What happened
Northwest Airlines Flight 255 experienced a catastrophic failure immediately following its departure from Runway 3C at Detroit Metro Airport. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft rotated for takeoff approximately 1,200 to 1,500 feet from the end of the 8,500-foot runway. Upon lifting off near the runway's terminus, the wings began to rock violently left and right, and the aircraft failed to achieve a normal climb gradient.
Within moments, 18 feet of the left wing separated after striking a light pole located 2,760 feet beyond the runway end. The aircraft rolled steeply to the left, colliding with additional poles, a building, and several automobiles before coming to rest in a railroad embankment. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed critical configuration errors. Evidence indicated that both the flaps and slats remained in the up or retracted position and had not been deployed for takeoff. Furthermore, it was determined that neither pilot recited the items required by the taxi checklist, a procedural failure that likely contributed to the oversight.
The Central Aural Warning System (CAWS) failed to provide an aural takeoff warning, although stall warnings were annunciated. Investigation confirmed that 28-volt DC power was not supplied to CAWS Power Supply #2. This loss of electrical power was traced to a circuit breaker; however, no malfunction of the circuit breaker itself was found.
Findings
The primary factors leading to the accident included the failure to deploy high-lift devices and the absence of an aural warning due to a power supply issue. The crew's omission of checklist items during the taxi phase prevented the detection of the flap and slat configuration error prior to rotation.