Northwest Airlines Flight 255

On August 16, 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport at about 20:46 EDT (00:46 UTC August 17). All six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, as well as two people on the ground, were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the accident was the flight crew's failure to set flaps and slats for takeoff. A contributing factor was a lack of power to the aircraft's central aural warning system, which prevented the takeoff warning system from providing an aural alert to the crew of the improper takeoff configuration.

Accident

At approximately 20:32 EDT, Flight 255 departed the gate in Detroit with 149 passengers, including 21 children, and six crew members. At pushback, the total weight of the airliner was 144046 lb, just under the maximum allowable weight of 146058 lb.

At 20:34:50, Flight 255 was cleared to taxi to Runway 3C (center). At 20:35:43, the ground controller instructed the pilots to use taxiway C and switch to frequency 119.45 MHz to communicate with another controller. Dodds acknowledged the instructions to follow the taxiways but did not repeat the new frequency and did not tune the radio to it. The dispatch packet provided by the airline included takeoff performance data based on using Runway 21L or 21R, but the flight was cleared for takeoff on Runway 3C, the shortest available runway. The flight crew reconfigured the on-board computer for takeoff on Runway 3C. Dodds also recalculated the plane's takeoff weight and concluded that it was within allowable limits. In the process of taxiing, Flight 255 missed the required turn, so Dodds contacted the ground controller and received instructions on how to proceed to Runway 3C and to switch to 119.45 MHz. Dodds again acknowledged the instructions and this time acknowledged the new frequency and switched to it. The second ground controller specified the route to Runway 3C. The crew also received a brief weather report.

At 20:42:11, Flight 255 was instructed to position and hold at the start of Runway 3C. The controller advised that a three-minute delay was required to allow for the dissipation of wake turbulence from the previous takeoff. At 20:44:04, Flight 255 was cleared for takeoff and began its takeoff roll at 20:44:21, with Maus at the controls.

The plane lifted off the runway at 170 kn and began to roll from side to side just under 50 ft above the ground. The MD-82's rate of climb was greatly reduced because the flaps were not extended, and at about 2760 ft past the end of Runway 3C, the left wing struck a light pole in a rental-car lot. The impact caused the left wing to ignite and begin disintegrating. The plane rolled 90° to the left, striking the roof of an Avis Car Rental building. The plane crashed inverted onto Middlebelt Road and struck vehicles just north of the intersection with Wick Road, killing two people in a car. It then broke apart, with the fuselage skidding across the road, disintegrating and bursting into flames as it hit a Norfolk Southern railroad overpass and the overpass of eastbound Interstate 94.