Overview

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was a scheduled passenger flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on the evening of August 16, 1987. The airplane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, failed to achieve sufficient lift and struck an elevated roadway and a nearby car lot near the airport. Of the 155 people aboard, 154 were killed; there was one survivor, a four-year-old passenger who sustained serious injuries. The accident became one of the deadliest aviation disasters in U.S. history and led to broad attention to cockpit procedures and aircraft warning systems.

Aircraft, route and flight sequence

The flight had originated at Minneapolis–Saint Paul and was continuing on a multi-leg journey with intermediate stops planned at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) before terminating in Southern California at John Wayne Airport (SNA). The accident occurred seconds after the MD-82 rotated for takeoff from Detroit. Witnesses reported the aircraft lifted briefly, then descended and crashed near the airport perimeter.

Investigation and probable causes

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident. The board concluded that the flight departed with the flaps and slats in the retracted position, a configuration that left the airplane with insufficient lift for a safe takeoff. The immediate cause included the flight crew's failure to properly configure the airplane for takeoff and to use the taxi and takeoff checklists that would have revealed the improper setting. The investigation also noted that the takeoff configuration warning — an aural alert designed to warn the crew of an unsafe takeoff setting — did not provide the expected warning on this occasion, removing an additional layer of protection.

Casualties and the lone survivor

All six crewmembers and 148 passengers were killed in the impact and ensuing fire. One passenger, a four-year-old girl, survived with serious injuries and was treated at local hospitals. Her survival, amid nearly complete loss of life on board, made the incident notable as a rare sole-survivor event in large-plane crashes.

Aftermath, safety responses and legacy

The crash prompted changes in airline procedures, checklist discipline, crew training and maintenance oversight of warning systems. Airlines and regulators emphasized stricter adherence to preflight checklists and clearer cockpit responsibilities during taxi and takeoff. The event also increased scrutiny of takeoff configuration warning system reliability and maintenance practices. Memorials to the victims were established near the crash site and in communities affected by the losses.

Notable facts and context

  • The accident highlighted how a combination of human error and a failed safety-alerting system can remove multiple layers of defense at once.
  • It remains a frequently cited case in discussions of checklist culture, crew resource management, and system redundancy.
  • Flight 255’s scheduled stops and airports are often referenced in retrospective accounts: Detroit Metropolitan (DTW), MBS International in Saginaw (MBS), Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana (SNA).