On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed just moments after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 154 people and leaving only one survivor—a four-year-old girl who became known as the "miracle child." Discover how an experienced crew's missed checklist, combined with schedule pressure and a disabled warning system, led to one of America's deadliest aviation disasters. Learn about the fundamental safety changes that emerged from this tragedy and why Flight 255 became a watershed moment for aviation checklist procedures worldwide.

SOURCES:

• NTSB Accident Report AAR-88/05: "Aircraft Accident Report - Northwest Airlines, Inc., McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, N312RC, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Romulus, Michigan, August 16, 1987"
• Mayday: Air Disaster - Season 9, Episode 4, titled "Alarming Silence"
• NTSB Investigation Database Case DCA87MA046
• Aviation Safety Network Database Entry for Northwest Airlines Flight 255
• "The Sole Survivor: Cecelia Cichan's Story" - Various news interviews and documentaries
• NASA Ames Research Center Checklist Design Studies
• FAA Advisory Circulars on Takeoff Warning Systems

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CREDITS:

Final Boarding Call is hosted by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas, researched and written by Alice Stern, produced and edited by Alice Stern and Zach Stemas.