The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. As rescuers picked through the smoking wreckage of a crashed airliner, the faintest of cries was carried on the night air. Michael Cichan, a professor of botany at Arizona State University, and his family were flying back to Arizona after visiting the elder Cichans and Paula Cichans parents, Anthony and Pauline Ciamaichela of Warminster, Pa. The only thing Paula said was they had a nice 747 from Philadelphia to Detroit, and then a smaller flight to Arizona, and she said, I really dont like those small planes, Mrs. Cichan said. When I look in the mirror, I have visual scars.'. "So many things, scars were put on my body against my will, and I decided to put this on my body for myself," Crocker said. In the history of aviation, there have been only 14 of them: sole survivors of a commercial aviation disaster. 'But anybody can look at the documents and put two and two together.'. Now, exactly 25 years after the disaster that claimed the lives of her parents and six-year-old brother, she has spoken for the first time about her experience. Most have never spoken publicly about the loss, the guilt, the immense pressure of feeling "spared." Who, after all, could ever truly understand? Cecilia suffered third-degree burns over 29 percent of her body in the fiery crash, along with a broken leg, broken collarbone and facial cuts, the hospital said. 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She was sent thousands of gifts, cards and stuffed animals. (There were several children on the plane.) One response was another act of sublime generosity. Dr. John Giradot, another rescuer, said: It looked hopeless. Another person featured in the film is George Lamson, who, at age 17, was the only person found alive after Galaxy Airlines flight 203 went down in Reno in 1985. No Bodies Found Near Girl. My arms and my legs. In the new documentary, Sole Survivor, Cecelia Cichan, whose married name is Crocker, breaks her silence, discussing how the crash of the Phoenix-bound jetliner . DETROIT Cecelia Crocker's body provides her with a constant reminder of the most traumatic event of her life one that she doesn't otherwise remember. Cichan, who went . ''She was lying on the concrete with the seat on top of her. Cecelia Cichan was just four years old when she became the sole survivor of doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255. Their flight took off from Detroit Airports runway 3C at approximately 8.45pm, but just 50 feet above the ground, it started to roll from side to side. It was initially believed that the four-year-old was one of those injured on the ground until her grandfather came forward to identify the little girl by her chipped front tooth. Mrs. Cichan's action was one of almost . "When I realized I was the only person to survive that plane crash, I was maybe in middle school, high school maybe," Crocker said. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Hank Winchester: It's hard to believe it's been 35 years since Flight . She told film-makers: 'Its kind of hard not to think about it. The plane was just clearing the runway at 8:46 p.m. on Aug. 16, 1987, when it tilted slightly. To find out more, read our Privacy Notice and Cookie Policy. The Little Boy. Until the family determines if Paula and Michael left a will, the grandparents are her guardians. She was released from hospital in October 1987 and lived with her aunt and uncle, Rita and Frank Lumpkin, in Alabama, where they shielded her from the media. Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website. Her survival was due to being padded by her mother, at least we assume it was her mother, said paramedic Pam Davidson. Andy Graves still remembers when alarms started going off about an aircraft down during his 24-hour shift . 0:00. To find the secrets to surviving a plane crash, Ed Galea, a professor of mathematical modeling and engineering at the University of Greenwich in London, interviewed 2,000 survivors of 105 plane crashes. It is believed that Crocker's mother, Paula Cichan, shielded her in the crash. (AP). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". ''It's nice to think that it was her mother's last act, but there was no body within 6 to 8 feet of Cecelia. Michael and Paula had been childhood sweethearts, she said. In one of those successes that make human action and chance look divine, the child survived -- with a broken leg and collarbone and burns over 30 percent of her body, breathing through a respirator in the hospital -- but breathing. The 25th anniversary of the Michigan crash will be commemorated by victims families today at the memorial site close to where the plane went down. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. She was four years old and was on her way home to Tempe, Ariz., with her parents and brother following a visit to . March 1 (UPI) -- Officials at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium confirmed a cheetah briefly escaped from its enclosure, but was behind a public barrier at all times. Hayes said it is most likely that Cecelia will live with Paula's sister, Rita Lumpkin. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. Review. After an usually long take-off roll, the plane finally lifted off. Getty. When Northwest flight 255 went down just after taking off from Detroit in August 1987, Cecelia Cichan, 4, was the only survivor. 'I don't even know how that got started,' Arnold said of the story of the mother's heroic last act to save her child. Catherine Cureton, spokeswoman for the hospital that treated Cecilia Cichan, said that two families from suburban Los Angeles and one each from Detroit and Phoenix called to see whether the survivor was a relative on Flight 255. Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport on August 16, 1987, at about 8:46 p.m. EDT (00:46 UTC August 17), killing all six crew members and 148 of its 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground.The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries. How did Cecelia survive? Cecelia said that she had finally decided to open up about the crash because the film was a group project and thats why Im willing to get involved and be part of something bigger. Paula was a nurse but had not worked in the field for several years. Cecelia Cichan, 29, became known as the 'miracle child' after she was dug out of the burning wreckage by a rescuer who heard her whimper. 'The seat was resting so that the child was sitting face down with the head pointing in a northwesterly direction,' Arnold said ina report with the National Transportation Safety Board. Then there is Bahia Bakari, who was 14 when she survived after Yemenia flight 626 plummeted into the Indian Ocean in 2009, and spent nine hours clinging to plane wreckage before she was rescued. She added that the delay in identifying the girl came in part because Northwest had refused to release a passenger list. We keep telling him, Tony, it may not be Celia. I remember reading that her mother had saved her life by shielding Cecelia with her body just before impact. "I think about the accident every day. The Michigan Airlines flight 255 crash remains one of the most deadly plane disasters in United States history. Cause: Lightning strike She underwent four skin grafts for the burns on her arms and legs. Days Before Rescue: 8 FILE- In this Oct. 9, 1987 file photo provided by the University of Michigan Medical Center, Cecelia Cichan, the sole survivor of Northwest Airlines flight 255 crash, that killed 154 people aboard . We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Many happy years were punctuated by the tragic crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 . Crash: Vietnamese Airlines Flight VN474 (1992) But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. By JOE B. WARRICK. "I've cried harder than any man has ever cried, or any man should be able to cry," Polehinke said. All rights reserved. Firefighter found sole survivor. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On Aug. 18, 1987, a Northwest Airlines jet crashed just after taking off from Detroit's Metropolitan Wayne County Airport -- 156 people died, one survived. Now, almost 26 years later, that little girl is all grown up, and she is speaking out for the first time about the tragedy that forever changed her life. YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data. Remarkably, one person survived the accident, four-year-old Cecelia Cichan of Tempe, Arizona. ROMULUS (AP) -- The only person who survived the 1987 crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 near Detroit's Metro Airport that killed 154 others aboard is sharing her story. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And it worked. Hayes described David as a precocious child, who at age 6 was reading at a fifth grade level. The Cichan family -- Michael, 32, an assistant professor of botany at Arizona State University, Paula, 33, a nurse, David, 6 and Cecilia -- were heading home to Tempe, Ariz., last Sunday after a . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In total, 156 people were killed, but incredibly one person survived. A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface. You have your hopes up so high, she said, using the girls nickname. She has been married to John Benjamin Crocker since June 2006. As for returning to the air, Crocker "feels fine flying and does so quite often," Dickens said. Two people also died on the ground. He alerted a doctor and emergency medical personnel that the child was still alive. Some questions were answered only too finally. When Northwest Flight 255 crashed, killing 156 people, Paula Cichan was trying to protect her children, like any good mother would do, said Angela Hayes, Cichan's great aunt. The black granite memorial was erected in 1994 and stands on a hill above the interstate where the passengers perished. Deputy James Arnold of the Wayne County Sheriff's office, who discovered Cecelia alive, said at the hearing last week that she was found alone. He said she had been like a big sister to him. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, contests and more! Despite the horrific nature of the crash, somehow Cecelias body was thrown clear of the fuselage. Hours Spent At Sea Clinging To Wreckage: Nine-plus 122 mil views, 873 likes, 132 loves, 144 comments, 1,2 mil shares, Facebook Watch Videos from WDIV Local 4 / ClickOnDetroit: WATCH: Cecelia Cichan, the sole survivor of the Flight 255 crash in 1987,. 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