Latest news with #CeceliaCichan
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Sole survivor: The 4-year-old girl who lived through the 1987 Detroit plane crash
The Brief Only one person walked away from the Air India crash Thursday that killed more than 240 people. His miraculous story brings to mind other people who have been the lone survivors of plane crashes. Cecelia Cichan was 4 years old when the plane she was on with her parents and brother crashed near Detroit in 1987. The Air India plane crash that killed all but one person on board has raised questions about how he survived – and whether others have been the only survivors in previous crashes. Vishwashkumar Ramesh was traveling to London with his brother Thursday when he was ejected from the Air India Boeing 787. He was able to walk to a nearby ambulance. Doctors said he's got multiple injuries to his body, but he seemed to be out of danger. As miraculous as his story is, he's not the only person to ever be the sole survivor of a plane crash. Several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes, including Cecelia Cichan, a 4-year-old girl who lived through a plane crash in Detroit in 1987. RELATED: Lone survivor: What we know about the only man to survive the Air India crash The backstory Cecelia Crocker — who was Cecelia Cichan at the time of the crash — was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 when it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground. The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem. Dig deeper Firefighter John Thiede, one of the first responders to arrive on scene, said 4-year-old Cecelia was still strapped in her plane seat when she was found. RELATED: Lone survivor of Air India crash reportedly recalls "loud noise" after takeoff "There was a seat upside down, and we moved the chair and checked underneath the chair. When we looked, a hand was coming out from the chair that she was in," Thiede told CBS News. Crocker's family lived in Tempe, Ariz., but after the crash, she was raised in Alabama by her aunt and uncle who shielded her from the media. What they're saying: In a 2013 documentary, Cecelia said she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist. "I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself," she said in the film. At least three other people have been "sole survivors" of plane crashes. George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985. Lamson in a social media post Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him. "There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it," he said. "These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar." The Source This report includes information from The Associated Press, Fox News, CBS News, and WJBK-TV's 1987 coverage of the crash.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Lone passenger who survived deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
Reports that a sole passenger miraculously survived the Air India plane crash that claimed 241 lives on Thursday have stirred considerable interest and speculation. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, was found outside of the plane. According to Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated Mr Ramesh, he was disoriented and suffered multiple injuries but is expected to recover. Social media platforms have been abuzz with reactions, with many users describing the event as "unreal", "remarkable", and even "a miracle". Instances of lone survivors in plane crashes, while rare, have occurred in the past. In 1987, Cecelia Crocker, then known as Cecelia Cichan, survived the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash in Romulus, a suburb of Detroit. The crash killed 154 people, including her parents and brother, as well as two people on the ground. The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem. Ms Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist. 'I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,' she said in the film. At least three other people have been 'sole survivors' of plane crashes. George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985. Mr Lamson in a social media post on Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him. 'There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,' he said. 'These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar.' Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009. Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
Lone survivors in plane crashes — Air India 171 among two dozen major disasters where one person beat the odds
With 241 passengers and crew confirmed dead in the crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner right outside Ahmedabad airport, one passenger miraculously survived and literally walked out of the wreckage that killed everybody else on board. While fatal air crashes with a sole survivor seem to defy all odds, there have been around two dozen instances in the past 80 years where 50 or more people died in a major crash and just one person made it out alive. Among such crashes, the Air India flight carrying 242 people from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, which went down on Thursday, leads with the highest death toll. With only one survivor confirmed so far—a 38-year-old British national of Indian origin—authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify the victims. 'The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital,' Air India posted on X early Friday. Beating the odds In August 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carrying 149 passengers and six crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport due to pilot error. All but one perished—a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who survived with severe burns and multiple fractures. Decades later, in 2013, CNN released 'Sole Survivor', a documentary profiling Cichan and three other lone survivors of major air crashes. Among them was 12-year-old Bahia Bakari, who lived through the 2009 Yemenia Airways crash that killed 152 people. She was found clinging to floating debris in the Indian Ocean by local fishermen and rescuers. George Lamson Jr—also featured in the CNN documentary—was the sole survivor of a Lockheed L-188 Electra crash in 1985 that killed 70 people. Then just 17, Lamson was hurled from the aircraft in his seat as it broke apart into flames over a highway shortly after takeoff. The fourth lone survivor featured in the documentary, James Polehinke, was the first officer aboard a Bombardier CRJ100 that crashed in Kentucky in 2006, killing 49 people. More recently, in March 2018, a Cubana de Aviación flight crashed shortly after takeoff near Havana, killing 112 people. Of the four initially found alive, three later died in hospital. The sole survivor, critically injured, spent nearly a year recovering and was discharged in May 2019. Military crashes There have also been instances of lone survivors in military plane crashes. In 1991, an Indonesian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashed during takeoff in Jakarta due to an engine fire, killing 134 people on board and two on the ground. Only one man survived; one of the pilots was initially found alive but succumbed to his injuries later in the day. In 2014, another C-130 Hercules — this time operated by the Algerian Air Force — crashed into a mountain in northwest Algeria while carrying soldiers and their families. The crash killed 77 people, with just one survivor, who was treated for head injuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of a lone survivor in a major air crash occurred in 1959, when a Curtiss C-46 Commando operated by a commercial carrier crashed about a kilometre off the coast during a failed landing attempt in Argentina, killing 51 people. According to local reports, the sole survivor swam back to shore. Aggam Walia is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, reporting on power, renewables, and mining. His work unpacks intricate ties between corporations, government, and policy, often relying on documents sourced via the RTI Act. Off the beat, he enjoys running through Delhi's parks and forests, walking to places, and cooking pasta. ... Read More
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
The lone passenger who survived the deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
The notion that only one person survived the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board Thursday is sparking interest on social media about how that could happen and if such a thing has happened before. A medic has said Vishwashkumar Ramesh was thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body, but that he seemed to be out of danger. People on social media have been commenting about the idea of only one person surviving the crash, calling it unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle. In recent decades, several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes. Cecelia Crocker — known as Cecelia Cichan at the time of the 1987 crash — was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 when it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground. The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem. Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist. 'I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,' she said in the film. At least three other people have been 'sole survivors' of plane crashes. George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985. Lamson in a social media post Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him. 'There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,' he said. 'These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar.' Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009. Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
The lone passenger who survived the deadly Air India crash sparks interest in other sole survivors
The notion that only one person survived the Air India plane crash that killed 241 people on board Thursday is sparking interest on social media about how that could happen and if such a thing has happened before. A medic has said Vishwashkumar Ramesh was thrown out of the plane and walked to a nearby ambulance for aid. Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told The Associated Press that Ramesh was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body, but that he seemed to be out of danger. People on social media have been commenting about the idea of only one person surviving the crash, calling it unreal, remarkable, a work of divine intervention, and a miracle. In recent decades, several other people have been the lone survivors of plane crashes. Cecelia Crocker — known as Cecelia Cichan at the time of the 1987 crash — was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255 when it crashed in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, killing 154 people on board, including her parents and brother. Two people also died on the ground. The Phoenix-bound plane was clearing the runway when it tilted and the left wing clipped a light pole before shearing the top off a rental car building. The McDonnell Douglas MD80 left a half-mile trail of bodies and wreckage along Middle Belt Road. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's crew failed to set the wing flaps properly for takeoff. The agency also said a cockpit warning system did not alert the crew to the problem. Cichan said in a 2013 documentary that she thought about the crash every day and that she had scars on her arms, legs and forehead. She had also gotten an airplane tattoo on her wrist. 'I got this tattoo as a reminder of where I've come from. I see it as — so many scars were put on my body against my will — and I decided to put this on my body for myself,' she said in the film. At least three other people have been 'sole survivors' of plane crashes. George Lamson Jr., then a 17-year-old from Plymouth, Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985. Lamson in a social media post Thursday said the news of a plane crash in India with only one survivor shook him. 'There are no right words for moments like this, but I wanted to acknowledge it,' he said. 'These events don't just make headlines. They leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who've lived through something similar.' Bahia Bakari, then 12, lived through a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed near the Comoro Islands in 2009. Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky.
