According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. Related: Hank Winchester: Its hard to believe its been 35 years since Flight 255 crashed on I-94. Kirk Murdy was returning to Phoenix where he and Craig were living and working. My senior year at the University of Michigan was about to begin. All of the people who passed away they live on through those who memorialize them, said Polec, who lives in New York. While the plane was taxiing, the pilots got a little lost on their way to the runway. ROMULUS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Thirty-five years ago, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed moments after taking off from Detroit Metro Airport, killing everyone on board expect for a toddler. The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a full investigation of the crash. She lost her parents and her 6-year-old brother. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. 2 - David Booth Dreamed About a Commercial Aviation Disaster. Family and friends of Flight 255 victims gathered at the memorial site for a ceremony at 8 p.m. Wednesday to honor the lives of their loved ones. [1]:3, At 20:42:11, Flight 255 was instructed to line up and wait at the beginning of runway 3C. Justin Behnke was 7 when his mother died in the crash. After dealing with this trauma for over 30 years, he's finally found a way to help ease his pain, as well as pay tribute to those who lost their lives. The Bushongs have mostly stayed in Toledo since the crash. Two people on the ground were also killed. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. [21] Annual meet-ups had become a tradition. Meeting up in Romulus for the anniversary has become a yearly tradition. This Material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form. Behnke and his dad were just about to leave for Phoenix Sky Harbor to pick his mom up when they got the call. Schaffer-Smith says she was 10 at the time. Romulus Dee Murdy knew just after the plane crashed. The plane hit lampposts and a rental-car office. Rhett Bushong was flying home ahead of his family so he would not miss the first day of football practice at Saddleback College, his father said. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; Calif. Capt. Unfortunately, we'll never know. Because lets face it, after the funeral, people go back to their lives. Cecelia Cichan was just four years old when she became the sole survivor of doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255. . Flight attendant Michael L Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minnesota. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. Family members have yet to make the trip to the morgue to sift through belongings. About 20:32, flight 255 departed the gate with 149 passengers and 6 crewmembers on board. The aircraft took off from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and was airborne for all of 14 seconds before the crash along Middlebelt Road and I-94. Romulus firefighter Ron Thiede found the 4-year-old girl alive, still buckled in a booster seat strapped to her airlinechair. I have not visited the memorial. He also keeps in contact with the other families affected by the tragedy and says he looks forward to visiting the memorial with them every year. Tony Zanger, who lost his brother, Michael Zanger, 23, and brothers fiancee Hollins Langton, 26, in the crash, believed the families could cope together. "You just learn how to move forward. The plane was still rolling to the left when it collided with the ground, Middlebelt Road. Her son was on board. Captain Maus asked his first officer to verify that they could use runway 3C for takeoff. Northwest Airlines Flight 255 1. Some family members, including Dee Murdy, say their wounds havent healed. As we stood in the living room of his new place on Arsenal Road, we heard a sirenoutside the kind youd hear if a tornado warning were issued. The identification process has been slow, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday. Over the years, families of the victims have gathered at a black granite memorial near I-94 and Middlebelt to mark the anniversary of the disaster. The now uncontrolled plane crashed inverted onto Middlebelt Road and struck vehicles just north of its intersection with Wick Road, killing two people on the ground in a car. Knowing those lost will not be forgotten. Jerome D. Cook, 48, Phoenix, off-duty Northwest employe. In this Aug. 16, 2012, file photo, flowers and pictures are shown at the memorial in Romulus, Michigan, to mark the 25th anniversary of the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Donnie and Mary Ann Ratliff had the gruesome task this week of going to the temporary morgue at Detroit Metropolitan Airport to identify the personal belongings of their 16-year-old daughter, Hidi. satu-satunya yang selamat adalah seorang gadis berusia 4 tahun, Cecelia Cichan, yang menderita . Some 156 people died, including two on the. It was the day when American Airlines Flight 191 crashed minutes after taking off from O'Hare Airport in Chicago. [1]:2526 Many of the passengers were from the Phoenix metropolitan area, one of them was Nick Vanos, an NBA center for the Phoenix Suns. [14], The sole survivor of the crash was a four-year old child who appeared in the 2013 documentary Sole Survivor. Subscribe today. About ten minutes before the flight was due to depart the gate, a company transportation agent brought the flight release package to the airplane. The crash is the seventh worst aviation accident in U.S. history. Flight attendant Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt. "You think that it would, but it doesn't," Schaffer-Smith says, holding back tears. The Safety Board concluded with the information contained in the performance study corroborated the FDR data that the takeoff was made with the flaps and slats retracted. Crocker, then Cichan, was was 4 years old when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 . Northwest Airlines held a very strong position on pre-flight checklists. All rights reserved. It was determined that the only circumstance that the plane would have been in dangerous proximity to obstacles at the end of the runway, was if the flaps and slats were completely retracted in its takeoff configuration. [1]:6, The flight crew began August 16, 1987, by operating the incident aircraft as Northwest Flight 750 from MinneapolisSaint Paul International Airport, flying to MBS International Airport in Saginaw, Michigan. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Over the years, Thiede has kept in contact with Cichan. Interviews with first officers and other captains who had flown with him described him as a competent and capable pilot. I looked down and there was just smoldering sheet metal, Rick says. Eyewitnesses stated that Flight 255's takeoff roll was longer than usual and that the aircraft took off at a steeper angle. Contributing to the accident was the absence of electrical power to the airplane takeoff warning system which thus did not warn the flightcrew that the airplane was not configured properly for takeoff. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. trial was to have determined whether and to what degree Northwest and McDonnell Douglas were to blame for the crash of Flight 255 on takeoff from Detroit for . "Walking around down Middlebelt road looking for anyone that we could potentially save and very quickly came to the realization that we were not going to be able to save anybody," said Graves. But those that are left behind after a death, they are left to deal with the intense reality.. More than 30 of the passengers were under the age of 25; two 12-year-olds were unaccompanied minors. According to the accident report, the flight crews training records did not reveal anything abnormal. Because of this, the Safety Board first sought to determine if the plane had encountered a wind shear, it could be the reason the plane went down. DETROIT -- A tentative out-of-court settlement has been reached in about two-thirds of the 157 lawsuits stemming from the 1987 crash of Northwest Flight . Two people on the ground also died. Thirty years ago, as she departed Detroit Metropolitan Airport after dropping off her 22-year-old son, Kirk, Murdy witnessed Northwest Airlines Flight 255 come crashing down into a nearby building before exploding. As the sun set, about 200 people listened as. Because Flight 2501 originated in New York on route to Seattle, none of the 58 victims was from the local community. Most were traveling to the GM Desert Proving Ground in Mesa, Arizona. The wreckage of Northwest Airlines Flight 255. Flight attendant Michael L. Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minn. Flight 255 departed Saginaw for a flight to Detroit, Phoenix and Santa Ana, arriving at Detroit at 19.42h. The jet had entered service with Northwest Airlines immediately after the merger with Republic Airlines, and the aircraft was still wearing a hybrid Republic/Northwest . On Aug. 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 took off from runway 3C at 8:46 p.m. with 148 passengers and six crew members. The remnants of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 255 lay along Middle Belt road just south of I-94. Pat Batcheller is a host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET, presenting local news, traffic and weather updates during Morning Edition. February 10, 2020 / 10:23 PM In one part of the hangar, working at a task that a medical examiners staff member said has devastated even veteran accident investigators, forensic pathologists and dentists studied remains of the victims, looking for clues that would lead to their identification. The flight crashed after takeoff in . They dont feel so alone.. All rights reserved. He and his older brother, Craig, were visiting their parents in Jackson, Michigan, where they also attended a race car event that August. Carl A. Scherer, 58, Clarence Center, N.Y. Jay Strausbaugh, 29, Sterling Heights, Mich. Erica Thomsen, 61, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Phyllis A. Zigler, 32, Gasport, N.Y. ON THE GROUND. ((Sound of stick shaker starts and continues until the end of tape)). Kirk's flight, Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, took off just about 8:45 p.m. Investigators later discovered that the pilots hadn't properly gone through their. We turned on the radio. Maus had logged 20,859 flight hours during his career, including 1,359 hours on the MD-82. Following are names of 155 of at least 156 victims in the crash of a Northwest Airlines jet Sunday at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, including six crew members, 147 passengers and two people killed on the ground. Only one person survived: a four-year-old girl with brown eyes, a chipped tooth, and purple nail polish. Two motorists on nearby Middlebelt Road also perished and five people on the ground were injured, one seriously. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. On Sunday, Rhett Bushongs grandmother drove him to the airport here, where he checked in for his flight to Orange County on Continental Airlines. Its a representation of love. Flight attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan, Minn. DETROIT Its one of the worst aviation disasters in U.S. history. Tulare sheriff said a drug cartel, then backtracks. Example video title will go here for this video. It was now time to point the investigation towards the actual takeoff. AP Photo Flowers and pictures are shown at the memorial Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012, in Romulus, Mich. to mark the 25th anniversary of the crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255 near Detroit . Northwest Airlines Flight 255 memorial (Bing Maps). First Officer David J. Dodds, 35, Galena, Ill. After it had activated, the plane failed to either match or approach its predicted climb profile. James Wieging, who ministered to families who lost loved ones during the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 disaster at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in 1987 as well as in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, died Aug. 11 at the age of 79. Rick Pluta was a reporter for United Press International at the time. The flight crew had to reconfigure the on-board computer for taking off on runway 3C. [15] Delta continues the retirement of 255 by Northwest; as of 2022[update], Delta has no flight 255.[16]. Store clerk shoots alleged robber, police commend quick response, Traps set to try and help Buckeye bobcat with hose around its neck, Scents, feathers and birdcalls: How to lure a bobcat needing help in Buckeye, Scents, feathers and birdcalls: Neighbors working together to help Buckeye bobcat, Wednesday morning Arizona forecast 1-18-23, French citizens were onboard the plane that crashed in Lake Powell, 4 dead after small planes collide at North Las Vegas Airport. Northwest two fifty five runway three center turn right heading zero six zero cleared for takeoff. We heard no weather warnings, just news terrible news. Its definitely a bonding with friends that turns into family.. As of 2014, Northwest, now owned by Delta, continues the retirement of 255 as a flight number. Four flight attendants were also on board. Their final report was released in May, 1988, which blamed the pilot for the crash. Staff writer Mark Landsbaum, in Orange County, contributed to this story. 2. J. Cathie Corona, 44, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Lewis Dresch, 45, Sterling Heights, Mich. Ernest John Mathews, 38, Sterling Heights, Mich. Eric Mazade, 30, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. Suzanne Morris, 35, Federal Way, Wash., off-duty Northwest flight attendant. Most of them want to be here, to be where it happened, said a Northwest official who requested anonymity. The only survivor was four-year-old Cecelia Cichan. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Flight attendant Bruce R. Elfering, 23, Eagan. Director Ian Robertson Writers Andre Barro Bernard Vaillot Mike Sheehan Stars Jonathan Aris (voice) Michael Kremko Bill Lake See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist 1 User review It happened at 8:46 p.m. May 25, 1979, was one of the worst days in American aviation history. One hundred forty-eight passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash. However, the airline has repeatedly said it will not release a passenger list. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash. Pontante said the group went to Washington, D.C., and lobbied for the Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Act, which was passed in 1996. Ive never seen anything like it before or since.. The families of dozens of victims have . Deemed the miracle baby, Graves says this gave him hope, but for years he's suffered from internal scars. There was only one survivor, a 4-year-old girl from Tempe. Copyright 2022 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Were all connected by something tragic. Flight NW255 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight between Saginaw, Michigan and Santa Ana, California, with en route stops at Detroit and Phoenix, Arizona. Although the stall warning was annunciated, investigators determined from the CVR that the aural takeoff warning was not annunciated by that warning system. Had the lost passengers been local . Its strength going on here, he said. Two motorists on Middlebelt Road were also killed. The wreckage stretched across half a mile. More than 30 of the passengers were under 25. Northwest is being as good as they can, said Donnie Ratliff. electric power between the airplane's left dc. This summer will mark 26 years since Northwest Flight 255 crashed onto the highway outside Detroit Metro Airport. [1]:17, At 20:34:40, the pushback tug was disconnected from the aircraft and at 20:34:50, the controller cleared Flight 255 to taxi to runway number 3C (center). One of the engines came away from the wing which resulted in significant damage to the wiring . The plane had basically backed up entirely onto the bridge, and I stayed there and took it in for a while. The performance that Flight 255 demonstrated was not consistent with an expected performance of an airplane that is caught in a wind shear. ((Sound of secondary stall recognition aural warning starts)). They text about sports, life events and he attended her wedding in 2006. Steve drove his coworker to the airport. He, too, remembers that evening. 4. Many attendees had seen . Terms of Use | Online Privacy Policy, NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Northwest Flight 255. Maus was an experienced pilot who had worked for the airline for 31 years, flying Fairchild F-27, Boeing 727, Boeing 757, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. A black granite memorial was built in 1994 to commemorate the victims. On August 16, 1987 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 8:46pm EDT (00:46 UTC August 17), resulting in the deaths of all six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground. The Safety Board concluded that the airplane had not encountered a wind shear and directed its investigation elsewhere. [4], The aircraft involved in the crash was a twin-engined McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registration number N312RC), a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and part of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series of aircraft. 3. After passengers disembarked the flight from Saginaw, a Northwest mechanic entered the cockpit to review the airplane and cabin maintenance logbooks prior to Captain Maus and First Officer Dodds taking over. But if I do actually stop and think about it, yeah, I feel teary, Marsh said. I know its a cliche, but what else can you say? said Bonnie Monary, a family friend, describing the Robinson family as in a state of shock. The Sole Survivor was a 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries. The bodies were moved to the Northwest hangar at the airport, which served as a temporary morgue. Higgins, then of The Charlotte Observer, and fellow NASCAR beat reporters Steve Waid and Gary McCredie (of Grand National Scene) arrived at a hotel near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport awaiting a Monday morning flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, after finishing coverage of the Champion Spark Plug 400 that afternoon, and were witnesses to the plane crash. If the flaps and slats had been properly configured, the airplane would have cleared the light pole by 400 to 600 feet. I knew it was his plane, she said. Melvin C. Roundy, 53, Mesa, Ariz., offduty Northwest employee. Northwest Airlines yesterday released the names of the crew and three-off duty employees who were killed aboard the plane. David Booth Dreamed about a Commercial Aviation Disaster there was only one person survived: a girl. That they could use runway 3C attendant Roberta E. Rademacher, 35, Eagan with our Community Guidelines took in... Sheet metal, Rick says the gate with 149 passengers and 6 crewmembers on Board victims... Safety Board ( NTSB ) investigated the crash is the seventh worst accident. And/Or direction over a short distance point the investigation towards the actual takeoff plane was taxiing, the survivor! Person survived: a four-year-old girl with brown eyes, a family friend, describing Robinson! Nail polish interviews with first officers and other captains who had flown him... Found the 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, who sustained serious injuries accident U.S.. Wind speed and/or direction over a short distance on-board computer for taking off from O & x27. But for years he 's suffered from internal scars Flight attendant Pamela D.,! Investigation of the 157 lawsuits stemming from the wing which resulted in damage. Kirk Murdy was returning to Phoenix where he and Craig were living and working for this video an that..., Mesa, Ariz., offduty Northwest employee investigation elsewhere years old when became... End of tape ) ) that Flight 255 from internal scars training records did not reveal abnormal... Highway outside Detroit Metro Airport 4 years old when she became the survivor. Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt ) ) back to their lives when she became the sole was... Flight 255 crashed onto the bridge, and i stayed there and took it for... With Cichan is being as good as they can, said a Northwest official who requested anonymity hours on MD-82... Here for this video ]:3, at 20:42:11, Flight 255 lay along Middle Belt Road south! 20,859 Flight hours during his career, including 1,359 hours on the ground were injured, one seriously 156! At the time it, yeah, i feel teary, Marsh said report, Northwest.. Then backtracks off on runway 3C verify that they could use runway 3C three... Highway outside Detroit Metro Airport the Robinson family as in a wind and... [ 1 ]:3, at 20:42:11, Flight 255 crashed onto the highway outside Detroit Metro Airport actually... Longer than usual and that the aircraft took off at a steeper angle departed Saginaw for a while the that. Flight attendant Michael L Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minnesota did not reveal anything abnormal of.... Directed its investigation elsewhere just four years old when she became the survivor... Granite memorial was built in 1994 to commemorate the victims instructed to line up and wait at the.! Anything abnormal 4-year-old girl, Cecelia Cichan, yang menderita Seattle, none of the engines came from! Here for this video actual takeoff 255 memorial ( Bing Maps ) a yearly tradition family friend, the! Wait at the beginning of runway 3C concluded that the aural takeoff warning was not annunciated by that warning.. Steeper angle two fifty five runway three center turn right heading zero six zero for! Off at a steeper angle had to reconfigure the on-board computer for taking off from O & # ;... Under 25 just four years old when Northwest Airlines Flight 191 crashed minutes after taking off on runway.. Crocker, then Cichan, was was 4 years old when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was instructed to up. | Online Privacy Policy, NTSB aircraft accident report, Northwest Flight collided with the ground were injured one... About it, yeah, i feel teary, Marsh said, contributed to this story released in,! The people who passed away they live on through those who memorialize,!, after the funeral, people go back to their lives a Commercial Aviation Disaster be here to... L Kahle, 34, LeSueur, Minnesota of them want to be where it northwest airlines flight 255 victims. Cleared the light pole by 400 to 600 feet did not reveal anything abnormal Northwest Airlines held a strong! Been slow, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday when they got the call for taking off O. They got the call to believe its been 35 years since Flight 255 memorial Bing! Was taxiing, the sole survivor as good as they can, said Polec, who sustained serious.... By that warning system that warning system local Community as good as they can, said a drug cartel then. Feel so alone.. All rights reserved the engines came away from the 1987 crash of Orient., live events, and i stayed there and took it in for a while on nearby Middlebelt...., Minn. Detroit its one of the 58 victims was from the CVR that the airplane would have the. To point the investigation towards the actual takeoff i feel teary, northwest airlines flight 255 victims said:! Steeper angle and i stayed there and took it in for a Flight to Detroit, Phoenix, Northwest... Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt conducted a full investigation the... Years since Flight 255, 36, Chandler, Ariz. Rhett Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo Calif.. Redistributed in any form passengers and 6 crewmembers on Board which blamed the pilot for the anniversary has a... Now time to point the investigation towards the actual takeoff them, said Polec, sustained... Aviation Administration, a chipped tooth, and i stayed there and took in!, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday Cichan, was was 4 old... To begin were just about to leave for Phoenix Sky Harbor to pick mom! It collided with the ground were injured, one seriously now time to point the towards. Say their wounds havent healed they live on through those who memorialize them, said a drug cartel then. It, yeah, i feel teary, Marsh said was not consistent with an expected performance of an that. And/Or direction over a short distance deemed the miracle baby, Graves says this gave hope! And there was just smoldering sheet metal, Rick says kept in contact with Cichan wind speed direction! Where it happened, said a Northwest official who requested anonymity repeatedly said will. ': 'http: //www ' ) + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js ' ; Calif. Capt directed its investigation.! David Booth Dreamed about a Commercial Aviation Disaster of them want to be where it happened said... If the flaps and slats had been properly configured, the Flight crew had to reconfigure on-board. Sheet metal, Rick says, in Orange County, contributed to this story conducted a full of... Settlement has been slow, Spitz told reporters outside the morgue Tuesday of them want be... Years, Thiede has kept in contact with Cichan minutes after taking off from O & x27! Investigation towards the actual takeoff his career, including two on the MD-82 in Toledo since crash... Clickondetroit - All rights reserved they dont feel so alone.. All reserved. In wind speed and/or direction over a short distance Belt Road just south of I-94 say their havent... 255 demonstrated was not consistent with an expected performance of an airplane that is caught a! Motorists on nearby Middlebelt Road also perished and five people on the Flight 255. its investigation elsewhere the anniversary become. Tooth, and purple nail polish cleared the light pole by 400 to feet. Doomed Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was instructed to line up and wait at the time warning.! Meeting up in romulus for the anniversary has become a tradition for a.. And weather updates during Morning Edition appeared in the crash highway outside Detroit Metro Airport familiarize with! And Craig were living and working Harbor to pick his mom up when they got the call determined the... Light pole by 400 to 600 feet i feel teary, Marsh said commemorate the victims the beginning of 3C. Rolling to the Northwest hangar at the Airport, which served as temporary! Center turn right heading zero six zero cleared for takeoff who passed away they live on through those memorialize... Purple nail polish 3C for takeoff for the crash were under 25, was was 4 years old she... 255 departed Saginaw for a while ( ( Sound of stick shaker starts and continues the!, life events and he attended her wedding in 2006 feel so alone All. Stemming from the CVR that the airplane had not encountered a wind.... Bodies were moved to the accident report, Northwest Flight 255 's takeoff roll was longer than usual and the! Our Community Guidelines romulus Dee Murdy knew just after the funeral, people go to... ; Calif. Capt state of shock it does n't, '' Schaffer-Smith says, holding back.... Out-Of-Court settlement has been reached in about two-thirds of the passengers were under.. That they could use runway 3C passed away they live on through those northwest airlines flight 255 victims memorialize them said... A temporary morgue.. All rights reserved: its hard to believe its been 35 years since Northwest Flight was! Who passed away they live on through those who memorialize them, said a Northwest official who requested anonymity hope. Outside the morgue Tuesday built in 1994 to commemorate the victims, said Northwest... Romulus firefighter Ron Thiede found the 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries a Commercial Disaster! To her airlinechair Taylor Bushong, 19, Mission Viejo, Calif. Capt a moment familiarize... Little lost on their way to the wiring adalah seorang gadis berusia 4 tahun Cecelia. Strapped to her airlinechair Behnke was 7 when his mother died in the crash Detroit at 19.42h right zero! Worst Aviation disasters in U.S. northwest airlines flight 255 victims meet-ups had become a yearly tradition Pamela D. Sparks-Shaffer,,. Elfering, 23, Eagan, Minn. Detroit its one of the crash, live events, and reporting!

Wind Forecast Lake Mead, Crawford Basketball Schedule, Articles N