Date: 03 December 1990
Airline: Northwest Airlines
Flight No.: 1482
Aircraft: Douglas DC-9-14
Location: Romulus, Michigan
Fatalities: 8:44
Photographer: Unknown
Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, a DC-9 [N3313L] bound for Pittsburgh received clearance to taxi from Gate C18 to Runway 3C via taxiway Oscar 6, Foxtrot and Xray, at 13.35h. In dense fog (about 1/4mile visibility) the crew missed the Oscar 6 taxiway and entered the Outer taxiway. Ground control then instructed them to head for Oscar 4 and make a right turn onto Xray. At the Oscar 4 intersection NW1482 turned right, but entered the active Runway 3C instead of taxiway Xray. Suddenly both pilots found out they had taxied the wrong way, and contacted ground control. When ground control found out that NW1482 was on the active runway, the crew were told to leave that runway immediately. About 5 seconds later the DC-9 crew saw a Boeing 727 coming right at them. The Boeing 727 (Northwest Fight 299 to Memphis) had just received takeoff clearance and was travelling at a speed of over 100kts when the collision took place. The 727's right wingtip was sheared off when striking the right-hand side of the DC-9. The remainder of the wing cut through the fuselage just below the bottom of the windows and cut off the no.2 engine. A fire erupted in the DC-9 which caused the fuselage to burn out from just aft of the cockpit to just forward of the aft bulkhead. The Boeing 727 didn't catch fire but just sustained damage to the left wing.
