A ground-service agent for Horizon Air, she was outgoing and athletic, an avid volleyball player who hoped to become a personal trainer. She and Monte Donaldson had just bought a home and planned to be married, then honeymoon in Ireland and Bali. When he landed in Orange County, he was selected for random drug and alcohol testing, according to a statement from the US Attorneys Office. 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. Ryan, who owned a commercial printing business, Copy Cat in Redmond, was an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. The single mother of a daughter, Hailey, and an avid fitness buff, she was an attendant with the crew of Flight 261.Looo. He lived with his mother in Oakland and spent much of his time caring for exotic birds, his koi pond and a garden. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. By trimming the stabilizer to (for example) a nose up position, the pilots or the autopilot can keep the plane in a steady climb without touching the controls at all. The couple was considering starting their own insurance agency. And many airlines have responded to this by simply missing row 13 in their seat numbering. At this point the checklist said Consider stab jammed, do not use autopilot, and offered a list of considerations to be made during landing. She is survived by her mother, Dr. Claire Barnett of Seattle, a family-practice doctor. 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. He grew up in Olympia. He had treated his cousins, Avinesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo, to a trip to Mexico. First Officer William Tansky, 57, Alameda, Calif.The co-pilot on Flight 261, he was two years from retirement. 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. Upon deplaning in San Diego, he was randomly selected for drug and alcohol testing by the carrier. In theory this was adequate, but only if the grease was applied correctly every time. Russell was traveling with his companion, Jean Permison, and her family. Described as the mother hen of the block, Mrs. Pearson was the block-party organizer and Christmas-party hostess. Hes in sight, hes, uh, definitely out of control, said the SkyWest pilot. 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. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER BITTEN BY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER ON PLANE, LAWSUIT CLAIMS. All of these factors could have contributed to their decision to troubleshoot a problem that was best left alone. The only layer of protection against a catastrophe was therefore the assumption that poorly trained, low-paid maintenance workers would apply enough grease. Anything more than that and the nut would need to be replaced. Watching the death throes of flight 261, the SkyWest pilot told controllers, Yeah, hes inverted., Okay, said the controller, apprehension evident in his voice. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. As Thompson fought with all his might to regain control, Tansky shouted Mayday! but forgot to key his mic. He had gone to Mexico with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Prasad, to celebrate. The controller granted the block altitude. The investigation uncovered a daunting list of operational problems and regulatory mistakes that led to the crash. Salvage vessels had to be brought in to raise the rest of the plane from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Thats affirm, said Thompson. But the mechanism by which Alaska Airlines fell to such a dismal level of safety is not entirely gone. Erickson was a student pilot. The NTSB report did not identify a probable cause of the crash. 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. Grace Pearson, 23 months, SeattleLittle Grace Pearson was traveling with her parents, Sarah and Rodney Pearson, and her sister, Rachel. 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. Four minutes later, a warning light illuminated to inform the crew that the autopilot was unable to move the stabilizer. 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. The eight-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registered as N963AS, outwardly seemed to be in good shape. William Knudson, 53, SacramentoCo-founder of Inland Business Systems in Sacramento, Mr. Knudson was known for his love of boating and restoring old cars with his partner, Bradley Long. 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. However, this premise was based on the assumption that one of the threads might separate from the nut due to metal fatigue or improper workmanship, and did not consider the possibility of abnormal wear simultaneously compromising the strength of both threads. First Officer William (Bill) Tansky, 57, had 8,140 total flight hours, including about 8,060 hours as first officer in the MD-80. View on timesmachine. 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. 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. Her husband, Lee, 41, and children, 5-year-old Barbara and 11-year-old Daniel, stayed behind in Mexico. Meanwhile, N963AS continued to fly, and maintenance workers continued to grease the jackscrew every eight months. Janice Stokes, 48, Ketchikan, AlaskaMs. Avinesh Amit Deo, 23, BurienThe Highline High School alumnus had just graduated from ITT Technical Institute and was to have started his career at the time of the crash. Blake Clemetson, 7, SeattleBlake was Corianders younger sister, the daughter of Dr. David Clemetson and his first wife, Dr. Claire Barnett. In 1987, Alaska Airlines greased the stabilizer jackscrews on its MD-80s every 500 flight hours, the value recommended by the manufacturer. James Ryan, 30, PortlandA flight attendant for Alaska, James Ryan turned 30 the day the family left for Mexico. He had flown for four decades and worked for Alaska Airlines since 1985. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Possibly. Weve run just about everything. Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. Were flying were flying tell em what were doing.. There is a long-held belief in many cultures that the number 13 is unlucky. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane Push push push, push the blue side up!, Okay, now lets kick rudder, left rudder, left rudder. 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. What he liked best in life was family, said his longtime medical assistant. At 16:09, he said, Im gonna click it off. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. On the basis of these measurements, the shift supervisors overruled Liotines earlier work order and cleared the plane to fly. Terry Ryan, 55, RedmondMr. Patty Williams, 63, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyMrs. 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.. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. For the relatives of the victims, this fact made it all the more important that Alaska Airlines pay for its negligence. Rodrigo Laigo, 53, Fairfield, Calif.An engineer for Arco, he was traveling with his wife, Naomi, on one of their many golf vacations. Craig Pulanco was working as a flight attendant aboard Flight 261. The following is a list of some of the victims of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more. 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. Following the procedures prescribed in the checklists, they tried cycling the motors on and off, checking the trim motor circuit breakers, and using the manual trim controls. I dont think we should, if it can fly, its like . Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. On June 20, 2014, Arnston piloted two flights from San Diego, Calif., to Portland, Ore., with 160 passengers on board; and then returned to San Diego piloting a second Alaska Airlines flight carrying 80 passengers. I cant reach it! said Tansky. While Tansky held the plane steady, Thompson contacted LAX maintenance again. Stepping on the rudder pedals while upside down was no easy task. They had just moved to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, where they had raised three sons. 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. Friends said she was shy but very gentle and loving. 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. The entire horizontal stabilizer assembly was now attached to the airplane only by the rear hinge. Carol Karlsson, 42, Petaluma, Calif.Wife of Karl Karlsson, she was fun-loving and cheerful. You got it? The maintenance technician, having received all the information he could get, said, Okay, thank you sir, see you there., Meanwhile, the conversation had apparently encouraged Captain Thompson to try moving the stabilizer again. Yeah, I heard it, said Thompson. 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.. Furthermore, the pilots were reluctant to believe that the failure was mechanical, rather than electrical, in nature. Avinesh Prasad, 19, BurienA beloved employee of HomeGrocer.com and a star on the company soccer team, he moved from Fiji with his family when he was 18. 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. 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. FAA regulations say a pilot cannot have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more, which is half the legal limit for driving in the United States. But mostly he loved his wife, his grown son, golf and travel. Craig Pulanco, 30, SeattleFormerly Craig Gruhl, Mr. Pulanco changed his name to that of his long-time partner, Paul Pulanco. The horrific crash killed all 88 people on board and raised troubling questions about one of Americas largest airlines. 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. 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 flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content Bryant was a travel agent who was excited when he received free tickets for a trip to Mexico. 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. When the jackscrew was hauled to the surface, investigators could not find any trace of grease on it, except for some old, dried out leftovers outside the normal working area of the screw. Arntson was selected for random drug and alcohol testing by Alaska Airlines at at John Wayne Airport after landing. 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. Finally, at 16:19 and 21 seconds, the stop gave way with a faint thump. He won commendations from a booster group for the action. 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. He was traveling with several college friends. Arnston had worked for Alaska Airlines since 1987, along with Jet America prior to its merger with Alaska Airlines, Huish said. She was traveling with her father, Dr. David Clemetson, her stepmother, Carolyn Clemetson, and their blended family. I need everything picked up and everybody strapped down, he said, cause Im gonna unload the airplane and see if we can gain control of it that way. His intention was to fly at lower speeds where there would be less aerodynamic force pushing up on the stabilizer. 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. The rec room at the Karlsson home featured a jukebox, a pinball machine and a bumper-pool table. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. She is survived by her husband of 13 years, Phil Salyer. He was vacationing with his daughter, Jacquelyn Choate. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also revoked his pilots license. If a pilot is discovered to have a BAC of 0.04 or more, the FAA can have the pilots license suspended for a year or place criminal charges, even if they havent taken off in an aircraft. At that moment they effectively were dead. Many workers who greased jackscrews didnt apply additional grease to the screw itself after greasing the nut. 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. She was a first-grader at Hay Elementary. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. You got it?. Ryan Sparks, 20, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, Mr. Sparks was traveling with his girlfriend, Meghann Hall, and her friend Rachel Janosik. A Newport Beach airline pilot has been arrested and charged with piloting an Alaska Airlines jet full of passengers while under the influence of alcohol, authorities said Thursday. A flight attendant opened the cockpit door, and Captain Thompson briefed her on the situation. In September 2000, he filed a $20 million libel lawsuit against Alaska Airlines, arguing that he had been right all along and that Alaska had maliciously harmed his reputation. She was also accompanied by her longtime companion, Charles Russell. It began life as a regional airline in Alaska, and by the time deregulation arrived in the late 1970s, it only had one destination in the lower 48 states. 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. Both of them were creative, outgoing people. Market data provided by Factset. She used to drive a riding lawn mower around their yard, and relax in the family swimming pool. Well see you at the gate. This would be the last transmission between flight 261 and Alaska Airlines maintenance. 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. The stabilizer is attached to a giant threaded screw, called the jackscrew, which feeds through a nut attached to the aircraft structure inside the tail. Sheri Christensen, 25, Federal WayShe grew up in Yakima, one of four children of Bob and Pat Stookey, and moved to the Seattle area with her husband, Jeff Christensen. She was a treasured volunteer at a Eugene elementary school. She had gone with her family to Mexico to celebrate the birthday of her mother, Jean Permison. Russel Ing, 28, SeattleA visual-arts graduate who worked in graphic design for Kinkos in Woodinville, Mr. Ing won awards for his photography. Epilogue. 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. 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. An Athabascan Indian, he grew up in Alaskas interior. Some did still less, failing even to ensure that grease totally filled the inside of the nut. 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. 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. 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.
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