 N8053U, the aircraft involved in the accident, when still wearing previous livery | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 11, 1983 |
| Summary | Crashed after takeoff due to pilot error |
| Site | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Romulus, Michigan, United States 42°12′42.08″N 83°22′12.11″W / 42.2116889°N 83.3700306°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-8F-54 |
| Operator | United Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | UA2885 |
| ICAO flight No. | UAL2885 |
| Call sign | UNITED 2885 |
| Registration | N8053U |
| Flight origin | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport |
| Stopover | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport |
| Destination | Los Angeles International Airport |
| Occupants | 3 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
United Airlines Flight 2885 was a scheduled cargo flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles, with stopover in Detroit. On January 11, 1983, a DC-8 operating as Flight 2885 crashed after take-off from Detroit, killing all three crew members. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation determined that the cause for the crash was pilot error.[1] A radioactive package was found on board, but no radioactive material was spilled.[2]