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. Hes ah, down.. 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. 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. The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. 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. He lived with his mother in Oakland and spent much of his time caring for exotic birds, his koi pond and a garden. The horrific crash killed all 88 people on board and raised troubling questions about one of Americas largest airlines. Captain Thompson was not happy with this reasoning. CNN has reached out to Alaska Airlines for comment. An Athabascan Indian, he grew up in Alaskas interior. 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. 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. 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. For Linious Mac McGee, 1932 marked the beginning of a new way of life, and steady work. 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. Bradford Patrick Ryan, 33, RedmondThe trip to Mexico with his parents, Terry and Barbara Ryan, was meant in part to celebrate his graduation from Washington State University with a civil-engineering degree. Are we flying? he said. 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. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. In the cockpit, the pilots heard a loud clunk followed by two thumps, and the plane pitched steeply downward. This article is written without reference to and supersedes the original. He retired in 1989, but continued his column, which began in 1973. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. Among major US airlines, Alaska has charted perhaps the most unusual course across its long and fascinating history. Williams, traveling with her husband, Bob Williams, would have celebrated her 64th birthday on Feb. 8, 2000. He came to America from Fiji when he was 17 months old. Russel Ing, 28, SeattleA visual-arts graduate who worked in graphic design for Kinkos in Woodinville, Mr. Ing won awards for his photography. 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. You got it? 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.. Two electric motors spin the jackscrew within the nut, causing the stabilizer to move up or down. Key safety-related positions within the airlines management structure went unfilled. You got it?. Pilots of nearby planes caught sight of flight 261 and radioed Los Angeles air traffic control. Were gonna stay up here and burn a little more gas, get all our ducks in a row, and then well be talking to LAX when we start down to go in there. The plan was to stay on course a little longer, burning fuel to reduce their landing weight and test out the planes handling capabilities, before turning around and heading into Los Angeles. Bermudez was a firefighter who helped save the life of a person trapped inside a burning building in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Earlene Shaw, who works at the state Senate cafeteria. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. If they lost control again, he didnt want to endanger people on the ground. The NTSB report did not identify a probable cause of the crash. Also killed was the airplanes owner, Karl Erickson, 55, and David Osborn, 60, both of Girdwood, and Paul Wiley, 37, of Superior, Arizona. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. The first flight was from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon. An accountant with MPL2.com in Bellevue, he was traveling with the Ryan family and several friends. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Updated 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? A big, huge plunge, thank you, said the controller. Friends described her as a culture bearer who mastered all she attempted. I think the stab trim thing is broke, said Thompson. He worked at Travel Trends in San Francisco, and was traveling with a friend, James Luque. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. I think if its controllable, we ought to just try and land it, said Tansky. All large airplanes have what is referred to as a trimmable horizontal stabilizer. 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. She had gone with her family to Mexico to celebrate the birthday of her mother, Jean Permison. Both were Alaskan natives. But there was nothing to be done. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. A special inspection by the FAA after the accident found further evidence of a massively deficient safety culture at Alaska Airlines. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. 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. Blake Clemetson, 7, SeattleBlake was Corianders younger sister, the daughter of Dr. David Clemetson and his first wife, Dr. Claire Barnett. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Meghann Hall, 19, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she had considered a career in sports medicine or coaching. 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. 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. Janice Stokes, 48, Ketchikan, AlaskaMs. The criminal investigation also proved to be a disappointment. He had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134 percent and 0.142 percent, according to the DOJ. Some did still less, failing even to ensure that grease totally filled the inside of the nut. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. What temperature outside is unsafe for babies? In some accidents, relatives of those who died can take some small comfort in the possibility that their loved ones never knew what hit them. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not 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. 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. N963AS nearly made it anyway its next jackscrew inspection was scheduled for March 2000. Whatever we did is no good, dont do that again, said Tansky. Robert Hovey, 50, San FranciscoHe was an athletic, outdoorsy, avid traveler who lived on a sailboat on San Francisco Bay. The Safety Board found that this unsafe inspection interval was only approved indirectly by the FAA. 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. James Ryan, 30, PortlandA flight attendant for Alaska, James Ryan turned 30 the day the family left for Mexico. Friends said she was shy but very gentle and loving. 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. 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. He had gone to Mexico with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Prasad, to celebrate. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? 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. The 63-year-old aviator, from Newport Beach, Calif.,previously pleaded guilty to the crime in February of this year. Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. They had run out of altitude. 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. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported . An avid outdoorsman and Spanish language graduate of Western Washington University, he was traveling with his parents and with long-time friends, Michael Bernard, Ryan and Abigail Busche, Russel Ing and Deborah Penna. 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. 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 longer it went without being greased properly, the faster the jackscrew wore down the threads on the nut. I cant reach it! said Tansky. The lead mechanic that day was John Liotine, a rare Alaska Airlines employee who still took safety seriously. 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. / CBS News. Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. 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. The seemingly simple task of greasing the jackscrew was not immune to this degradation of the maintenance environment. This is still a search for human life. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. Were going to LAX, Thompson told the dispatcher. The investigation uncovered a daunting list of operational problems and regulatory mistakes that led to the crash. At 15:49, after flying for two hours with a jammed stabilizer, Thompson and Tansky contacted Alaskas Seattle maintenance base for advice. Weve run just about everything. Abigail Busche, 25, SeattleRecently hired by Microsoft as a permanent employee, she was traveling with her husband, Ryan Busche. 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. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. View on timesmachine. But mostly he loved his wife, his grown son, golf and travel. At this point the checklist said Consider stab jammed, do not use autopilot, and offered a list of considerations to be made during landing. (Alaska specifically did this every 30 months, or 9,550 flight hours.) 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. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Toni Choate, 48, San FranciscoHe had been a general contractor and cabinet finisher in Visalia, Calif., then bought a bar in Santa Clara, Calif. Tom Stockley, 63, SeattleRespected wine columnist for The Seattle Times, Mr. Stockley was traveling with Peggy Stockley, his wife of 40 years. What would cause an airplane to nosedive? 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. Performing maintenance less frequently saved on labor costs and kept the planes in the air longer, thus increasing revenue. Increasing the interval between lubrications meant that every lubrication had to be done correctly in order to prevent accelerated wear and tear. 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. How long were they stuck in the woods after the plane crash? 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. The effect was immediate and catastrophic, as his inputs ripped out whatever threads remained on the jackscrew nut. 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. Join the discussion of this article on Reddit! Tragically, they didnt. 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. Craig Pulanco, 30, SeattleFormerly Craig Gruhl, Mr. Pulanco changed his name to that of his long-time partner, Paul Pulanco. Terry Ryan, 55, RedmondMr. 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. Barbara Ryan, 54, RedmondBorn in Alabama, Mrs. Ryan worked in marketing for SmithKline Beecham Cinical Laboratories. For several months he surreptitiously recorded his bosses violating safety rules and handed the tapes over to FAA investigators. 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. Possibly. Many of Alaskas maintenance workers received on the job training only without any formal curriculum. 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. 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. Lives would have been saved if they had. He was coming home with his wife, Carol. Almost all of these recommendations were implemented. It worked. (To avoid confusion, from here on out nose up and nose down, as they relate to the pitch of the airplane, will be used to describe the stabilizers direction of motion. They heard a helicopter, but they were unable to fire the flare gun successfully and the helicopter left. 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. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. He was traveling with several college friends. 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. KTLA 5 adds that Arnston will also have to pay a $10,000 fine, in addition. Pearson was the first chef at the Jake OShaughnesseys and F.X. She used to drive a riding lawn mower around their yard, and relax in the family swimming pool. Yeah, no, said Thompson. 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. 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. Arnston had worked for Alaska Airlines since 1987, along with Jet America prior to its merger with Alaska Airlines, Huish said. Push and roll! Thompson shouted, trying to coordinate with Tansky to roll the plane right-side-up. McRorys restaurants. SkyWest 5154, you still got your eyes on him, sir?. In theory this was adequate, but only if the grease was applied correctly every time. Traveling with Colleen Whorley in Mexico, he e-mailed a friend poetic descriptions of their time together. 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. According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Arntson was the pilot of two Alaska Airlines flights on in June 2014, in which he was under the influence. 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. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. 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. As the NTSB investigation continued, so too did the criminal investigation and the saga of John Liotine. Ted Thompson, 53, Redlands, Calif.The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bryant was a travel agent who was excited when he received free tickets for a trip to Mexico. 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. Do you poke holes in potatoes when boiling? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Let me just try it, Tansky said, offering to take over the strenuous task of holding the plane level. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane 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 moved to San Francisco last year. Craig Pulanco was working as a flight attendant aboard Flight 261. First Officer William Tansky, 57, Alameda, Calif.The co-pilot on Flight 261, he was two years from retirement. The pilots were able to stabilize the plane, inverted, for less than a minute (with a 9pitch towards the ocean). Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members.Were the bodies of Flight 261 recovered? Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. Watching the death throes of flight 261, the SkyWest pilot told controllers, Yeah, hes inverted., Okay, said the controller, apprehension evident in his voice. 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. View on timesmachine. Web19K views 2 years ago. She is also survived by a son, Richard, in the Bay Area. He was the grandson of O.B. What he liked best in life was family, said his longtime medical assistant. What a hard way to die: so an airline can make more money., ________________________________________________________________. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, Alex Murdaugh found guilty of murders of wife and son. 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. Stasinos was a longtime Seattle insurance agent and an active member of the Seattle-area Greek community. You mean, use this again? Tansky asked, presumably pointing at the trim switches. 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. She was a flight attendant for Alaska. Legal Statement. How should I dress my baby in a 70 degree room at night? Finally, at 16:19 and 21 seconds, the stop gave way with a faint thump. Instead it went the other way., What do you think. We are at twenty three seven, request, uh, Thompson said to the controller. 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. David Hans Arntson, 62, of Newport Beach, California, agreed to enter a guilty plea in US District Court this week. After the June 2014 incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilots license, the US Attorneys Office said. And while the airline did eventually settle the suits, it did so only after dragging the families through what many described as a legal hell in which Alaskas lawyers tried to downplay the monetary value of their deceased loved ones.
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