and hour).
Welcome to the OFFICIAL Mayday: Air Disaster KZbin Channel.
Mayday: Air Disaster is a dramatic non-fiction series that investigates high-profile air disasters to uncover how and why they happened. Mayday: Air Disaster follows survivors, family members of crash victims and transportation safety investigators as they piece together the evidence of the causes of major accidents. So climb into the cockpit for an experience you won’t soon forget.
Subscribe to the OFFICIAL Mayday: Air Disaster channel here: bit.ly/2PQnaMI
#MaydayAirDisaster #MaydayInvestigation #AirEmergency #MaydayEpisodes #planecrashes #airplanecrashes #aviationaccidents #Fullepisode #airplanedisasterdocumentary #aircrashinvestigation

[@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 ?

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@RTTr-z6f]

@@RobbieStacks90Yup. I knew it was the mom. Her spirit protected Cecilia

[@RTTr-z6f]

wow didn’t know her dad and big brother were in the crash too

[@ibrahimtoom9085]

😂

[@theresewilliamson9057]

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

[@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'.

[@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.

[@gabriel-1957]

You are so right!

[@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.

[@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.

[@RTTr-z6f]

@@verlinden80I am sure she didn’t. It was a huge impact and I think that happened to protect her as well. Plus she was only 4 years old. That’s good that she didn’t remember. It would be traumatizing.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@scottrayhons2537]

A real tear jerker, glad they were saved!

[@jcoppeta9474]

❤

[@lizhjelmeseth5485]

Computer in take off mode.

[@LincolnLoud-ht1vb]

cap

[@beckydemoor1190]

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

[@bradschwamberger1217]

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

[@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.

[@francinecole2350]

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

[@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.

[@fiddlersthree8463]

I've heard it said that checklists and procedures are written in blood because so many of them are put in place after an accident. They shouldn't be ignored.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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?

[@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"

[@DrMatey215]

So great detective and forensic work by crash investigators.

[@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

[@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

[@Chatta-Ortega]

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

[@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.

[@cr-qo3ov]

It's pretty frightening thought to put your life and your family's life and trust to a captain and a co-pilot knowing if they make one mistake it could be the end of everything you love that would truly be overwhelming God bless

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@SirWilly77]

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

[@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!

[@neilsunn]

If in doubt abort takeoff. V....

[@xbjrrtc]

You aren't supposed to abort a takeoff once V1 speed is reached. Once they realized they weren't getting enough lift, they were already off the ground and out of runway.

[@10sherra]

We passed under the viduct 30 min before it happened We were visting from Ky .

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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.

[@MrMississippiMan]

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

[@joeylamuel5828]

Mass confusion. 😮

[@Muttleytech]

A circuit breaker “trips/opens” when an electrical fault occurs. The circuit breaker was intentionally “opened” by the pilots. Huge difference.

[@jcheck6]

Both were ex Republic Airline pilots which merged with NWA in '86.

[@missmee7210]

Why, with today's technology, are black boxes the only way to retrieve such valuable information after a catastrophic plane accident? I don't understand why the info isn't sent directly to a system on the ground or a live feed? If it was, we'd have almost all the answers for unanswered questions to crashes and/or missing planes like MH370. Seems to make much more sense than searching ocean depths or mountain tops we can't get to. It's crazy to me that after all these decades in the sky that we haven't figured out a better way.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Wasn't this the 80s?

[@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

[@ranapratapsingh3416]

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

[@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.

[@scottrayhons2537]

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

[@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.

[@lizhjelmeseth5485]

Checklists, insure items are done correctly.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.”

[@frankvee]

God was on Cecilia’s side, but apparently against everyone else. 🥴🙄 Why are people so silly?

[@philfrizzell4571]

Why fly in that kind of weather anyway

[@jasminemeeeeee]

I will never know how it feels to be a pilot. In this instance, I feel like it was demand on top of demand, on top of demand. Then it was the interruption, the delay, the weather. It just all piled up. Sadly, in this instance, it resulted in a tragic loss of life. I just hope all those impacted have been able to find some sort of peace. To the companies that own these airlines, treat your employees with respect and compassion.

[@msdinba]

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

[@noelliebtsie]

"Maybe god was on her side." Uhhh, so this 'god' (which one?) said to her family 'Sorry, not on your side! Bye!' And what, like she wanted to be the only survivor of her family? How very 'lucky' for her. Ugh.

[@jamessoltis5407]

My thoughts as well.

[@giselestrauch5146]

what a shame with pilot error did them in

[@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.

[@formercoach1202]

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

[@CrazyBear65]

Why do you have to give all the measurements in metric only? Some folks don't speak metric. I don't speak French. Metric is French. At least give them in standard and metric both.

[@bethhentges]

This show was produced with two versions of each episode: one for USA, the other for Canada. Can you guess which version this is?

[@GlowingMpd]

👍

[@thomasabramson100]

@@bethhentges metric maple syrup

[@danicaersland3686]

To be fair, metric is basically the entire world except US and UK.

[@nicholasclarence]

​​@@bethhentgesCanada is too faggy these days

[@charlessaint7926]

We had a micro-burst hit our camp. We were doing a Civil War reenactment and it tore through the center of camp. Ripped stakes out of the ground and pitched everything else not nailed down into the sky. Dresses, muskets, canvas, a straw mattress. The works. They cancelled the event because of it. People lost a lot of stuff. Our public Facebook page was inundated with people listing their missing property, asking for help locating it.

[@evacody1249]

What does that have to do with how this plane crashed?

[@melodyseverything6999]

@@evacody1249 - It helps illustrate how destructive the microburst is from another angle.

[@DaveDepilot-KFRG]

@@melodyseverything6999 What does that have to do with how this plane crashed?

[@DaveDepilot-KFRG]

What does that have to do with how this plane crashed?

[@cremebrulee4759]

​@@DaveDepilot-KFRGnothing. Why do people comment when they haven't watched the video to find out the cause of the crash.

[@EleonoraVelazquez-h2b]

That's it!!!!! After watching this im never flying again..i mean it!!!! 😮😮😮😮

[@PreciousPayne-i5k]

Rest in peace

[@crimony3054]

Run the checklist... check.

[@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!

[@R2Bl3nd]

Having listened to the long 10 minute voice recording of this flight that exists now, you can tell all of the mistakes that were made in the reenactment. Also from ATC recordings, you can tell that the transmission about lifeguard copter 102 uniform mike was from the copter itself.

[@deputy3690]

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

[@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.

[@karenshafer234]

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

[@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 👏

[@justinajimenez6948]

Im afraid to drive in the rain.

[@alpharob6959]

It can be scary look what driving in the rain and almost made it home did to magnum t.a the wrestler he didn't die but never wrestle again

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

I don't like rain in the dark, but I'll take it over snow and ice any day.

[@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.

[@DaveDepilot-KFRG]

get-there-itis at its finest

[@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

[@christophermotyka5384]

I worked about a mile away from the accident scene actually could fee😂the impact and heard it. All of us ran off the dock and seen the fireball. We ran down the street towards the wreakage it was awful. We wanted to help but were held back by police. I lived in Dearborn Heights under the flight path to DTW moved immediately afterwards out of fear.

[@Bluemojieatscookie15]

Why are you laughing about it 😑

[@janetczernecki7779]

Saw not seen. Why are you laughing about it? 😢 It's very sad.

[@WhenImBackInChicago]

Both of you can ascertain, by his passion to assist at the crash site, that @christophermotyka accidentally placed that laughing emoji, within his well-written account of the day/eve.

[@janetczernecki7779]

@@WhenImBackInChicago In retrospect I agree. Thank you for posting your perspective.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

Huh, I'd think since it's so friggin rare to begin with, it's extremely unlikely to ever happen again, much less in the near future.

[@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...

[@Kent-qo6xp]

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

[@LoL2.0LoL]

3:18 that’s how I used to think America looked like (25 years ago I thought that)

[@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.

[@jimknapp8731]

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

[@jerardnorgren3411]

What goes up..... Must come down. Sir IssacNewton.

[@bbalderston125]

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

[@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!

[@momsmushroomsjodyfoster5786]

The southeast corner of Michigan has all the most severe storms and tornadoes. Kind of a bad place for a major airport.

[@dknowles60]

nice lie how young are you

[@turbofanlover]

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

[@Brian-kl1zu]

"A [Fatal] Takeoff"

[@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.

[@deloreshickman4184]

It’s amazing that the check lists were not computerized years ago and some aircraft have yet to install them. How incompetent and derelict is that? Clearly passenger safety, is still not a priority. There should be criminal charges brought against airline companies that allow profit over people lives to avoid installing common sense technology necessary to prevent pilot error and tragic avoidable deaths. Pilots are always going to be interrupted, lose focus, and risk making deadly mistakes. They are human beings. Make it easy on them by eliminating pressure to depart on time, while providing excellence in user friendly, stress free uncomplicated procedures for take off, cruising, landing safely. It’s astonishing that it took the deaths of all these people and more to determine the written check lists were not standardized, often disorganized and difficult to recognize which tasks had been completed, which had not, espescially when interrupted by the control tower assigning a different runway at the last minute and having to do the mathematical calculations for take off or landing on a different shorter runway. And Airplanes should NEVER take off in uncertain weather involving wind shear, strong winds changing direction because they are more concerned about time schedules than the safety of their passengers. I love flying but after watching these investigations, and learning how the airline industry often ignores known problems or only slowly and only partially complies with recommended changes, I’m done flying.

[@giselestrauch5146]

and plane not ready to take off did not do any step of taxi check list

[@sacrilegiousboi978]

6:05 you can already tell what caused the crash

[@wtsnxt-kari509]

An alarm system that goes off when there is nothing wrong is the problem!

[@Kevin-wj4ed]

This is what happens when you don't do your check list!!!!!!!!!

[@LisaGarrison-s4d]

Couldn’t they make the plane out of the same material as the black boxes. Perhaps more may survive

[@DaveDepilot-KFRG]

they would be too heavy to get off the ground

[@Lasvegasnowman1]

​@@DaveDepilot-KFRGYou stole my thought. Lol

[@lethabrooks9112]

Not until Jet Engine Manufacturers can make engines powerful enough to lift a plane made out of the same material as black boxes.

[@Mr_Bones.]

The reason a black box survives *most* crashes is because the rest of the plane acts like a giant crumple zone for it. If you dropped a black box out of the sky on to the ground by itself, it would explode like glass.

[@meghanmisaliar]

Ridiculous comment.

[@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!!

[@violagentsch]

Atlanta Hartsfield is the busiest airport in the USA, followed by Dallas

[@theresewilliamson9057]

It said DTW is ONE of the busiest airports in the nation, not THE busiest.