The crew scrambled to react to the massive upset. The FAA approved the extension without assessing the effect this would have on individual inspection tasks that were tied to the C-check interval. Janice Stokes, 48, Ketchikan, AlaskaMs. She grew up in Sacramento. 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. When greased regularly, the nut on the MD-80 series is designed to last for 30,000 flight hours before requiring replacement long enough that most planes will see only two or three different jackscrew nuts during their entire time in service. The two worked together several years at the Roy Potter Insurance Agency. The basic design of the stabilizer is relatively simple. Seeking opportunity during the Great Depression, he stowed away on an Alaska-bound steamship hoping to find better times. Salt of the earth, said one who knew him. Described as the mother hen of the block, Mrs. Pearson was the block-party organizer and Christmas-party hostess. Linda Knight, 51, MonroeLinda Knight, co-pastor and missionary with her husband, Joe Knight, overcame her fear of public speaking by practicing while standing on a stump in her yard. This is still a search for human life. 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. Michael Bernard, 30, SeattleA music lover, Mr. Bernard owned four guitars and cut a compact disc of original rock songs for his parents, Paul and Irene Bernard of Kirkland. The Knights, who had recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary at the time of the crash, began their ministry with Bible readings in their home in 1978. Airlines Flight 261 Okay, right rudder, right rudder, said Thompson. After the June 2014 incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilots license, the US Attorneys Office said. 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. pilot No survivors from Flight 261 have been found. Profiles of Alaska Flight 261 victims Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk Jacquelyn Choate, 17, Santa Cruz, Calif.She was returning from a vacation with her father, Toni Choate. 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. As far as the pilots were concerned, the electric motors had probably seized and they could fly on to San Francisco without trimming the stabilizer. I cant reach it! said Tansky. First Officer William (Bill) Tansky, 57, had 8,140 total flight hours, including about 8,060 hours as first officer in the MD-80. He once owned the reknowned Blue Moon Tavern in the University District and the J & M Cafe in Pioneer Square. Busche was traveling with his wife, Abigail Busche, whom he met when they were students at Western Washington. Consequences of Flying Drunk So what happens when a pilot is arrested for flying under the influence? Both Captain Thompson and First Officer Tansky posthumously received the Air Line Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism. 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. 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. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content View on timesmachine. Alaska Flight 261 He is survived by his wife of five years, Susan da Silva. Minimum first-time offenses include fines, possible jail time and mantadory alcohol treatment classes, among other penalties. Stacy Schuyler, 20, Federal WayA ground-service agent for Horizon Air, Ms. Schuyler was a 1997 graduate of Puyallup High School. Russell was traveling with his companion, Jean Permison, and her family. Terry Ryan, 55, RedmondMr. He was with his wife, Ileana, their 4-month-old daughter, Emily, and his mother and her longtime companion. First published on January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM. The last minutes of those on board the doomed MD-83 would have been sheer hell, as the plane went inverted, corkscrewed, pirouetted, and spun like a top during its final dive. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported . Uh, its a lot worse than it was? Tansky asked. Hes in sight, hes, uh, definitely out of control, said the SkyWest pilot. Pilot Error In Alaska 261 Mrs. Busche grew up near Bow, Skagit County, near Mount Vernon. 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 rec room at the Karlsson home featured a jukebox, a pinball machine and a bumper-pool table. You mean, use this again? Tansky asked, presumably pointing at the trim switches. He then flew a plane from Portland, Oregon, to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Arntson's co-pilot on the two flights remembered seeing the drug tester when the plane landed at John Wayne Airport, according to the complaint. During the course of the investigation and in its final report, the NTSB issued a large number of recommendations, including that the lubrication procedure for the MD-80 series jackscrew be revised; that a more accurate method of measuring wear on the jackscrew be developed; that maintenance technicians be specifically taught how to grease and inspect jackscrews; that the FAA not approve lubrication interval extensions without the airline providing supporting data; that all airlines be surveyed to ensure compliance with jackscrew lubrication procedures; that a bulletin be issued instructing pilots not to troubleshoot inoperative flight controls; that maintenance personnel and dispatchers be trained not to suggest continuation of a flight that is experiencing a major malfunction; that the jackscrew be made easier for maintenance workers to access; that an inspector be required to sign off on every lubrication of the jackscrew; that all maintenance intervals for critical components be re-examined based on data analysis to ensure that they are not too long; that the application process for maintenance interval changes be reformed; that MD-80 series jackscrew inspections be made on a tighter schedule; that some failsafe mechanism be incorporated to ensure the redundancy of the MD-80 jackscrew; and that the FAA ensure future stabilizer designs cant have a single point of failure. He was traveling with William Bryant, his best friend. (Alaska specifically did this every 30 months, or 9,550 flight hours.) 2. But there was nothing to be done. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. 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. Arntson was selected for random drug and alcohol testing by Alaska Airlines at at John Wayne Airport after landing. Possibly. Push and roll! Thompson shouted, trying to coordinate with Tansky to roll the plane right-side-up. 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. 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. He came to America from Fiji when he was 17 months old. Former owner of a travel business, she was a very giving person, friends said, and was working toward a masters degree in art therapy. Okay, well, your discretion, said maintenance. He was traveling with his wife, Patty Williams and their friends Bob and Lorna Thorgrimson. Video of the flight as well as the cockpit voice recorder confirm this. As investigators recovered more and more of the plane from the ocean floor, a troubling picture of the sequence of events began to emerge. The co-pilot also recalled Arntson saying "I bet it's for me.". The airline ended up being fined a mere $44,000 for allowing planes to fly 840 times without properly completed maintenance records. Yeah, no, said Thompson. Flight (2012 film You want to try it or not?, Keying the public address system, Captain Thompson announced, Folks, we have had a flight control problem up front here; were working it Uh, thats Los Angeles off to the right there, thats where were intending to go. It was really tough there for a while.. 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. Had it been inspected after 7,200 flight hours instead of 9,550, the excessive wear would have been discovered before the crash. 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. The pilots decided that Los Angeles looked better. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. 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. A flight attendant opened the cockpit door, and Captain Thompson briefed her on the situation. All rights reserved. A cacophony of banging and roaring filled the cockpit. This article is written without reference to and supersedes the original. 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. You heard it in the back? Tansky asked. Grace Pearson, 23 months, SeattleLittle Grace Pearson was traveling with her parents, Sarah and Rodney Pearson, and her sister, Rachel. The legal limit for operating a commercial plane is a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent or higher. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. Meghann Hall, 19, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she had considered a career in sports medicine or coaching. N963AS nearly made it anyway its next jackscrew inspection was scheduled for March 2000. He was a favored friend in the neighborhood where he lived with his wife, Marilyn. Thorgrimson, a founding partner of a prominent Seattle-based law firm. Prosecutors said that Arnston was an alcoholic during at least a substantial portion" of his career, and concealed the fact from both the carrier and FAA. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for pilot David Hans Arntson's deal includes a year in federal prison, He'll also get three years of supervised release. Just do what you need to do there, SkyWest 5154. The Piper PA-22-150 left Girdwood at about 4:15 p.m. and crashed 15 minutes later in steep terrain on Goat Mountain, investigators said. Don Shaw, 63, SheltonAffable tour guide, Mr. Shaw was a fixture in the halls of the Legislature. The threads eventually lost up to 90% of their thickness, compared to 22% at the maximum wear depth of one millimeter. Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. Three seconds later, the fairing failed, and the stabilizer swung unimpeded on its hinge to a position of at least 14 degrees aircraft nose down. Visit r/admiralcloudberg to read and discuss over 190 similar articles. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. Yeah, we got it back under control here.. Salvage vessels had to be brought in to raise the rest of the plane from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not 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. AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER BITTEN BY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER ON PLANE, LAWSUIT CLAIMS. Im thinking, can it get any worse, but it probably can, he continued. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? However, Alaska Airlines maintenance personnel often did it in as little as one hour not because they found a more efficient way, but because they didnt understand the proper procedure and skipped some of the steps. It was no wonder, given these findings, why Alaska Airlines mechanics didnt know how to grease the jackscrew, and why nobody held them accountable for not doing so properly. Did it happen went in reverse? Tansky asked. Passengers and Crew Members on Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Born in Hawaii, Mr. Ing grew up on Mercer Island, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1990. What he liked best in life was family, said his longtime medical assistant. What temperature outside is unsafe for babies? The horrific crash killed all 88 people on board and raised troubling questions about one of Americas largest airlines. Alaska Airlines In September of 1997, maintenance workers in Oakland performed the aforementioned test on N963AS and found a wear depth of exactly one millimeter. Arnston had worked for Alaska Airlines since 1987, along with Jet America prior to its merger with Alaska Airlines, Huish said. The anger he must have felt is difficult to fathom. Within the next several minutes the pilots expected to pass abeam Los Angeles off the coast, and they were strongly considering a diversion to LAX, given that none of their troubleshooting had fixed the problem. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. He is survived by his wife, Earlene Shaw, who works at the state Senate cafeteria. 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. While Tansky held the plane steady, Thompson contacted LAX maintenance again. Russel Ing, 28, SeattleA visual-arts graduate who worked in graphic design for Kinkos in Woodinville, Mr. Ing won awards for his photography. January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM 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. Note: this accident was previously featured in episode 2 of the plane crash series on September 16th, 2017, prior to the series arrival on Medium. Described by friends as a soft-spoken, caring person, Ms. Thompson is survived by two sisters. In 1996, Alaska Airlines applied to the FAA to extend the interval between its C-checks from 13 months to 15 months. Its on the stop now, its on the stop, Thompson said. Keep us advised.. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. 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. Indeed, the final, terrifying dive was the culmination not just of hours of failed troubleshooting, but of years upon years of negligent maintenance, blatant corruption, and lax federal oversight, a deadly combination that led to an unprecedented failure of the stabilizer trim jackscrew one of the scariest malfunctions any flight crew has ever faced. We went to full nose down and Im afraid to try it again to see if we can get it to go in the other direction.. Although the exact identity of the Eskimo is unknown, some believe it to be the face of either Chester Seveck, a reindeer herder in Kotzebue, or Oliver Amouak, an Inupiat Eskimo. However, the pilots were clearly under pressure to continue on to San Francisco, and maintenance technicians and dispatchers on the ground did not appreciate the direness of the situation. Those operating commercial vehicles may face criminal penalties and license suspensions. Representatives for Alaska Airlines not immediately return Fox News request for comment. Well see you at the gate. This would be the last transmission between flight 261 and Alaska Airlines maintenance. Cynthia Oti, 43, Oakland, Calif.She was an investment broker who hosted a nightly radio show on investing on KSFO in San Francisco. Barbara Ryan, 54, RedmondBorn in Alabama, Mrs. Ryan worked in marketing for SmithKline Beecham Cinical Laboratories. Thompson was traveling with her husband, Morris Thompson, and daughter, Sheryl Thompson. The entire horizontal stabilizer assembly was now attached to the airplane only by the rear hinge. Over the next couple minutes, the pilots found the plane to be reasonably stable at lower speeds. Capt. Glenn Hatleberg, 65, Eugene, Ore.The husband of Barbara Hatleberg, retired father of three grown children and grandfather of two small girls, Mr. Hatleberg was beloved at his Lutheran church in Eugene, where he served as an usher during services. Uh, if you want to try it, thats ok with me, if not, thats fine. 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. Thelma Thompson, 56, Fairbanks, AlaskaMrs. Who is the man on the tail of Alaska Airlines planes? 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. Deborah Penna, 27, SeattleA fourth-year art student at Cornish College of the Arts, Ms. Penna was a multimedia artist known for her abstract paintings. Almost all of these recommendations were implemented. Rodrigo Laigo, 53, Fairfield, Calif.An engineer for Arco, he was traveling with his wife, Naomi, on one of their many golf vacations. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The logo was changed to an image of a smiling Eskimo, which remains today. The effect was immediate and catastrophic, as his inputs ripped out whatever threads remained on the jackscrew nut. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not An accountant with MPL2.com in Bellevue, he was traveling with the Ryan family and several friends. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. View on timesmachine. 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. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. Thompson continued to think about ways to unjam the stabilizer. At least upside down, were flying!. The report says that at levels above 0.15, individuals may have significant loss of muscle control and major loss of balance. At levels over 0.20, individuals may experience amnesia or blackouts and double vision.. 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. Ellen Masland Salyer, 51, Sebastopol, Calif.She was an active community volunteer who was dedicated to various organizations, including the Boy Scouts. 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. The pilots didnt want to discover on final approach that the plane was uncontrollable at low speeds. Traveling with Colleen Whorley in Mexico, he e-mailed a friend poetic descriptions of their time together. All rights reserved. William Bryant, 45, San FranciscoMr. Juan Marquez, 34, San FranciscoAn adult-education book salesman, he owned two condos in Puerto Vallarta with his partner, Dale Rettinger, and went there often to relax. That plane just started to do a big, huge plunge, said one pilot. pilots Rachel Pearson, 6, SeattleWith her parents, Sarah and Rodney Pearson, and little sister, Grace, Rachel was a part of the Queen Anne neighborhood for which her family was a mainstay. Alaska Airlines 261 Who was the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 261? It looks like hes turning hes turning over in front of you now, said the controller. She studied art in Chicago and on the East Coast before coming West. 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. The evidence indicates that he had flown with an alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, US Attorney Nicola T. Hanna said in a statement. Web19K views 2 years ago. She is survived by her mother, Dr. Claire Barnett of Seattle, a family-practice doctor. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? Meanwhile, N963AS continued to fly, and maintenance workers continued to grease the jackscrew every eight months. 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. Ballet lessons and cooperative day care were part of her life. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Upon deplaning in San Diego, he was randomly selected for drug and alcohol testing by the carrier. The FAAs special inspection report noted that the position of Director of Maintenance had gone unfilled since 1998; the Director of Operations position was empty; the Director of Safety was also the Director of Quality Control and the Director of Training and didnt report to high-level management; there was no maintenance training curriculum; on-the-job training was completely unstructured; the procedures in use didnt match those outlined in the maintenance manual; planes had been released from C-checks with paperwork incomplete; perishable and consumable materials had expired; shift turnover paperwork was missing, unsigned, or incomplete; work cards were not filled out properly; and more the list went on and on. The pilots were able to stabilize the plane, inverted, for less than a minute (with a 9pitch towards the ocean). 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. Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk Alaska Airlines We are at twenty three seven, request, uh, Thompson said to the controller. Flight (2012 film Alaska Flight 261 Pilots Awarded ALPA Gold Medal Finally, at 16:19 and 21 seconds, the stop gave way with a faint thump. Pilots Thompson and Tansky disconnected the autopilot to see what they were up against, and found that the stabilizer had jammed slightly nose down, requiring constant force on the elevators to overcome it and continue climbing. Indeed, all seemed normal as flight 261 climbed out from Puerto Vallarta, heading for its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet. pilot