Following the incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. By now the plane had leveled out at about 23,500 feet, after plunging 7,500 feet in 80 seconds. The pilots decided that Los Angeles looked better. The basic design of the stabilizer is relatively simple. At 15:55, the dispatcher returned with wind speeds, wind directions, and runway conditions at San Francisco and Los Angeles. She was traveling with her former college classmates. 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. 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. 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. 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. What I want to do is get the nose up, and then let the nose fall through and see if we can stab it when its unloaded. It was his belief that the stabilizer might move nose up if there was no aerodynamic force pushing it upward into the nose down position. Mr. Marquez was flying home alone while Mr. Rettinger stayed behind for a longer vacation. 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. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. The lead mechanic that day was John Liotine, a rare Alaska Airlines employee who still took safety seriously. (David Arnston Google+). Upon deplaning in San Diego, he was randomly selected for drug and alcohol testing by the carrier. The problem, again, was a lack of redundancy: if the threads on the nut failed, there was no other structure that could absorb the load, and the catastrophic failure of the trim system leading to the loss of the airplane was inevitable. Meanwhile in the cockpit, the pilots tried to figure out what had happened. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The longer it went without being greased properly, the faster the jackscrew wore down the threads on the nut. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The actual protocol at Alaska Airlines was to inspect the jackscrew for wear at every second C-check, a comprehensive multi-day inspection that every airplane undergoes approximately once a year. He will be sentenced this spring in US District Court in Santa Ana, California, according to the attorney. An accountant with MPL2.com in Bellevue, he was traveling with the Ryan family and several friends. Consequences of Flying Drunk So what happens when a pilot is arrested for flying under the influence? 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. Tragically, they didnt. Yes sir, he he hit the water, said the SkyWest pilot, his voice nearly cracking. Los Angeles controllers gave flight 261 permission to approach the airport, but Thompson asked to stay out over the ocean while they tested the controllability of their airplane. Craig Pulanco was working as a flight attendant aboard Flight 261. In theory this was adequate, but only if the grease was applied correctly every time. 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.. 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. Born in Hawaii, Mr. Ing grew up on Mercer Island, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1990. Were pretty busy up here working this situation. 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. Larry Baldridge Jr., 34, Novato, Calif.A businessman with a knack for the Internet, he was working to set up venture-capital business with Michael Schwab, the son of legendary brokerage leader Charles Schwab. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content This was not one of those cases. 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. Coriander Clemetson, 8, SeattleShe was a quiet, poised student at John Hay Elementary School on Queen Anne Hill. One of six children born to Jovanna Luque of Olympia, Mr. Luque is the second child she has lost. 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. 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. Alaska two sixty one, say again sir, said the controller. The first flight was from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Those operating commercial vehicles may face criminal penalties and license suspensions. 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. 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. A special inspection by the FAA after the accident found further evidence of a massively deficient safety culture at Alaska Airlines. The Safety Board found that this unsafe inspection interval was only approved indirectly by the FAA. The problem was that with insufficient grease, the threads on the nut began to wear down at an accelerated rate. 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 entire horizontal stabilizer assembly was now attached to the airplane only by the rear hinge. 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. 4:39 PM EST, Thu February 8, 2018. 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. She played fast-pitch softball in high school and soccer at Bellevue Community College. 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. 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. Colleen Whorley, 34, SeattleAn art director at Microsoft, Ms. Whorley honed her skills in photography. 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. He was an outgoing, friendly first-grader. She was a first-grader at Hay Elementary. It was the first sign that something was in fact gravely wrong with their airplane. / CBS News. January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM 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. He was traveling with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo. Ryan, who owned a commercial printing business, Copy Cat in Redmond, was an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. 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. The report noted that the crash could have been avoided if they had immediately returned to Puerto Vallarta when they encountered the jammed stabilizer. 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. Some did still less, failing even to ensure that grease totally filled the inside of the nut. 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. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane David Hans Arntson's deal includes a year in federal prison, He'll also get three years of supervised release. 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. Many of Alaskas maintenance workers received on the job training only without any formal curriculum. For the relatives of the victims, this fact made it all the more important that Alaska Airlines pay for its negligence. How long were they stuck in the woods after the plane crash? He was a favored friend in the neighborhood where he lived with his wife, Marilyn. Mechanical stops attached to the jackscrew prevent the stabilizer from moving farther than 2.5 degrees upward or 12.5 degrees downward. However, the procedures available to them did not state that this was necessary, which doubtlessly contributed to their decision to continue on. You got it?. 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. N963AS, the plane that would later become Alaska Airlines flight 261, was one of many in the airlines fleet that was subject to these marginal maintenance practices. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. The outcomes of wrongful death suits against Alaska filed by the victims families are unknown, but it has been reported that the airline eventually settled with the families out of court for a total of at least $300 million, all of which was covered by insurance. Did you encounter any technical issues? Many workers who greased jackscrews didnt apply additional grease to the screw itself after greasing the nut. Ms. Halls only brother died four years ago of a motorcycle accident. A flight attendant opened the cockpit door, and Captain Thompson briefed her on the situation. 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. Do you poke holes in potatoes when boiling? Russel Ing, 28, SeattleA visual-arts graduate who worked in graphic design for Kinkos in Woodinville, Mr. Ing won awards for his photography. She is also survived by a son, Richard, in the Bay Area. Jacquelyn Choate, 17, Santa Cruz, Calif.She was returning from a vacation with her father, Toni Choate. Her husband, Lee, 41, and children, 5-year-old Barbara and 11-year-old Daniel, stayed behind in Mexico. Tom Stockley, 63, SeattleRespected wine columnist for The Seattle Times, Mr. Stockley was traveling with Peggy Stockley, his wife of 40 years. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. That was the how but the bigger question was why. 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. 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. Whatever we did is no good, dont do that again, said Tansky. Lorna Thorgrimson, 52, PoulsboTraveling with her husband, Robert Thorgrimson, Mrs. Thorgrimson was also accompanied by her close friends, Patty and Bob Williams. Market data provided by Factset. Still, the pilots did not give up; Thompson thought it might be possible to roll out right-side-up using the rudder. Performing maintenance less frequently saved on labor costs and kept the planes in the air longer, thus increasing revenue. 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. And many airlines have responded to this by simply missing row 13 in their seat numbering. The base confirmed that there werent any known problems with the stabilizer, and the discussion then turned to how to handle the failure. 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. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? At that moment they effectively were dead. Busche was traveling with his wife, Abigail Busche, whom he met when they were students at Western Washington. 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. In hindsight, the crew should have turned around and immediately landed back in Puerto Vallarta. 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. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for However, during the 1990s the quality of maintenance at Alaska Airlines began to slip significantly. 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. SkyWest 5154, you still got your eyes on him, sir?. The charge of operating a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol or drugs carries a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. Yeah, we got it back under control here.. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not When he measured the wear on the jackscrew nut and found it to be exactly one millimeter (0.040in), he concluded that the nut had reached the end of its service life and issued a work card ordering its replacement. Speedbrakes! Captain Thompson called out, still trying to find ways to arrest the dive. 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. N963AS nearly made it anyway its next jackscrew inspection was scheduled for March 2000. This is still a search for human life. Please enter valid email address to continue. His son soon after comes to visit him, asking to interview him for a report, to find out more about his father, whom it seems has been absent through much of his life. Visit r/admiralcloudberg to read and discuss over 190 similar articles. He won commendations from a booster group for the action. James Ryan, 30, PortlandA flight attendant for Alaska, James Ryan turned 30 the day the family left for Mexico. 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. 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. Epilogue. If they had not attempted to move the stabilizer immediately before the first dive, their chances of safely reaching an airport before the jackscrew failed entirely would have been much greater. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Weve run just about everything. 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? 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.. Dean Forshee, 47, Benicia, CalifThe professional musician was a skilled pedal steel, acoustic and electric guitar player who taught lessons and devoted his life to music, especially country and rockabilly. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Pilots of nearby planes caught sight of flight 261 and radioed Los Angeles air traffic control. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. 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. Bob Williams, 65, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyHe was a builder who served on the Poulsbo city Planning Commission. 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.

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