One of six children born to Jovanna Luque of Olympia, Mr. Luque is the second child she has lost. The design of the jackscrew on the MD-80 series was identical to that of the original 1960s-era Douglas DC-9, which was certified to meet requirements stating that no reasonably probable single failure of the control system could jeopardize the controllability of the airplane. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Paul Pulanco, 40, SeattleLike his partner, Craig Pulanco, Paul Pulanco was an animal lover and avid gardener. A former Alaska Airlines captain faces jail time for piloting a plane carrying passengers while under the influence of alcohol, over four years after the incident took place. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. Market data provided by Factset. She and Monte Donaldson had just bought a home and planned to be married, then honeymoon in Ireland and Bali. January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM She was traveling with her former college classmates. Numerous people saw the plane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it turned and descended. The lead mechanic that day was John Liotine, a rare Alaska Airlines employee who still took safety seriously. John Cuthbertso, 70, Danville, Calif.A smallish man with a Scottish brogue and gray beard who looked younger than his 70 years, he used to own a heating and air-conditioning company and drove a flashy car. Yeah, we got it back under control here.. Minimum first-time offenses include fines, possible jail time and mantadory alcohol treatment classes, among other penalties. For several months he surreptitiously recorded his bosses violating safety rules and handed the tapes over to FAA investigators. Having decided not to touch the trim system anymore, the crew now performed some final tests of the airplanes low speed handling. The basis for the approval of the design under this rule was the fact that the nut has two independent threads that did not link with one another, such that if one thread failed, the other could still hold the jackscrew in place. As they struggled to regain control, Thompson radioed Los Angeles and said, Center, Alaska two six one, we are in a dive here, and Ive lost control, vertical pitch! An overspeed warning blared in the cockpit. He was traveling with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo. But in the end he was forced to accept a mere $500,000 settlement, far less than the $20 million he had sought, and only then on the condition that he resign from his job. I dont know, my adrenalines going, said Thompson. Key safety-related positions within the airlines management structure went unfilled. Mechanical stops attached to the jackscrew prevent the stabilizer from moving farther than 2.5 degrees upward or 12.5 degrees downward. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Ms. Halls only brother died four years ago of a motorcycle accident. Updated That plane just started to do a big, huge plunge, said one pilot. Stanford Poll, 59, Mercer IslandHe was a colorful and visionary entrepreneur with many business and property interests. I really didnt want to hear about flow being the reason youre calling us, he said to the dispatcher, Cause Im concerned about overflying suitable airports., Well we want to do whats safe, said the dispatcher, so if thats what you feel is safe we just want to make sure you have all the info., The pilots asked for information on the runway conditions in San Francisco, and the dispatcher temporarily signed off to go find some. I dont anticipate any big problems once we get a couple of sub systems on the line. 4:39 PM EST, Thu February 8, 2018. Okay, well, your discretion, said maintenance. All Rights Reserved. Naomi Laigo, 53, Fairfield, Calif.A devoted mother of three sons who was a nurse at a clinic in San Leandro, Calif., she grew roses in her spare time. Discovery Company. By 2000, Alaska Airlines only inspected the wear on the jackscrew nut every 30 months, equivalent to 9,550 flight hours, whereas the manufacturer recommended an interval no larger than 7,200 flight hours. The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. But the measurements were imprecise and repeated tests often produced different results allowing a certain amount of ambiguity as to whether the value was over or under the limit. A cacophony of banging and roaring filled the cockpit. The massive aerodynamic force pushing up on the horizontal stabilizer was normally absorbed by the nut, but with its threads stripped, all that force was transmitted through the mechanical stop instead. Kristin Mills, 26, Las VegasShe lived in Las Vegas with her husband of three years, Dave, but kept a home in Seattle so she could work at her dream job as a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines. Holy shit, said Thompson, pulling back hard on the controls. CNN A former Alaska Airlines pilot plans to plead guilty in California to flying with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for pilots. What he liked best in life was family, said his longtime medical assistant. The pilots were able to stabilize the plane, inverted, for less than a minute (with a 9pitch towards the ocean). She and her husband preached at The Rock Church Northwest in Monroe, home base for their Full Gospel non-denominational ministry. She had treated herself to a weekend getaway in Puerto Vallarta and was scheduled to go on the air two hours after the flight was expected to land in San Francisco. The longer it went without being greased properly, the faster the jackscrew wore down the threads on the nut. Joe Knight, 54, MonroePastor and missionary Joe Knight, with his wife, co-pastor and co-missionary, Linda Knight, worked to help starving children and families in Mexico. And hes just hit the water, said one pilot. He once owned the reknowned Blue Moon Tavern in the University District and the J & M Cafe in Pioneer Square. Still descending at high speed, flight 261s engines proved unable to keep combustion going in such an unusual attitude and started to stall with a series of loud bangs. Ronald Lake, 59, Corte Madera, Calif.He was the husband of Joyce Lake, father of three adult sons and an avid traveler. Aloysius Han, 65, Oakland, Calif.A retired architect for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Mr. Han often traveled to Mexico, where he owned a condominium and other property. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. Rescue vessels raced to the crash site three kilometers east of Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, hoping to find survivors. As Thompson fought with all his might to regain control, Tansky shouted Mayday! but forgot to key his mic. Different speeds and phases of flight require the stabilizer to apply varying amounts of downforce on the tail in order to keep the plane level, and further adjustments must be made to ensure that the pilots dont have to continuously pull up or push down using the elevators in order to climb or descend. The following is a list of some of the victims of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. The Safety Board also examined the design of the jackscrew itself, and found that it probably didnt meet certification standards. We are at twenty three seven, request, uh, Thompson said to the controller. McRorys restaurants. If they lost control again, he didnt want to endanger people on the ground. She was a flight attendant for Alaska. First published on January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM. WebAlaska Flight 261 Pilots Awarded ALPA Gold Medal Air Line Pilot, March 2001, p. 22 By Chris Dodd, Staff Writer Two Alaska Airlines pilots who fought until their last moments to regain control of their MD-80 despite an inoperative horizontal stabilizer have been honored with ALPAs Gold Medal for Heroism in a special ceremony in Seattle. SkyWest 5154, you still got your eyes on him, sir?. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. Nevertheless, investigators praised the pilots for their heroic last-ditch efforts to save their aircraft, even attempting to fly upside down when they found they could not level the plane. In 1998, fed up with a maintenance environment that did not seem to prioritize safety, John Liotine blew the whistle and alerted the FAA to some of Alaskas numerous violations. She is survived by her mother, Dr. Claire Barnett of Seattle, a family-practice doctor. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Legal Statement. Just do what you need to do there, SkyWest 5154. David Hans Arntson, 62, of Newport Beach, California, agreed to enter a guilty plea in US District Court this week. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. Among major US airlines, Alaska has charted perhaps the most unusual course across its long and fascinating history. The stabilizer on the MD-80 series rests on top of the tail, and like all airliners, it can move up and down to adjust the pitch angle at which the plane is stable. He opened the mic for the public address system but never managed to get any words out. Charles Russell, 65, Scotts Valley, Calif.Mr. A year after the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, lawyers representing families of the victims contend the jet's pilots erred by failing to quickly land the MD-80 when problems first surfaced minutes into the flight. When he measured the wear on the jackscrew nut and found it to be exactly one millimeter (0.040in), he concluded that the nut had reached the end of its service life and issued a work card ordering its replacement. The horrific crash killed all 88 people on board and raised troubling questions about one of Americas largest airlines. It might be mechanical damage too. Traveling with Colleen Whorley in Mexico, he e-mailed a friend poetic descriptions of their time together. Well see you at the gate. This would be the last transmission between flight 261 and Alaska Airlines maintenance. Stepping on the rudder pedals while upside down was no easy task. Let me just try it, Tansky said, offering to take over the strenuous task of holding the plane level. And so it was that on a sunny day in January 2000, 83 passengers and five crew boarded Alaska Airlines flight 261 in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, bound for San Francisco, California. Were pretty busy up here working this situation. In December of 1998 the federal government launched a criminal investigation into Alaska Airlines, seizing documents and interviewing witnesses. It disappeared from view and witnesses saw a plume of black smoke. She edited the Floating Homes Association newsletter. His attorney, Dyke Huish, said Arnston had a perfect safety record over his nearly 30-year career, and never tested positive for alcohol before that incident. As Fred Miller, father of crash victim Abby Miller-Busche, put it in a 2003 interview, It seems like such an unholy type of loss. Neither the electric switches (which the pilots called pickle switches) nor the fully manual trim handles (referred to as the suitcase handles) could move the stabilizer. Ileana Ost, 30, San Bruno, Calif.She had just returned to work at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter in San Francisco after four months of maternity leave following the birth of her first child, Emily. Indeed, all seemed normal as flight 261 climbed out from Puerto Vallarta, heading for its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet. The two worked together several years at the Roy Potter Insurance Agency. On the 31st of January 2000, an Alaska Airlines MD-83 bound for San Francisco suddenly plunged from the sky off the coast of California, spiraling downward until it slammed into the Pacific Ocean. The trim might be, and then it might be uh, if somethings popped back there. Meanwhile, N963AS continued to fly, and maintenance workers continued to grease the jackscrew every eight months. Morris Thompson, 62, Fairbanks, AlaskaAn advocate for Alaska natives, he was celebrating his retirement after 12 years as president of Doyon, Ltd., a multimillion dollar Alaska Native regional corporation. Possibly. She loved golf as much as her husband, Rodrigo. How should I dress my baby in a 70 degree room at night? At that moment they effectively were dead. The Safety Board found that this unsafe inspection interval was only approved indirectly by the FAA. WebLoosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, the film stars Denzel Washington as William "Whip" Whitaker Sr., an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. In 1991, after posting a record loss of $121 million, the companys business analysts concluded that to remain competitive, Alaska Airlines needed to reduce expenses. Are we flying? he said. Who is the girl in the opening scene of flight? Instead it went the other way., What do you think. But neither of the applicable checklists said anything about landing at the nearest available airport, and by the time they finished the checklists and leveled off at 31,000 feet, minimal effort was required to keep the plane flying level. What a hard way to die: so an airline can make more money., ________________________________________________________________. Okay, give me sl see, this is a bitch! said Thompson. A member of Ski Patrol, he was known to friends as Pat. Technical logs fell through the cracks; critical forms were left incomplete; paperwork was outright falsified to show work done when it was not. A ground-service agent for Horizon Air, she was outgoing and athletic, an avid volleyball player who hoped to become a personal trainer. Russell was traveling with his companion, Jean Permison, and her family. The only layer of protection against a catastrophe was therefore the assumption that poorly trained, low-paid maintenance workers would apply enough grease. It looks like hes turning hes turning over in front of you now, said the controller. And at the same time, the increased inspection interval meant that it was now possible for a jackscrew nut to pass an inspection, later receive inadequate lubrication, and then wear down to the point of failure, all before the next inspection came around. He won commendations from a booster group for the action. What I want to do is get the nose up, and then let the nose fall through and see if we can stab it when its unloaded. It was his belief that the stabilizer might move nose up if there was no aerodynamic force pushing it upward into the nose down position. Flight 261 was traveling from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2000 when a mechanical malfunction inverted the jet and sent it downward off the Ventura County coast. 2. But as the airline began cutting costs over the following decade, one of the areas that got put on the chopping block was maintenance. In 1996, Alaska Airlines applied to the FAA to extend the interval between its C-checks from 13 months to 15 months. Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. Russel Ing, 28, SeattleA visual-arts graduate who worked in graphic design for Kinkos in Woodinville, Mr. Ing won awards for his photography. But this very success may have planted the seeds of the disaster which followed. Clemetson was traveling with her husband, Dr. David Clemetson and their family. Please enter valid email address to continue. Flight 261 was traveling from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2000 when a mechanical malfunction inverted the jet and sent it downward off the Ventura County coast. During the 1990s, low-cost competitors such as MarkAir in Alaska and Southwest Airlines in the Pacific Northwest began trying to undercut Alaskas more traditional fare model on numerous core routes. Toni Choate, 48, San FranciscoHe had been a general contractor and cabinet finisher in Visalia, Calif., then bought a bar in Santa Clara, Calif. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. After four days in the woods, they were rescued and taken to Boise Memorial. Only by applying a continuous maximum nose up elevator input on his control column, a task which required enormous physical effort, was Captain Thompson able to maintain level flight. Meghann Hall, 19, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she had considered a career in sports medicine or coaching. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The pilot of an airplane in a fatal Alaska crash had six times the legal limit of alcohol in his system for flying, according to federal investigators. WebAnswer (1 of 11): If the pilots of Alaska Airlines 261 had known exactly what was wrong, is there anyway they could have salvaged the situation? Before the flight, he told a friend that Weimer, an airline transport pilot, would be at the controls for the short sightseeing trip, according to the NTSB report. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not WebAnswer (1 of 11): If the pilots of Alaska Airlines 261 had known exactly what was wrong, is there anyway they could have salvaged the situation? Allen Friedmann, 48, Round Lake Beach, Ill.A marathon runner remembered for being a good neighbor in his Chicago suburb, Mr. Friedmann is survived by his wife, a daughter, 16, and a son, 5. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Uh, you getting full nose trim down but are you getting any you dont get no nose trim up, is that correct? maintenance asked. Robert Thorgrimson, 63, PoulsboA special-education teacher for North Kitsap School District, Mr. Thorgrimson was known as a sincere man who helped save the local chapter of DeMolay, the Masons club for boys. I didnt want to call you guys, said the flight attendant, but that girl theyre like, you better go up there and tell them., I need you strapped in, dear, said Thompson, cause Im going to release the back pressure and see if I can get it back.. Gotta get it over again said Thompson. For comparison, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, it is illegal for adults to operate motor vehicles with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher in the state of California; that percentage drops to 0.04 percent for those operating commercial vehicles. Friends said she was shy but very gentle and loving. Ah, here we go, said Captain Thompson, uttering the last words captured on the cockpit voice recorder. The US aviation industry has nevertheless managed to go a long time without another major crash, but as for whether something like Alaska 261 could happen again well, never say never. It got worse, okay. Violent vibrations shook the airplane. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. Watching the death throes of flight 261, the SkyWest pilot told controllers, Yeah, hes inverted., Okay, said the controller, apprehension evident in his voice. Said the friend: Monte will always be an inspiration to stop myself from jumping in the rat race, to take the moment, to take it all in.. He worked at Travel Trends in San Francisco, and was traveling with a friend, James Luque. But we will be going into LAX, and Id anticipate us parking there in about twenty to thirty minutes.. Under the terms of the plea agreement unveiled Tuesday, he will serve one year and a day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to the plea agreement obtained by CNN. Russell and Permison lived in a retirement community where they were beloved for their lively parties and volunteer work. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members.Were the bodies of Flight 261 recovered? He lived in Brier with his partner, Charlene Sipe. Not that I want to go on about it you know, it just blows me away they think were gonna land, theyre gonna fix it, now theyre worried about the flow. It can be interpreted (and alcoholics often reverse the order in their mind) that he therefore feels lost and is drinking and using drugs to run away from that sadness. Joyce Lake, 62, Corte Madera, Calif.She was the top seller at a local real-estate brokerage, an avid community activist and mother of three grown sons. She was a first-grader at Hay Elementary. At 15:55, the dispatcher returned with wind speeds, wind directions, and runway conditions at San Francisco and Los Angeles. Possibly. Joan Smith, 53, Belmont, Calif.A manager of a San Francisco medical office, she had been called home on business from a monthlong vacation with her son, Jesse, and her daughter, Holly, whom she left behind in Mexico. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He is a resident of Newport Beach, California. Patty Williams, 63, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyMrs. Still flying inverted, the plane leveled further, to nine degrees nose down. Miles Clemetson, 6, SeattleThe son of Carolyn Clemetson from a previous marriage, Miles attended John Hay Elementary School on Queen Anne Hill with his stepsisters. James Ryan, 30, PortlandA flight attendant for Alaska, James Ryan turned 30 the day the family left for Mexico. Thorgrimson, a founding partner of a prominent Seattle-based law firm. A big, huge plunge, thank you, said the controller. Luque had worked at Taste Catering in San Francisco since 1994. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. Salt of the earth, said one who knew him. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content Then in 1999 Alaska Airlines retaliated against John Liotine, putting him on indefinite leave from his job and circulating false rumors about him; the airline sought to portray him in the media as a disgruntled employee who wanted to get back at supervisors who passed him over for promotion. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! WebLoosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, the film stars Denzel Washington as William "Whip" Whitaker Sr., an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. You got it? Many things can cause at least the start of a dive from a pilot suffering a heart attack and slumping onto the control column to a failure of the motor used to help raise and lower the nose. It really wants to pitch down., Alaska two six one, said the controller, Say your condition?, Two six one, we are at 24,000 feet, kinda stabilized, said Thompson.