Today, 35 years ago, on December 3, 1990 (October 17, 1990), two U.S. aircraft collided at the airport. On December 3, 1990 afternoon, two U.S. Northwest Airlines aircraft collided at Detroit City airport, killing at least nineteen people. The two Boeing 727-200 and McDonnell Douglas Type 9 aircraft carried one hundred and forty-six and thirty-nine passengers respectively. They collided while sliding on the runway before departure.