LIE FROM DOWNTOWN DETROIT. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. FLIGHT 2 55 35 YEARS LATER
EMBEDDED IN THE MIND. IT’LL
NEVER LEAVE 156 PEOPLE KILLED
AND ONE LONE SURVIVOR. I THINK
ABOUT THE ACCIDENT EVERYDAY.
TONIGHT THE FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND
. REMEMBER DETROIT’S DEADLIEST
AIR DISASTER AND REVEAL HOW
TOGETHER THEY WORK TO MAKE
FLYING SAFER FOR ALL OF US. IT
WAS AUGUST 16TH 1987 WHEN
NORTHWEST FLIGHT 2 55 CRASHED
JUST MOMENTS AFTER TAKEOFF RIGHT
ON THE MIDDLE BELT ROAD, AND
EVERY YEAR ON THIS STATE FAMILY
MEMBERS GATHER IN ROMULUS TO
REMEMBER THE LIVES LOST IN AN
INSTANT. WINCHESTER IS LIVE
TONIGHT. OBVIOUSLY A VERY TOUGH
DAY FOR SO MANY. KAREN JASON,
YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE, RIGHT? I
MEAN, WE’RE HERE JUST OFF OF
AIRPORT PROPERTY. METRO IS HERE
BEHIND ME. THIS IS THE MIDDLE
BELT EXIT. THIS IS WHERE THAT
PLANE CAME DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK.
THIS IS THE MEMORIAL SITE FAMILY
MEMBERS AND CLEARED THIS AREA
THROUGHOUT THE DAY WILL BE
GATHERING HERE IN ABOUT 30
MINUTES TO REMEMBER WHAT
HAPPENED 35 YEARS AGO TONIGHT.
UNFORTUNATELY THAT’S JUST THAT’S
LIFE. THAT’S PART OF OUR LIFE.
BANGOR IT SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY,
BUT IT’S BEEN 35 LONG YEARS. DO
YOU STILL HAVE VIVID MEMORIES OF
WHERE YOU WERE? HOW YOU HEARD
IT’S EMBEDDED IN THE MIND? IT’LL
NEVER LEAVE. UNFORTUNATELY
THAT’S JUST THAT’S LIFE. THAT’S
PART OF OUR LIFE. BROTHER AND
HIS FIANCEE WERE ON BOARD FLIGHT
2 55 BEFORE HE KNEW ABOUT THE
CRASH, HE SAYS HE JUST KNEW
INSTINCTIVELY SOMETHING WAS
WRONG. ACTUALLY WORKING A LITTLE
SNACK BAR. WHERE I WORKED. AND I
WAS SCOOPING ICE CREAM WHEN I
WENT UP. SKY WAS LIKE A GREENISH
BLACK. AND THEN I FELT THIS
SOMETHING RIGHT? SOMETHING LIKE
IT HIT ME RIGHT HERE. LIKE
SOMETHING JUST SUCKED THE LIFE
RIGHT OUT OF ME. AH I CAN’T
EXPLAIN IT CRASH THAT KILLED HIS
LOVED ONES WAS ON T V 156 PEOPLE
KILLED WHEN THE FLIGHT BOUND FOR
PHOENIX DOVE SHORTLY AFTER
TAKEOFF RIGHT ONTO MIDDLE BELT
ROAD CAME HOME TO AN EMPTY
HOUSE. WITH MY NEIGHBOR AND THEN
WITHIN ANOTHER HALF HOUR TOPS.
THE RELATIVES STARTED CALLING
AND COMING OVER AND I KNEW THIS
WAS NOT GOING TO BE GOOD. THE
BEGINNING OF HEALTH THE DAYS
AFTER THE CRASH A BLUR. REMEMBER
ANYTHING MORE ABOUT THAT DAY?
VERY VERY, VERY FEW DETAILS.
I’VE TRIED TO REMEMBER I JUST
CAN’T AFTER THE TRAGEDY, THE
FAMILIES BANDED TOGETHER WORKING
TO PASS LEGISLATION TO HOLD
AIRLINES ACCOUNTABLE AND PROTECT
FAMILIES AFTER AIR DISASTERS IN
THE FUTURE OF US HAVE TRAVELED
ALL AROUND. MEETING WITH OTHER
FAMILY MEMBERS FROM OTHER AIR
CRASH GROUPS AND LEGISLATIVE
OFFICIALS. UM SO WE COULD PASS
THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE ACT THAT
HELPS WITH THE TREATMENT OF
FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE EVENT OF
AN UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS, SUCH
AS AN AIR CRASH LOG PROVIDES
PROTECTION AND BENEFITS TO
SURVIVORS OF AVIATION DISASTERS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT INCLUDES
PROMPT NOTIFICATIONS, MENTAL
HOUSE SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES.
BRIEFINGS FOR FAMILIES ON THE
INVESTIGATION BEFORE THAT
INFORMATION IS RELEASED TO ANY
MEDIA AND IT BANS ALL
UNSOLICITED COMMUNICATION FROM
ATTORNEYS. FOR 45 DAYS. AFTER
THE CRASH EVERY YEAR HERE AT
THIS MEMORIAL TONY AND THOSE
CONNECTED TO 2 55 GATHER,
THEY’VE BECOME A FAMILY
THEMSELVES CONNECTED BY THIS
AWFUL TRAGEDY. RESPECT THAT, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE STILL HURT 35 YEARS
LATER, AND I KNOW EVERY YEAR
THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMEBODY THAT
COMES TO OUR MEMORIAL. CONNECTED
TO THE CRASH IN SOME WAY WITH
NEVER BEEN AROUND, HAVE NEVER
BEEN TO THE MEMORIAL SITE. AND
IT’S ALMOST LIKE WE’RE IN A WAY
MINISTERING TO THEM. THEY STAY
IN TOUCH VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THEY WILL
OBVIOUSLY NEVER FORGET WHAT
HAPPENED THAT AUGUST NIGHT AND
HOPE YOU TOO, WILL REMEMBER THE
LIVES LOST SO SUDDENLY AND MUCH
TOO SOON. WE’RE SURVIVORS AS
WELL. WE SURVIVED A TRAGEDY.
ANYBODY ELSE CAN SURVIVE. YOU
JUST HAVE TO. YOU KNOW YOU HAVE
TO BELIEVE AND YOU CAN STICK
WITH IT. BACK OUT HERE LIVE TO
55 MEMORIAL SITE HERE IN ROME.
MILLIS AGAIN. FAMILY MEMBERS AND
FRIENDS WILL BE GATHERING HERE
WITHIN ABOUT THE NEXT 30 TO 45
MINUTES TO REMEMBER WHAT
HAPPENED. THAT NIGHT 35 YEARS
AGO. I ALSO WANT TO DIRECT YOUR
ATTENTION TO CLICKONDETROIT.COM
AND LOCAL 4. PLUS THERE WE TAKE
AN EXTENDED LOOK BACK. A LOT OF
HISTORICAL FOOTAGE HELPS PUT THE
STORY TOGETHER SHOWING YOU
EXACTLY WHAT UNFOLDED THAT
EVENING AND THE DAYS FOLLOWING
THIS HORRIFIC CRASH. WE’RE LIVE
HERE TONIGHT IN ROME. US HANK
WINCHESTER BACK TO YOU, HANK. IS
THERE ANY UPDATE ON HOW THAT
LONE SURVIVOR CECILIA CNN IS
DOING? YEAH KAREN. CECILIA IS
DOING VERY WELL. SHE IS NOW A
GROWN WOMAN. SHE IS MARRIED.
SHE’S A COLLEGE GRAD. SHE JUST
RECENTLY HAD A LITTLE BABY AND
IN TALKING WITH THOSE WHO KNOW
HER, SHE’S VERY CONNECTED TO
THIS GROUP. SHE HAS NOT YET MADE
HER WAY BACK HERE TO THE 2 55
MEMORIAL SITE, BUT SHE KEEPS
THEM VERY CLOSE CONTACT. WITH
CAPTAIN JOHN DEED. HE’S THE
FIREFIGHTER WHO SAVED HER THAT
NIGHT. THAT IS PART OF THE
COVERAGE THAT CLICKONDETROIT.COM
AS WE LOOK BACK AT WHAT HAPPENED
HERE IN WANDELL, US I DID CHECK
OUT SOME OF THAT AND
CLICKONDETROIT.COM I URGE