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SkyWest 5154, you still got your eyes on him, sir?. Hes ah, down.. 13 months later. 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. In September of 1997, maintenance workers in Oakland performed the aforementioned test on N963AS and found a wear depth of exactly one millimeter. I think if its controllable, we ought to just try and land it, said Tansky. It was on board Alaska Airlines flight 261 from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco on the 31st of January 2000 that this sequence of events that had been years in the making finally came to its terrifying conclusion. Dr. David Clemetson, 40, SeattleA specialist in infectious diseases, Dr. Clemetson was traveling with his wife, Carolyn Clemetson, and the couples four blended-family children, Coriander, Blake, Miles and Spencer Clemetson. Gotta get it over again said Thompson. Technical logs fell through the cracks; critical forms were left incomplete; paperwork was outright falsified to show work done when it was not. Many workers who greased jackscrews didnt apply additional grease to the screw itself after greasing the nut. 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. Terry Ryan, 55, RedmondMr. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Both were Alaskan natives. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. 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. Another pilot reports hes really looking pretty bad there, ahead and to your right, do you see him?, Yes sir, I concur, said the SkyWest pilot, He is definitely in a nose down position descending quite rapidly., Flight 261 started to corkscrew, pirouetting and rolling inverted as it fell. More importantly, investigators felt that the pilots should not have attempted to troubleshoot the problem after exhausting the procedures in the checklist, considering that they didnt know the extent of the damage. Were pretty busy up here working this situation. But airline dispatchers in Seattle were less keen on this idea and preferred that flight 261 continue to San Francisco as scheduled. They had run out of altitude. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. Alaska Airlines flight AS261 crashed on January 31, 2000, about 1621 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines, Inc., flight AS261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS : it crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California.. The state medical examiner found the cause of Weimers death was injuries from the crash but also that alcohol intoxication may be viewed as a factor contributing to death., Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Some did still less, failing even to ensure that grease totally filled the inside of the nut. Grace Pearson, 23 months, SeattleLittle Grace Pearson was traveling with her parents, Sarah and Rodney Pearson, and her sister, Rachel. Arnston had worked for Alaska Airlines since 1987, along with Jet America prior to its merger with Alaska Airlines, Huish said. And therein lay the problem: throughout the period leading up to the crash, Alaska Airlines slowly removed all the procedural layers of redundancy which were designed to prevent the jackscrew from deteriorating to the point of failure. There is a long-held belief in many cultures that the number 13 is unlucky. Spencer Clemetson, 6 months, SeattleA peaceful baby, Spencer blended the new Clemetson family, with older sisters Coriander and Blake on his fathers side, and brother Miles on his mothers side. The charge of operating a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs carries a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. The problem was that with insufficient grease, the threads on the nut began to wear down at an accelerated rate. 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. The seemingly simple task of greasing the jackscrew was not immune to this degradation of the maintenance environment. 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 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. Ronald Lake, 59, Corte Madera, Calif.He was the husband of Joyce Lake, father of three adult sons and an avid traveler. The flight, eventually bound for Seattle, crashed off the California coast on Jan. 31, 2000. CNN has reached out to Alaska Airlines for comment. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Paul Pulanco, 40, SeattleLike his partner, Craig Pulanco, Paul Pulanco was an animal lover and avid gardener. Let me just try it, Tansky said, offering to take over the strenuous task of holding the plane level. Jerri Fosmire, 48, Eugene, Ore.She was returning home early from a family vacation in Puerto Vallarta after suffering a back injury. You mean, use this again? Tansky asked, presumably pointing at the trim switches. 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? Jean Permison, 73, Scotts Valley, Calif.The mother of Ileana Ost, she had gone with her family for a long-awaited vacation celebrating her 73rd birthday. You got it? Meghann Hall, 19, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she had considered a career in sports medicine or coaching. Weve run just about everything. Traveling with Colleen Whorley in Mexico, he e-mailed a friend poetic descriptions of their time together. 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. A former Alaska Airlines pilot will spend a year behind bars for flying intoxicated at three times over the legal limit in June 2014. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. 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. Charles Weimer, 31, and three others died in the Aug. 4 crash near Girdwood, a ski town in the municipality of Anchorage. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was traveling with William Bryant, his best friend. The horrific crash killed all 88 people on board and raised troubling questions about one of Americas largest airlines. Four minutes later, a warning light illuminated to inform the crew that the autopilot was unable to move the stabilizer. First Officer William Tansky, 57, Alameda, Calif.The co-pilot on Flight 261, he was two years from retirement. 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. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. He was an outgoing, friendly first-grader. 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. The turn of the millennium had just come and gone, and the future again seemed limitless. Key safety-related positions within the airlines management structure went unfilled. His son soon after comes to visit him, asking to interview him for a report, to find out more about his father, whom it seems has been absent through much of his life. On every level, it was a tragedy that did not need to happen and to this day, it serves as a grim example of the depths to which an airline may fall when oversight becomes too thinly stretched. According to the official maintenance manual, greasing the jackscrew involved three main steps. Increasing the interval between lubrications meant that every lubrication had to be done correctly in order to prevent accelerated wear and tear. He was coming home from Mexico with his girlfriend, Nina Voronoff. Mrs. Busche grew up near Bow, Skagit County, near Mount Vernon. How should I dress my baby in a 70 degree room at night? Uh, its a lot worse than it was? Tansky asked. It added dozens of new routes, expanded to a large number of new cities, and even added services to Mexico in order to offset the seasonal nature of its flights to Alaska. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. As Thompson fought with all his might to regain control, Tansky shouted Mayday! but forgot to key his mic. 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.. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. Bermudez was a firefighter who helped save the life of a person trapped inside a burning building in 1988. James Jay Luque, 40, San FranciscoMr. Over the next couple minutes, the pilots found the plane to be reasonably stable at lower speeds. He was a vice president of business development for Creditland, Inc. 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. 2023 Cable News Network. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. It was not designed to handle that kind of pressure, and over those ten minutes, it started to fracture. 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. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. For the relatives of the victims, this fact made it all the more important that Alaska Airlines pay for its negligence. This was not one of those cases. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. How should I dress my baby in 69 degrees? As flight 261 climbed through 23,400 feet at approximately 13:49 that day, the badly worn threads started to tear away from the nut, wrapping themselves around the jackscrew and causing the stabilizer to jam. According to the plea agreement, both breathalyzer tests performed on Arnston were well above the federal limit of 0.04 percent for pilots, indicating blood alcohol concentrations of 0.134 and 0.142 percent, over three times the legal limit. 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. Video Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk - ABC News Jimmy Carter Kellie Pickler's husband dies Georgia shooting Escaped NYC zoo owl Tesla union launch Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk Authorities say 60-year-old David Hans Arnston flew drunk twice in one day. 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. Keep in mind that the pitch of the stabilizer itself is actually inverse to the pitch of the airplane.). Okay, well, your discretion, said maintenance. Carol Karlsson, 42, Petaluma, Calif.Wife of Karl Karlsson, she was fun-loving and cheerful. Therefore the interval between jackscrew inspections was effectively increased from 26 to 30 months without the FAA spending a single minute looking into whether or not this was appropriate. In order to catch abnormal wear before it escalated to the point of failure, MD-80 operators regularly inspected their stabilizer jackscrew nuts to ensure that the wear remained within limits. All of these factors could have contributed to their decision to troubleshoot a problem that was best left alone. If youve got any hidden circuit breakers wed love to know about em. Over the next couple minutes the pilots reported to maintenance that electrical current was present when they activated the trim motors, but that the motors nevertheless could not move the stabilizer. However, the plane ran into a streak of at least two or three grease applications that were not done correctly, including one in September 1999 by a notorious San Francisco-based mechanic who was later found to have applied virtually no grease to any of the jackscrews he worked on. In December of 1998 the federal government launched a criminal investigation into Alaska Airlines, seizing documents and interviewing witnesses. That was the last time anyone ever measured the wear on the jackscrew nut on N963AS. The longer it went without being greased properly, the faster the jackscrew wore down the threads on the nut. They had no way of knowing at this stage that the problem was mechanical in nature. Collins said the bodies recovered were those of an infant, two women and a man. Described as the mother hen of the block, Mrs. Pearson was the block-party organizer and Christmas-party hostess. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. You got it?. First published on January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM. And more than 21 years after the crash of flight 261, it is far from clear that the FAA is any less understaffed than it was when it let safety at Alaska Airlines fall to pieces at the cost of 88 lives. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. Indeed, by the end of the 1990s, what had once been a small regional carrier had successfully transformed itself into one of Americas largest airlines. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. In 2014, Arntson flew two Alaska Airlines flights, the first leg from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, followed by a second trip from Portland to Orange County, California, according to the criminal complaint. And so began a slash-and-burn cost-cutting campaign a campaign that culminated in a terrible black mark which will forever hang over the company, a tragedy so horrible and so preventable that it would call the safety of the entire industry into question. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? On the basis of these measurements, the shift supervisors overruled Liotines earlier work order and cleared the plane to fly. Also killed was the airplanes owner, Karl Erickson, 55, and David Osborn, 60, both of Girdwood, and Paul Wiley, 37, of Superior, Arizona. When he landed in Orange County, he was selected for random drug and alcohol testing, according to a statement from the US Attorneys Office. The FAA approved the extension without assessing the effect this would have on individual inspection tasks that were tied to the C-check interval. Russell was traveling with his companion, Jean Permison, and her family. Larry Baldridge Jr., 34, Novato, Calif.A businessman with a knack for the Internet, he was working to set up venture-capital business with Michael Schwab, the son of legendary brokerage leader Charles Schwab. Barbara Ryan, 54, RedmondBorn in Alabama, Mrs. Ryan worked in marketing for SmithKline Beecham Cinical Laboratories. All large airplanes have what is referred to as a trimmable horizontal stabilizer. An Athabascan Indian, he grew up in Alaskas interior. She grew up in Sacramento. What temperature outside is unsafe for babies? Anjesh Prasad, 19, BurienA 1998 Highline High School graduate and dedicated sports fan, he worked as a ground service agent for Horizon Air. 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. Sarah Pearson, 36, SeattleWith her husband, Rodney Pearson, and their children, Rachel and Grace, she was vacationing with friends and Queen Anne neighbors, the Clemetsons. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. She was a food-and-beverage agent for Alaskas sister airline, Horizon Air. In hindsight, the crew should have turned around and immediately landed back in Puerto Vallarta. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Video of the flight as well as the cockpit voice recorder confirm this. 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 following is a list of some of the victims of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Who was the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 261? With the jackscrew completely separated from the nut, aerodynamic forces acting on the stabilizer pushed it up beyond the normal full nose down position, halting only when the mechanical stop on the bottom of the jackscrew slammed into the nut. The single mother of a daughter, Hailey, and an avid fitness buff, she was an attendant with the crew of Flight 261.Looo. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane Los Angeles controllers gave flight 261 permission to approach the airport, but Thompson asked to stay out over the ocean while they tested the controllability of their airplane. Less than one second later, Alaska Airlines flight 261 slammed into the Pacific Ocean, obliterating the aircraft and instantly killing all 88 people on board. 4:39 PM EST, Thu February 8, 2018. By now the plane had leveled out at about 23,500 feet, after plunging 7,500 feet in 80 seconds. Had it been inspected after 7,200 flight hours instead of 9,550, the excessive wear would have been discovered before the crash. That plane just started to do a big, huge plunge, said one pilot. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Consequences of Flying Drunk So what happens when a pilot is arrested for flying under the influence? Captain Thompson argued that conditions would be more suitable for landing at Los Angeles, and the dispatcher admitted that the reason they preferred San Francisco was because a diversion would disrupt flow, worsening mounting delays in Alaskas flight schedule. Thompson continued to think about ways to unjam the stabilizer. The airline ended up being fined a mere $44,000 for allowing planes to fly 840 times without properly completed maintenance records. At that moment they effectively were dead. 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. For Linious Mac McGee, 1932 marked the beginning of a new way of life, and steady work. Stokes had three college-age children, as well as a brother in Seattle and a sister in Alaska. It went down, it went to full nose down.. But they would tend to be more short-lived or there are easy ways for pilots to counteract such failures, he said. Less than one second later, Alaska Airlines flight 261 slammed into the Pacific Ocean, obliterating the aircraft and instantly killing all 88 people on board. And then, as the plane passed through 23,400 feet, a warning light flicked on in the cockpit: AUTOPILOT TRIM, it said. Both Captain Thompson and First Officer Tansky posthumously received the Air Line Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism. Carolyn Clemetson, 31, SeattleMrs. But over the next two decades, Alaska Airlines pursued an aggressive strategy of expansion, aiming to become an affordable option for travelers throughout the Western United States. Web3.3M views 1 year ago Air Alaska Flight 261 dives into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing the 88 passengers and crew on board. KTLA 5 adds that Arnston will also have to pay a $10,000 fine, in addition. She was traveling with her former college classmates. The tangled remnants of the threads from the nut remained wrapped around the jackscrew, wordlessly telling the story of how the stabilizer failed. 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. 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. Stasinos was a longtime Seattle insurance agent and an active member of the Seattle-area Greek community. Rescue vessels raced to the crash site three kilometers east of Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, hoping to find survivors. Sheryl Thompson, 33, Valdez, AlaskaTraveling with her parents, Morris and Thelma Thompson, Ms. Thompson was an important figure in extreme skiing in Valdez, helping organize annual events. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. We did both the pickle switches and the suitcase handles, he told the maintenance technician, and it ran away full nose trim down., And now were in a pinch, Thompson continued, so were holding, uh, were worse than we were.. McRorys restaurants. Yeah, no, said Thompson. For the next few minutes, they calculated landing weights and center of gravity and other values while controllers in Los Angeles prepared to accommodate them. 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.