Northwest Airlines Flight 255

Historical eventAugust 161987

Northwest Airlines Flight 255

Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground.

Everything on August 16Original source

In context

When
Sunday, August 16 198739 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1987-08-16.

Deaths reported: 156.

What came before

Background Aircraft The aircraft involved was a twin-engine McDonnell Douglas MD-82 ( registration number N312RC), a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and part of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series of aircraft. [ 1 ] : 1  The jet was manufactured in 1981, entered service with Republic Airlines , and was acquired by Northwest Airlines in its merger with Republic in 1986. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217 turbofan engines. [ 1 ] : 6 

What happened

Casualties All six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers were killed in the accident. [ 1 ] : 25–26  Of the passengers who died, 21 were children, the youngest of whom was six months old. [ citation needed ] Many of the passengers were from the Phoenix metropolitan area , including Nick Vanos , a center for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA . [ 2 ] Five foreigners were killed: three Britons, one Bahamian and one Guyanese. [ citation needed ]

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. 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.

August 16 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1987Northwest Airlines Flight 255
  2. 2005West Caribbean Airways Flight 708
  3. 2008Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)
  4. 20092009 World Championships in Athletics
  5. 2010AIRES Flight 8250
  6. 2012South African Police Service
  7. 2013MV St. Thomas Aquinas
  8. 2015Trigana Air Flight 267
  9. 2015Douma massacre (2015)
  10. 2015Assassination of Shuja Khanzada
  11. 2020August Complex fire

Also in 1987

  • May 11Klaus BarbieKlaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
  • September 13Goiânia accidentGoiânia accident: A radioactive object is stolen from an abandoned hospital in Goiânia, Brazil, contaminating many people in the followin…
  • September 16Montreal ProtocolThe Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion.
  • October 22John Adams (composer)John Adams' (pictured) opera Nixon in China premiered.
  • January 3Varig Flight 797Varig Flight 797 crashes near Akouré in the Ivory Coast, resulting in 50 deaths.
  • September 3Jean-Baptiste BagazaWhile he was abroad, Burundian president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza was deposed in a military coup d'état by Pierre Buyoya.
  • September 31987 Burundian coup d'étatIn a coup d'état in Burundi, President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza is deposed by Major Pierre Buyoya.
  • July 5Sri Lankan civil warSri Lankan Civil War: The LTTE uses suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan Army for the first time. The Black Tigers are born and, in the foll…

Everything we record for 1987 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Northwest Airlines Flight 255”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/northwest-airlines-flight-255-1987-august-16, accessed October 28, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Northwest Airlines Flight 255 happen?

August 16 1987 — 39 years ago, on a Sunday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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