NW Crash In The 80s

7e72004 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 12:43 am

I think it was in 1987 when a NW DC-9 crashed in Detroit and only the little girl survived...does anyone know what happened to the girl..she has to be at least 21 or so? I was just wondering.

spacecadet · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:00 am

She has done everything she can to maintain her privacy, apparently. Like you, I was curious to hear her story as well and Googled her name a while back; the only results I found were a couple news articles from that time and at least one mention that she does not want to talk about the crash at all.

Can't remember her name now, but if you just search around the net for the crash you'll find it. I think we should respect her wishes and let her be, though... I'm sure it must have been a tough time for her (and for years afterwards).

7e72004 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:01 am

I know what you mean...i don't want to invade her privacy either..i was just wondering and hoping that she is doing well...i could see why she would not want to talk about it...

ord · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:07 am

I believe that was the crash in August 1987. That was the flight from Detroit to Orange County with a stop in Phoenix. If I remember correctly the flight crew was in such a rush to take off and get to Orange County before the evening curfew that they forget to set the flaps, causing the crash. Several prominent GM engineers were onboard and died, and I heard that after the crash GM did not allow top execs to travel together anymore.

na · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:13 am

The aircraft in question was MD-81 inherited from Republic Airlines the year before. If memory serves me right it was still operating in their blue/turqoise colours with NW titles.

wingnutmn · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:15 am

I think that the girl now sits on the board of directors for NW and is largest share holder. She probably has voting power on every NW decision.......

But realisticly, I don't have a clue!

WingnutMN

NWADC9 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:16 am

"I think it was in 1987 when a NW DC-9 crashed in Detroit and only the little girl survived...does anyone know what happened to the girl..she has to be at least 21 or so? I was just wondering."

DC-9!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? It was an MD-80 with a cockpit containing 2 Republic pilots from the merger last October 1. So the corrected version is:

"I think it was in 1987 when a NW MD-80 crashed in Detroit and only the little girl survived...does anyone know what happened to the girl..she has to be at least 21 or so? I was just wondering."

That is all.

7e72004 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:17 am

Dude...chill out...take a pill or something...take a ride on a DC-9...just chill man

smcmac32msn · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:29 am

NWADC9 - DUDE, SETTLE DOWN!!! MD80, DC9, whats the difference? And anyways, people do make mistakes, ya don't have to jump on them like that.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © John E. Jauchler
DC9

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Mogens Juhl
MD80

na · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:33 am

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © AirNikon

The crashed airplane.

MD-82, or DC-9-82, both designations are correct.

isitsafenow · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:36 am

A Detroit radio station did a follow up on the girl last August. She is living in the south, or was last summer. She has no memory of what happened August 16, 1987. She was two years old at the time and after the incident, was raised by relatives.
safe

as739x · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:40 am

I actually saw the planes mins. before it crashed. My flight ( a United 727) to Clevelnad was the plane that took off right before it. I remember like it was yesterday, arriving in Cleveland and every person waiting for arriving passengers were white as ghost. They all knew a plane had crashed on takeoff from Detroit, but no UA people were there to assure them it was not the United flight.

On a side note: When I moved to California in high school, there was a little memorial at the school for a passenger. One of the people that lost there life was an ex-basketball player from Hillsdale High School, San Mateo, CA. He played for the Phoenix Suns at the time of the crash. There is a memorial for him on the wall, in the gym, at the school.

ASSFO

na · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:03 am

As739x,

was the aircraft still in the hybrid livery as in the picture I linked, or did it carry a red tail?

757225 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:26 am

The aircraft was a DC9-51 not an MD82 or DC9-82 with no red tail

Tango-Bravo · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:31 am

When the crash of NW MD-80 N312RC occurred, the aircraft was in a later hybrid livery than the one pictured in Reply 9 posted by Na. The only fuselage stripe remaining was the dark blue stripe at cabin floor level. Titles were the same as pictured and, yes, the tail had been painted red. My info is based on a slide (sold to the now defunct ATP/Airliners America) of the subject aircraft taken at MSP something like 16 days before the crash occurred.

Spacepope · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:36 am

I was living in Detroit at the time, and it was big news. I still remember "Flight 255". I still remember the little girls name, however I haven't seen it mentioned here, and I won't repeat it anyway for the sake of her privacy.

757225 you are flat out wrong. It was a MD-82, N312RC.

isitsafenow · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:38 am

Tango-Bravo has it right..I flew N312RC DTW-CLE when it was Republic in October of 1985.
On Aug 16 of 1987, the plane was in Republic colors with a Northwest banner on the fuselage.
When the plane was built it, was labeled an DC-9 Super 80 by the manufacturer...later to be called MD-80.
safe

jsnww81 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:40 am

The little girl's name was Cecilia Cichan (pronounced "shee-un"). Last I heard, she was living in the south with members of her extended family, who adopted her after she recovered from the crash.

I doubt she has any memory of the crash at all. How much do we remember from when we were two years old?

I was only seven years old when the accident happened, but I remember hearing about it on the radio in our car. My dad explained that one "lucky girl" had lived because her mother protected her in the crash. I'm not sure how much water that story carries, although it's theorized she did survive because her mother's body prevented her from inhaling flames from the flash fire that filled the cabin on impact.

BUFjets · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:42 am

757225- I was a MD-82 with registration N312RC as previously noted by Na. I verified this at airdisaster.com

7e72004 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:43 am

i think i had my question answered..let's leave it alone..seems to be a touchy subject which is understandable...i hope that she is doing well..that is all i will say.

nwa man · Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:33 am

http://www.flight255memorial.com for more details...

Regards,

N-Dub

EMBQA · Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:00 am

DC-9!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? It was an MD-80 ..

The actual model is the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-80. So he is correct.

flyabr · Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:26 pm

if anyone wants to read about accident report go here:

http://www2.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X31759&key=1

btw, it was a dc-9-82...

N766UA · Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:11 pm

Yeah I was just gunna say he's right by saying DC-9. Douglas DC-9-82 is the proper name, we just all call it the MD-82.

carledwards · Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:07 pm

Hey I think this topic has got a little out of control and people have forgotten the real fact of the matter here that we are discussing an air disaster involving a plane full of over 150 people who were killed, and the little girl who survived must still to this day carry that bad memory and trauma with her. I dont think this is the correct place to be arguing about whether it was it should be classified as a DC-9 or MD-80, especially as they are both virtually the same thing anyway!

Carl

7e72004 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:55 pm

Exactly...the point of my post was that i was wondering how the only survivor was doing...not whether it was a DC-9 or an MD-82 or whatever.

NWADC9 · Thu Jul 22, 2004 10:07 pm

Oh, and one more thing, the girl was 4-years-old, not 2.

Source:
"A 4-year-old girl was the only survivor."
See http://www.flight255memorial.com if you don't believe me.

P.S. To the NWA FA's that are members of PFAA, there's an article on the crash near the middle/end of this month's newsletter.

Jj · Thu Jul 22, 2004 11:53 pm

As739x

You mention that a Suns player died in the accident. was the layer, by any chance, named Nick Vanos?

I was recently reviewing NBA rosters and i couldn't find an explanatio for his "dissapearance" from one year to another, and if I recall correctly he did play in the 86/87 season.

thanks

POSITIVE RATE · Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:14 am

Well if she was 4 at the time maybe she does have some memories of that day. Imagine how she feels though to be the only survivor out of 150 or so people. Anyone know what part of the plane she was seated-front/middle/rear?

isitsafenow · Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:25 am

Positive Rate....Please read my post above about ....Detroit radio station, under NA's Republic MD 80 photo.
She was 2 years old or just under, and in-arms over the wing (right)at time of incident. The plane cartwheeled up Middlebelt road on the airports east boundary and girl was thrown.
There were two fatalities on the ground

source...... Detroit newspapers day and days after accident.
safe

LEARJET23 · Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:07 am

That family lived near me at the Lakes in Tempe. She went to be with family in Alabama after rehab. My kids wanted to be on that flight, They wanted to extend the trip to Toronto by a week, and the route was Detroit-phoenix on nwa. If I had said yes it would have been tragic. I remember being at the gate with balloons in phoenix to meet them. After the crash (improper flap settings) I often thought about my friend who lost her son on that flight, he had been in Detroit to see his dad. She buried him with a box of mac and cheese, his favorite food, in the casket. She was and is still a walking baskit case.... Pilots,for Gods sake please consider your trust! v

nwa man · Fri Jul 23, 2004 5:30 am

Jj - Vanos was the Sun that passed in the crash.

Rest in peace to him and all of those who perished on NW255.

Regards,

N-Dub

neilalp · Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:00 am

On a side note, it is amazing how different the freeway looked back then...in some of the pictures. Also where does that memorial stand now, I've never seen it as I drive around the airport.

jetpixx · Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:10 am

NWADC9 are the reason that I am quickly losing my enthusiasm for A.net. People who jump all over others for making a simple error are very irritating to me. If someone makes an error, have some tact and simply point out the correct information and don't be an asshole. Not everyone might have the same knowledge as you and in the end, they will appreciate the correct information when given. This type of response will only drive people away. What makes A.net great is the fact amateurs can learn from knowledgable people in the business - but when know-it-alls attack those wanting to learn, it makes less fun for everyone.

PSU.DTW.SCE · Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:32 am

I remember the night of that crash too even though I also was only 7. It was a hot summer night and I remember them breaking in on the TV news about the crash. Even then I was fasinated with planes. The aircraft took limped off the end of 3C (now 3L) clipped light poles in the rental car parkings lots, tore a hole in the roof of the Avis rent-a-car building then crashed onto Middlebelt Road with the hull breaking up and coming to rest between Goodard Road, under the railroad bridge and up to I-94. I remember going out there a week or so after that and they had I-94 lined with tall snowfence so you couldn't see the crash site. I'm surprised that old railroad bridge still survived the impact. They rebuilt I-94 and the Middlebelt interchange (and Meriman too) in the mid-90's when they added thru and local lanes to I-94, adding more bridges.

Av8trxx · Fri Jul 23, 2004 8:37 am

I remember hearing on the news that the aunt (?) that was going to take her in BHM was talking of adopting her and changing her name. Wonder if she ever did. Distinctly I recall that the aunts surname was awful- the kind that is ripe for being made fun of in school. Not only that, but her name was the only thing she had left after losing her family and they wanted to strip her of it. The parents obviously gave some thought to the illiteration of her first & last names together. Hopefully they left it alone....

"They found her strapped in her seat, moaning. Rescuers who plucked her from the gnarled debris first assumed that Cecilia Cichan, 4, of Tempe, Ariz., had been a passenger in a car hit by the falling plane. Said Sergeant Bruce Schneider of the Wayne County sheriff's department: " It's beyond comprehension how someone could survive something like this. It's a miracle. She had to be in the perfect spot." Rescuers believe that Cecilia's mother Paula, 33, a registered nurse, may have saved her daughter's life by wrapping herself around the seat to protect her child from the flames."
http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/from_search/0,10987,1101870831-147480,00.html

POSITIVE RATE · Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:49 am

On a side note does anyone think the outcome of this would have been different had it occured at daytime instead of 8:30 at night? Maybe in the day someone would have noticed no flaps set(tower,pax,crew member etc). and thus could have advised the pilots. On the pax list there was an off duty pilot on board so surely if he was seated near the wing he might have spotted this fatal mistake. Who knows.

luv2fly · Fri Jul 23, 2004 10:53 am

Positive rate

It was still light out when this happened, not totally dark. I myself think not, also it could have been worse for those on the ground as it would have had more traffic.

HlywdCatft · Fri Jul 23, 2004 1:27 pm

From what I recall, there were thunderstorms nearby that night. I was living in Livonia at the time and I remember storms. The paper published the cockpit transcript leading up to the crash and I recall the pilots talking about the clouds being black as hell and also them talking about Pan Am 747s.

The crash site memorial is on a hill, on the east side of Middle Belt Road and between the east bound lanes of I-94 and the on ramp for I-94. You will see it if you drive by the site around August 17 because the hill will be covered with flowers and wreaths etc.

I remember the aircraft taking down the traffic lights at the exit for Middle Belt and I-94 as well as Middle Belt and Wick Road. They were replaced soon after as they were still cleaning the site.

I believe I-94 was two lanes in both directions before the crash. They rebuilt the I-94 bridges soon after and then widened I-94 too. I am surprised too that the Norfolk and Western Railroad bridge didnt get damaged or need to be replaced out of fear that it was weakened.

I had a relative that was driving west on I-94 when the plane crashed. He saw the explosion in his rear view mirror.

Another guy I used to know worked at the weather bureau at DTW (located at the Signature Flight Support building) He was coming in for his shift at work tonight and had just passed Wick Road when he witnessed the crash. Had he still been stopped at the light, he could have been another fatality.

neilalp · Fri Jul 23, 2004 2:01 pm

It is amazing when it come to so many things on who knows who. What is that the rule of 5? And it is so scary how 1 extra minute can change your life.

EMBQA · Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:37 am

DC-9!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? It was an MD-80........ Oh, and one more thing....

I reality there is only one true MD-80 series aircraft... The MD-88. All the others are TCDS as: DC-9-81, DC-9-82, DC-9-83, DC-9-87..etc.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 is TCDS as an MD-88. It also looks like a few of the early MD-95 aircraft still hold the MD-95 TCDS. Around s/n 15 or so is when Boeing bought McD and reissued the TCDS as the Boeing 717.

isitsafenow · Sun Jul 25, 2004 6:52 am

The McDonnell Douglas production book shows airframe #48090 as a DC 9-82.
Thanks EMBQA..thats should set it straight...
press on, ya'all

safe

spacecadet · Sun Jul 25, 2004 8:16 am

http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR88-05.pdf

DC-9-82 there as well. I call case closed on this one.

I remember back when this type first flew and they were called "DC-9 Super 80".

Anyway, hopefully this thread will calm down a bit now. Horrible crash, in any case, especially because it was so preventable.

Who is online

Popular Searches On Airliners.net