Jury Faults Pilots in Northwest Crash

Northwest Airlines pilots were responsible for the 1987 jet crash that killed 156 people, the second-worst death toll in U.S. history, and the airline bears full liability, a federal jury ruled Wednesday.

The jury absolved McDonnell Douglas Corp. of blame, rejecting Northwest’s arguments that the maker of the MD-80 jetliner supplied faulty equipment. Northwest said it would appeal.

Northwest Flight 255 was bound for Phoenix on Aug. 16, 1987, when it barely lifted off. After rolling from side to side, it lost part of a wing by striking a light pole, plunged onto a highway and erupted in flames.

Only one passenger survived, Cecelia Cichan, then 4. Her parents and brother were killed. She now lives with relatives in Alabama.

The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the plane’s crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The board also said a cockpit warning system failed to alert the crew to the problem.

Jurors said they were swayed by testimony and a cockpit voice recorder tape.