It was on Northwest Airlines Flight 255 from Detroit DTW to Phoenix PHX on August 16th, 1987. The pilots of an MD82 failed to extend the flaps to the takeoff position, and crashed shortly after takeoff. 154 of the 155 on board people died. The sole survivor was a 4 year old girl, Cecelia Cichan.

The lone survivor of the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 on August 16, 1987, was Cecelia Cichan (now Cecelia Crocker), who was just 4 years old at the time. The flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 154 people on board—including Cecelia's parents and her 6-year-old brother—and two people on the ground. Firefighters found the young girl still buckled into her seat among the wreckage, having suffered severe burns and multiple fractures. Cecelia was raised by her aunt and uncle in Alabama, who famously shielded her from the intense media spotlight for decades to allow her a normal childhood. In recent years, including her appearance in the 2013 documentary Sole Survivor, she has spoken about her life as a survivor and her "airplane" tattoo, which she wears as a symbol of her history and strength in overcoming the tragedy.