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The slats stayed retracted and stole their climb seconds
A four-year-old clung to a flipped seat on Middlebelt Road - did the retracted slats cost them their seconds?
The slats stayed retracted and stole their climb seconds
In this episode, we follow the minutes from gate to impact as crew, maintenance, and air traffic interactions set the stage for catastrophe. The narrative traces every procedural choice and mechanical state that mattered - could a chain of routine decisions explain how a jet failed to climb?
Flight: Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Date: August 16, 1987
Location: Detroit Metropolitan Airport / Middlebelt Road
Aircraft: McDonnell…
The skinny
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