What is flight 255?

Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was a regularly scheduled flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. On August 16, 1987, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft carrying 155 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit, resulting in the deaths of 154 people on board as well as two people on the ground.

The investigation into the crash determined that the cause was likely the crew's failure to properly set the flaps and slats for takeoff, as well as their failure to recognize and correct the error during the flight. The crash led to changes in aviation safety procedures and training to prevent similar accidents in the future. It remains one of the deadliest aviation accidents in US history.