ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE DC NINE RAN INTO ENGINE TROUBLE AS SOON AS IT LIFTED FROM THE
RUNWAY WHEN IT WAS ONLY A FEW
100 FT. FROM THE GROUND. THE
AIRCRAFT JUST LOST ALTITUDE AND
CAREENED ON THE MIDDLE BELT
ROAD. WITNESSES ARE GIVING
ACCOUNTS OF EXPLOSIONS. FLAMES
PROTRUDING FROM THE WINGS, THE
PLANE ROCKING FROM SIDE TO SIDE
AS IT FELL TO THE GROUND LODGE.
WE’RE GROWING AND THERE WAS A
BANG. IT JUST CAME DOWN AND
THERE’S THIS BIG WALL OF FIRE.
MANY WERE VISIBLY SHAKEN BY THE
HORRIBLE SIGHT AS THEY TOLD AND
RETOLD WHAT THEY SAW HEARD A
REAL LIFE. NEXT THING I KNOW,
BLACK SMOKER. OH MY GOSH PLANTED
EXPLODED. WELL IT’S A NIGHT IN
AN UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY NEVER TO
BE FORGOTTEN. NORTHWEST FLIGHT 2
55 CRASHING MOMENTS AFTER
TAKEOFF FROM DETROIT METRO BOUND
FOR PHOENIX 156 PEOPLE WERE
KILLED. ONE CHILD SURVIVED
TONIGHT. WE REMEMBER THAT
TRAGEDY 35 YEARS LATER, LOCAL
FORCE HANK WINCHESTER TALKS WITH
THE FIREFIGHTER WHO IS ONE OF
THE FIRST RESPONDERS. THE MAN
WHO PULLED THAT CHILD FROM THE
PLANE AND ULTIMATELY TO SAFETY.
THIS IS THE MEMORIAL DISCREETLY
PLACED DRESSED OFF AIRPORT
PROPERTY HONORING THE LIVES LOST
WHEN NORTHWEST FLIGHT 2 55
CRASHED JUST AFTER TAKEOFF
ALMOST 35 YEARS AGO. SO MANY
LIVES LOST THAT NIGHT. BUT
INCREDIBLY ONE LONE SURVIVOR, A
LITTLE GIRL, AND TONIGHT, THE
MAN WHO PULLED HER FROM THE
WRECKAGE, SHARING HIS INCREDIBLE
STORY. A LOT OF FIRE PROBABLY
WILL SEE THE JET FUEL A LOT OF
DEBRIS. JOHN FEED WAS NEW ON THE
JOB. YOUNG ROMULUS FIREFIGHTER
WHEN THE CALL CAME IN JUST
BEFORE NINE P.M. AUGUST, 16TH
1987. WE WERE DISPATCHED FOR AN
EXPLOSION AT WEAKENED MIDDLE
BELT, AND AS YOU KNOW, IT
WEAKENED MIDDLE BELT. THEY HAVE
A BUNCH OF FUEL TANKS. AND SO
YOU KNOW, A BUNCH OF YOUNG
FIREMAN BACK THEN WE THOUGHT
MAYBE ONE OF THE FUEL TANKS
EXPLODED. BUT WHEN JOHN AND HIS
CREW ROLLED UP TO THE SCENE, IT
WAS CLEAR WHAT HAPPENED AS WE
HEADED SOUTHBOUND MIDDLE BELT.
THE FIRST THING WE SAW WAS PART
OF THE CARPET THAT SAID WEST,
AND THAT’S A BIG ONE. THE CLOCK
WAS TICKING. THERE WAS A SENSE
OF URGENCY EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE
SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS. GIVEN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES, IT APPEARED BLEAK
. FIRST PIECE OF RECORDS WE SAW
WAS A PERSON STILL IN THEIR
AIRLINE SEAT, SO WE STARTED TO
PROCEED TO THE COCKPIT AREA. A
COLLEAGUE OF JOHN’S HEARD WHAT
HE THOUGHT WAS A FAINT CRY JOHN
RACE THROUGH THE WRECKAGE,
FLASHLIGHT IN HAND. AND FOUND
SICILIA WENT IN AND STARTED
CHECKING. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE
AND I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT. I SEEN
THE ARM COMING OUT OF THE SEAT.
FOUR YEAR OLD CECILIA. SHE HAD
THE LONE SURVIVOR OF THE CRASH
THAT KILLED 156 PEOPLE PULLED
FROM THE WRECKAGE BY JOHN STILL
STRAPPED IN HER SMALL BOOSTER
SEAT. WHAT DO YOU AUTOMATICALLY
THINK? PAY IT LIKE ELATION. I
JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT WE
FOUND SOMEBODY LEFT THE SCENE
THAT NIGHT, HAUNTED BY WHAT HE
SAW, BUT HOPEFUL THE YOUNG GIRL
HE PULLED FROM THE PLANE WOULD
BE OKAY SADNESS OF NOT KNOWING
WHO SHE WAS FOR 34 DAYS, AND
THEN THEY IDENTIFIED HER BECAUSE
OF HER NAIL POLISH. CECILIA WAS
RUSHED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN HOSPITAL. SHE SPENT
WEEKS THEY’RE RECOVERING HER
FAMILY MEMBERS FROM OUT OF STATE
NOW BY HER SIDE, NURSING HER
BACK TO HEALTH, SHIELDING HER
FROM THE GLARE OF THE MEDIA. BUT
JOHN WAS QUICK TO ESTABLISH A
SPECIAL CONNECTION AROUND 4 2005
. SHE REACHED OUT TO ME, AND SO
FROM THAT WE REACHED OUT I WENT
TO A WEDDING IN 2006, BUT THE
FIRST TIME SINCE THE NIGHT OF
THE CRASH THAT JOHN’S HAS
CECILIA IN PERSON. WAS ON HER
WEDDING DAY. I REALLY DIDN’T GET
TO SEE HER UNTIL SHE WALKED DOWN
THE AISLE AND I STARTED CRYING.
THAT HAD TO BE. I MEAN, JUST YOU
SAYING THAT JUST GIVES ME CHILLS
? YEAH CELIA HAS SINCE GRADUATED
FROM COLLEGE. SHE’S MARRIED AND
HAS A BABY BOY. SHE NOW LIVES
NEAR FAMILY MEMBERS IN
PENNSYLVANIA. SHE’S CHOSEN TO
LIVE PRIVATELY BUT SHARED A
GLIMPSE INTO HER LIFE A FEW
YEARS AGO. I THINK ABOUT THE
ACCIDENT EVERY DAY. UM, IT’S
KIND OF HARD. NOT TO THINK ABOUT
IT WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR I
HAVE VISUAL SCARS. SHE HAS A
TATTOO OF A PLANE ON HER WRIST,
A REMINDER OF WHAT HAPPENED THAT
NIGHT. SHE LOVES TO TRAVEL ISN’T
SCARED TO FLY AND REMAINS
CONNECTED TO THE CRASH THAT TOOK
THE LIVES OF HER MOTHER, FATHER
AND BROTHER BY STAYING IN TOUCH
WITH THE ONE MAN WHO HELPED SAVE
HER LIFE THAT AUGUST NIGHT DOING
GOOD. YOU KNOW, SHE HAS A SON
MARRIED, THEY TRAVEL A LOT. AND
ON TUESDAY EVENING, 35 YEARS
AFTER THAT HORRIFIC CRASH,
FAMILY MEMBERS WILL ONCE AGAIN
COME HERE TO THIS SITE. TO
REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED AND THE