Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed on takeoff On 9:01 a.m. on September 25, 1978, a Boeing 727 and Cessna 172 collided over urban San Diego, creating one of. The victims of the crash included NBA player Nick Vanos, seven people from Orange County, California and a four-month old baby from Arizona. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. It was such a traumatic event for the entire community., Suzanne Weaver added: They were enthusiastic and very friendly. In June 2011, she was interviewed for a documentary Sole Survivor about people who are the only survivors of plane crashes, a series scheduled to be released sometime this year. The plane left a half-mile trail of carnage that included bodies, charred wreckage, magazines, and trays of food, all along Middlebelt Road that night. Browse 13,693 plane crash victim stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Are you still hungry? Joanne asked David. Ill see you tomorrow, she told him the night before she was scheduled to fly west to the familys new home in north Tustin. She was booked on a Continental flight from Detroit. And for a self-described sports nut, what better place to be than Southern California. She showed her the sweat shirt she had bought for her new boyfriend--stenciled with his name, Jim, on one side, and the make of his motorcycle, Honda, on the other--back in Santa Ana. They call themselves the "Flight 255 family." Twenty-five times now, they've gathered at a memorial near the crash site off the expressway. Sup met Sullivan playing sand volleyball at Minder Binders near University and McClintock drives in Tempe in the early 1980s. Collect, curate and comment on your files. It was the first time he had seen her since he rescued her on Middlebelt Road. The plane they boarded was a long-bodied MD-80, an updated version of the DC-9. And there was a Laguna Niguel businessman, ending a long weekend of partying with his sister in Detroit, heading back to work. (Photo was handed out when the settlements occurred on June 20, 1984) no attribution on back of print . A devout member of Faith Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach, she believed that whatever happened was out of her hands. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, the cause of the crash was the flight crews failure to use the taxi checklist to ensure the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. They knew little of what had happened beyond what appeared on the Northwest flight announcement screen: Canceled Flight. to set their wing flaps. Oct 24, 2021 at 12:00 am. Most were residents . Karen Pointon, 22, of Romulus said she and her fiance watched the plane crash about 1,500 feet from the yard of her home. Two people on the . Grandma, you act like youll never see me again! Joanne said. Its like an empty hole that cant be filled. Both died on Flight 255 that crashed in Romulus on Aug. 16, 1987. They bought three souviakias, and ate one each. If it wasnt for him hearing that, who knows? Thiede said. The Rev. Sullivan, 27, of Chandler and Sup, now 48, of Mesa, met playing sand volleyball at Minder Binders in Tempe nearly 30 years ago. Use the 'Report' link on A black granite memorial now sits at the top of the hill at Middlebelt Road and I-94. 5 charged after Ulta beauty store robbery, officer-involved shooting in Green Oak Twp. Today she is a happily and recently married 29-year-old. Priest who ministered to families after Michigans 1987 plane crash, dug for survivors in wake of 9/11 remembered for heroic compassion. I took a couple of moments and just stood there, said Barton, 30. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. But that likely wont include Cecelia Crocker, the flights lone survivor when she was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan. or anything. We'd love to hear eyewitness escorted to her apt. He was supposed to play volleyball with us that following Monday, and we wondered why he didnt show up, Sup added. feet from the end and lifted off near the end of the 8500 foot I think about it every day; every time I drive down Middlebelt Road, said Thiede, now a lieutenant in the department. The two went together to have Lisas bridesmaids dress fitted. | Access the best of Getty Images and iStock with our simple subscription plan. They were heading back to Phoenix, Arizona from Michigan after celebrating Paulas birthday at her parents home. their lives when the plane crashed into a bridge on I-94 in Romulus. ROMULUS, Mich. (WJBK) - 31 years ago Thursday, Northwest Flight 255 took off from Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, bound for Phoenix. Crew's failure to use taxi checklist to Outside of Phoenix City Hall, there is a memorial containing the names of those who died on Northwest Flight 255. Her son was on board. and flaps not extended. Registration: N312RC American Airlines Flight 191 crashed after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport on May 25, 1979, killing 273 people. Cecelia Crocker, nee Cichan, was the only survivor of Northwest Flight 255, which crashed after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 16, 1987. On 16 August 1987, shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 stalls and crashes just beyond the runway, killing . Flight 447 also claimed the lives of three Irish doctors, named locally as Eithne Walls, from . When she finished packing, she called home to confirm that her mother would be waiting at John Wayne Airport when Northwest Flight 255 landed at 10:35 p.m. Also boarding the Northwest jet at Detroits Metropolitan Airport was a Laguna Hills couple on the last leg of a two-week trip back to New York. Twenty-nine passengers on board Flight 255 were under the age of 20. She planned to spend a month in Orange County before returning for her freshman year at Michigan State. As rescuers picked through the smoking wreckage of a crashed airliner, the faintest of cries was carried on the night air. Zanger is among about six people organizing Thursdays 25th anniversary memorial in Michigan where more than 200 people are expected to attend. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Their flight took off from Detroit Airports runway 3C at approximately 8.45pm, but just 50 feet above the ground, it started to roll from side to side. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. John Maus, was headed for Phoenix and on to Southern California. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism The film is scheduled to be completed next month, but a release date has not been set, according to its website. The youngest was 4-month-old Katelyn Best, of Mesa, Arizona. Saturday night before the flight home, Lisa, Raphael, Dawn and her finance had a feast, eating dozens of clams and talking about the future--Dawns wedding in October and Raphaels dream of traveling someday to Italy. You could see people jumping out of the windows and on fire and falling back down, said Gordon Atkins, 26, an airport employee who was driving to work when the plane lost power and plummeted after takeoff Sunday night from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Seconds later, it crashed and exploded into a ball of flames. Many Valley residents knew someone or know of someone who knew a person on that flight engineers who worked at General Motors Proving Grounds in Mesa; parishioners of St. Timothys Catholic Community church in Mesa; 18-year-old Benjamin Turner, the son of Pastor Dan Turner of St. Matthews Church in Mesa; and Nick Vanos, second-string center for the Phoenix Suns, to name a few. It is a story of survival that defies belief. They had just bought their first home, a three-bedroom house in a quiet, woodsy El Toro neighborhood. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Her incredible story started on August 16, 1987, when she was returning from a holiday with mum Paula, dad Michael and brother, David, six. Fall practice was to open the day after he returned. No release date has been set yet. The crew, in a hurry that is degrading to another person. It was sick., Atkins said there was little they could do. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. A 4-year-old girl was the only survivor. The sole survivor was found by Romulus firemen still strapped in her seat suffering from severe burns and broken bones. But luck works both ways and last Sunday in Detroit was no different. The teasing brought a smile to her grandmothers face, and they kissed. The Associated Press reports that trees are being overtaken by healthier trees and have been cut out. The Crash | I didnt really hear it at first, Thiede said yesterday, but after 15 or 20 seconds I could hear something, too, and I asked a Wayne County sheriffs deputy for a flashlight. by a fireman for safety, when they opened the door they found two dead bodies still buckled into their seats, apparently from one of the airplanes. On Sunday, Mary Ann Ratliff was busy working in her kitchen when she got a call from Hidi. They made a TV movie about it if I remember right. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. It would take about a year before the National Transportation Safety Board would determine the cause to be pilot error, noting that a taxi checklist was not used to ensure the flaps and slats were extended for takeoff. accounts, the history behind an article. (AP Photo, File) (AP Photo, File), Wedding plans exchanged for funeral plans: Michael Zanger, 23, (left) and his fiancee Hollins Langton, 26, of Phoenix, in their engagement picture. The jetliner was bound for Phoenix, and many of the victims were from the Valley. I started giving him a hard time, you know, like friends do, Daniels said. The aircraft then went into a stall, rotating 40 degrees to its left when it struck a light pole near the end of the runway, severing a portion of its left wing while igniting jet fuel. The Weavers were neighbors and friends of William Bill and Kathryn Kathy Best, who welcomed them to the neighborhood in 1985. Sup said he and his volleyball teammates often think of Mike Sullivan. Rhett Bushong finally had it worked out. movie/ Upon contact, the aircraft broke apart and burst into flame while making contact with the railway viaduct just north, as well as the viaduct carrying I-94 over Middle Belt Road. The sole survivor of the crash who now is 29, has been moving on with her life, shielded from the spotlight while preferring privacy. STAFF FILE PHOTO BY . Boeing 737-800 passenger plane flight PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) crashed near the International Airport of Imam Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, shortly after taking off on January 8, 2020. Cecelias aunt and uncle later raised her in Birmingham, Ala. and shielded her from the spotlight. Cecelia Crocker, nee Cichan, was the only survivor of Northwest Flight 255, which crashed after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Aug. 16, 1987. As Joanne and David began to leave, her grandmother cried. Every time Karl Sup of Mesa is in Detroit for business, he stops by the black granite memorial near Interstate 94 and Middle Belt Road in Romulus, Mich. Hes there to remember a friend whose name is etched alongside with 155 others. Wreckage was strewn a half-mile along a road, under a railroad trestle and two highway overpasses, and police arrested six people allegedly for looting the site. Date:08/16/1987 Location: Romulus, Michigan This section includes I never go a day without thinking about the people on Flight 255, she says. At about 6:53 PM, on Sunday, August 16th, 1987, Flight 255 departed Saginaw and, at 7:42 PM, arrived at its terminal gate at the . They were in Monroe, Michigan, visiting family and friends the weekend of August 16, 1987 and were killed on the crash of Northwest Flight 255 in Romulus, Mich. returning home that evening. Flying never bothered the 45-year-old nurse. It pulled away from the terminal into the muggy Michigan twilight nearly on schedule. She shared her story a year ago with the creators of the documentary Sole Survivor, which found 14 people who were the only ones to live through major air crashes Photo courtesy Sole Survivor Film. He and fellow Firefighter Daniel Kish were close to the wreckage when Kish heard moaning. What are the odds?. Twenty-nine passengers on board Flight 255 were under the age of 20. When this happened, it was unbelievable, Craig Weaver said. According to information extracted from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), engine power began increasing at 2044:21. The bodies of victims of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 arrive at the Torez train station in the back of a truck to be loaded into a refrigerated train car on July 21, 2014 in Torez . 156* Fatal, 2 Serious, 4 Minor. Bill had lost his job earlier in the year with a toy manufacturer. Zangers brother, Tony Zanger of Monroe is among six people helping to organize a memorial ceremony at the crash site in Romulus where a granite memorial is containing the 156 names of the people who died as a result of the crash 154 on the plane and two motorists on the ground. Be Proactive. In its design is a dove with a ribbon in its beak, reading "Their spirit still lives on.". Despite the horrific nature of the crash, somehow Cecelias body was thrown clear of the fuselage. consultant to an aircraft company. Sunday Services. Its hard to go back and work knowing some of what I would have worked for isnt there.. Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas Super MD-80 (MD-82) The On Aug. 15, 1988, Local 4's Mort Crim hosted a special program about the deadly plane crash. On Aug. 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 took off from runway 3C at 8:46 p.m. with 148 passengers and six crew members. Cecelias grandfather identified her by her front chipped tooth and by the purple fingernail polish her grandmother had applied on her for the trip. The DC-10, carrying 13 crew . Its embedded in me.. We saw a big ball of yellow flames roll down the street.. You have permission to edit this article. I still vividly remember her knocking on our door to welcome us to the neighborhood. remembers professor killed in 1987 crash. The names of all those who died are inscribed under a dove which holds a ribbon in its beak, inscribed with the words: Their spirit still lives on.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Want to solve climate change? News-Herald file photo by Larry Caruso. They were a remarkable family. Donald St. Germain, San Diego George Saunders, Rancho Palos Verdes Marla Scavia, La Mesa Dave Schmidt, Sacramento Ralph Schueler, Sacramento takeoff from runway 3C at Detroit Metro Airport.. Cecelia has kept in touch with the families of those who died in the 1987 crash including her rescuer Lt Thiede. Among the 150 passengers and crew on board the crashed Germanwings flight were babies, exchange students, two . Be Truthful. After kissing their two children goodby at her mothers home in Hillman, Mich., Bill Robinson drove his wife, Virginia, to the Detroit airport and watched her board Continental Flight 657 bound for Orange County. In Toledo, Ohio, a week ago today, Hidi Ratliff was eager to get home to Santa Ana and begin cheerleading practice. Tulare sheriff said a drug cartel, then backtracks. She had wanted to drive to Michigan this summer in the couples new Chevy Blazer. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. When it comes to thinking about their lost loved ones or plane crash every day, Tony Zanger of Monroe, Mich., is among many. He was traveling a lot and doing well. Images of Flight 255 still haunt Michigan She says the tattoo helps to remind her of her lucky escape and the thanks she owes to those who saved her. of August 16, 1987. "We go every year," says Friedman. Atkins companion, Carlos Valasquez, 19, said he tried to help a crash victim whose clothes were on fire. In memory of the victims of the flight PS752 on the first anniversary of the plane crash. Just after takeoff at 8:46 p.m. Aug. 16, the plane began rocking and took a 40-degree roll to the left that allowed the left wing to clip a light pole. A Comair flight crashed 18 miles short of the airport on Jan. 9. Bound for Phoenix and continuing on to Orange County, the DC-9 was carrying 148* passengers and six crew members. 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