Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But as the airline began cutting costs over the following decade, one of the areas that got put on the chopping block was maintenance. He was coming home with his wife, Carol. Lives would have been saved if they had. 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. 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. Market data provided by Factset. An airliner cannot truly fly upside down maintaining level flight in such a condition is essentially impossible, and the engines will quickly die but if anyone ever came close, it was Captain Thompson and First Officer Tansky as they heroically tried to save their stricken aircraft, even after all hope was lost. 2023 Cable News Network. Mr. Sparks was a guard on his schools varsity basketball team, and is remembered as a champion of the underdog who stood up for less-popular classmates. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. She and Monte Donaldson had just bought a home and planned to be married, then honeymoon in Ireland and Bali. (Alaska specifically did this every 30 months, or 9,550 flight hours.) Rescue vessels raced to the crash site three kilometers east of Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, hoping to find survivors. / CBS News. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? 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? 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. 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. or redistributed. When the stabilizer moves upward, downforce on the tail decreases, and the nose pitches down; similarly, when the stabilizer moves downward, downforce increases, and the nose pitches up. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Lets do that. Thompson attempted to move the stabilizer trim using either the electrical switches, the trim handles, or both, in an effort to clear the jam. Legal Statement. Having decided not to touch the trim system anymore, the crew now performed some final tests of the airplanes low speed handling. 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. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? He was traveling with his wife, Barbara Ryan, and their sons, Bradford Patrick Ryan and James Ryan, and five friends of James Ryan. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. An Athabascan Indian, he grew up in Alaskas interior. The tangled remnants of the threads from the nut remained wrapped around the jackscrew, wordlessly telling the story of how the stabilizer failed. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? I think the stab trim thing is broke, said Thompson. At Alaska Airlines, our roots trace back to the Great Depression and the resourcefulness of Mac McGee. You have the airplane. 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. Barbara Hatleberg, 64, Eugene, Ore.The wife of Glenn Hatleburg, mother of three and grandmother of two, she was retired but used her skills at accounting and finance to volunteer in the office of her church. 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. Bradley Long, 39, SacramentoA successful real estate broker, Mr. Long was flying home from visiting the bed-and-breakfast inn he owned in Puerto Vallarta with his partner, William Knudson. 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. Bob Williams, 65, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyHe was a builder who served on the Poulsbo city Planning Commission. James Jay Luque, 40, San FranciscoMr. It got worse, okay. Violent vibrations shook the airplane. Do smaller potatoes take less time to bake. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not 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. For the relatives of the victims, this fact made it all the more important that Alaska Airlines pay for its negligence. Push and roll! Thompson shouted, trying to coordinate with Tansky to roll the plane right-side-up. Ted Thompson, 53, Redlands, Calif.The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. Visit r/admiralcloudberg to read and discuss over 190 similar articles. 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. The co-pilot also recalled Arntson saying "I bet it's for me.". The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. 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. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The Safety Board also examined the design of the jackscrew itself, and found that it probably didnt meet certification standards. First, pressurized grease was to be injected into a special tube on the nut until it filled all the thread gaps between the nut and the jackscrew and started to bulge out the top. How should I dress my baby in 69 degrees? AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER BITTEN BY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER ON PLANE, LAWSUIT CLAIMS. 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. Ellen Masland Salyer, 51, Sebastopol, Calif.She was an active community volunteer who was dedicated to various organizations, including the Boy Scouts. After Alaska Airlines received the test results it removed Arntson from all safety-sensitive duties. 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. 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. Long story short: the result of an investigation into drinking before a flight is typically career-ending. Shortly after the accident, Liotine discovered that the jackscrew nut he had inspected in 1997 was not in fact replaced and had actually gone on to cause the crash. But when we slowed down lets slow it, lets get it down to two hundred knots and see what happens., Now Thompson and Tansky slowed down and deployed the flaps and slats, simulating a landing configuration, to make sure the plane would be controllable on final approach. The jackscrew is one of the few components of the MD-80 series that does not have a redundant backup in case of failure. 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. Yeah, no, said Thompson. The controller granted the block altitude. If done correctly, the process took about four hours. But mostly he loved his wife, his grown son, golf and travel. But there was nothing to be done. Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He had flown for four decades and worked for Alaska Airlines since 1985. Instead, all they could find was an oil slick and some light floating debris. Collins said the bodies recovered were those of an infant, two women and a man. Hes in sight, hes, uh, definitely out of control, said the SkyWest pilot. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. 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. Yes sir, he he hit the water, said the SkyWest pilot, his voice nearly cracking. She was a food-and-beverage agent for Alaskas sister airline, Horizon Air. 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. He was remembered for being a friendly neighbor and loving owner of two golden retrievers, Casey and Emma, and he loved to play the clarinet. Quality control fell by the wayside as workers performed tasks they didnt understand, while under pressure to get planes back in service as quickly as possible. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. Blake Clemetson, 7, SeattleBlake was Corianders younger sister, the daughter of Dr. David Clemetson and his first wife, Dr. Claire Barnett. Carolyn Clemetson, 31, SeattleMrs. This was not one of those cases. Thompson was traveling with her husband, Morris Thompson, and daughter, Sheryl Thompson. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Push push push, push the blue side up!, Okay, now lets kick rudder, left rudder, left rudder. At 15:49, after flying for two hours with a jammed stabilizer, Thompson and Tansky contacted Alaskas Seattle maintenance base for advice. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. On board flight 261, Captain Thompson vented to First Officer Tansky: Drives me nuts, he said. On the basis of these measurements, the shift supervisors overruled Liotines earlier work order and cleared the plane to fly. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. Over time, this minute difference will cause the jackscrew to wear away the threads on the nut if metal-on-metal contact is allowed to occur. Numerous people saw the plane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it turned and descended. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. 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. 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. And then, as the plane passed through 23,400 feet, a warning light flicked on in the cockpit: AUTOPILOT TRIM, it said. Finally, at 16:19 and 21 seconds, the stop gave way with a faint thump. Yeah, we are out of 26,000 feet, we are in a vertical dive not a dive yet, but uh, weve lost vertical control of our airplane., However, slowly but surely, Thompson and Tansky started to rein in their excessive speed and flatten out the slope of the dive. In theory this was adequate, but only if the grease was applied correctly every time. WebAlaska Airlines Flight 261 was a flight from Licenciado Gustavo Daz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, to SeattleTacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington, United States, with an intermediate stop at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. He once owned the reknowned Blue Moon Tavern in the University District and the J & M Cafe in Pioneer Square. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, But we will be going into LAX, and Id anticipate us parking there in about twenty to thirty minutes.. Were pretty busy up here working this situation. The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. By this point the amount of force he needed to apply to the control column to keep the nose level was pushing him to the limit of his physical ability. It was the first sign that something was in fact gravely wrong with their airplane. Thats affirm, said Thompson. If they lost control again, he didnt want to endanger people on the ground. But after Liotine left for the night, the next shift and the shift supervisors decided to run the test again before taking his measurement at face value. First published on January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM. 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. 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. Weve run just about everything. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Consequences of Flying Drunk So what happens when a pilot is arrested for flying under the influence? She edited the Floating Homes Association newsletter. A former Alaska Airlines pilot will spend a year behind bars for flying intoxicated at three times over the legal limit in June 2014. Arnston was then removed from all safety-sensitive duties by Alaska Airlines, and he retired from employment with the carrier after a 20-plus year career as a captain, KTLA reports. 13 months later. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. She was traveling with her fiance, Malcolm Branson. The result was a chronic problem of Alaska Airlines MD-80s with poorly greased jackscrews. Yeah, I heard it, said Thompson. You mean, use this again? Tansky asked, presumably pointing at the trim switches. I dont know, my adrenalines going, said Thompson. William Bryant, 45, San FranciscoMr. It was really tough there for a while.. 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. Lorna Thorgrimson, 52, PoulsboTraveling with her husband, Robert Thorgrimson, Mrs. Thorgrimson was also accompanied by her close friends, Patty and Bob Williams. The whole episode must have left him a bitter man although unlike most whistleblowers, he did manage to restart his career in the industry. 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. Were flying were flying tell em what were doing.. The crew scrambled to react to the massive upset. Okay, give me sl see, this is a bitch! said Thompson. The airline ended up being fined a mere $44,000 for allowing planes to fly 840 times without properly completed maintenance records. The only layer of protection against a catastrophe was therefore the assumption that poorly trained, low-paid maintenance workers would apply enough grease. The single mother of a daughter, Hailey, and an avid fitness buff, she was an attendant with the crew of Flight 261.Looo. 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.. The basic design of the stabilizer is relatively simple. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. 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. Anjesh Prasad, 19, BurienA 1998 Highline High School graduate and dedicated sports fan, he worked as a ground service agent for Horizon Air. The pilots pulled back as hard as they could on their control columns and deployed the flaps to try and slow down, but their efforts were utterly hopeless. 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. And because of the increased interval between applications of new grease, a jackscrew with insufficient grease couldnt expect to see more until the plane had been in the air for another 2,250 hours. Jerri Fosmire, 48, Eugene, Ore.She was returning home early from a family vacation in Puerto Vallarta after suffering a back injury.
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