2. 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. In December of 1998 the federal government launched a criminal investigation into Alaska Airlines, seizing documents and interviewing witnesses. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He was the grandson of O.B. Holy shit, said Thompson, pulling back hard on the controls. He was traveling with several college friends. At that moment they effectively were dead. Many workers who greased jackscrews didnt apply additional grease to the screw itself after greasing the nut. Do you poke holes in potatoes when boiling? A Warner Bros. 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. Nina Voronoff, 32, San FranciscoA nurse at the pediatric cancer unit at the University of California, San Francisco, she had gone to Mexico for a yoga retreat and was met by her boyfriend, Larry Baldridge Jr. Renato Bermudez, 39, San FranciscoMr. 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. 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. Should you poke holes in potatoes before boiling? It was really tough there for a while.. He moved to San Francisco last year. Stacy Schuyler, 20, Federal WayA ground-service agent for Horizon Air, Ms. Schuyler was a 1997 graduate of Puyallup High School. 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. Thats affirm, said Thompson. A technician for Alaska Airlines performed two breathalyzer tests that showed Arntson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134% and 0.142% well above the federal limit of 0.04% for pilots. The threads eventually lost up to 90% of their thickness, compared to 22% at the maximum wear depth of one millimeter. All rights reserved. Clemetson was traveling with her husband, Dr. David Clemetson and their family. First published on January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM. 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. 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. The basic design of the stabilizer is relatively simple. Its on the stop now, its on the stop, Thompson said. Okay, we had a big bang back there, said the flight attendant. Among major US airlines, Alaska has charted perhaps the most unusual course across its long and fascinating history. A cacophony of banging and roaring filled the cockpit. I went tab down, right, and it should have come back. 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. Mrs. Busche grew up near Bow, Skagit County, near Mount Vernon. Alaska Airlines flight 261 Four minutes later, a warning light illuminated to inform the crew that the autopilot was unable to move the stabilizer. 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. 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. Still, the pilots did not give up; Thompson thought it might be possible to roll out right-side-up using the rudder. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane As the NTSB investigation continued, so too did the criminal investigation and the saga of John Liotine. 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. The FAA approved the extension without assessing the effect this would have on individual inspection tasks that were tied to the C-check interval. You got it?. She and Monte Donaldson had just bought a home and planned to be married, then honeymoon in Ireland and Bali. 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. A former Alaska Airlines pilot will spend a year behind bars for flying intoxicated at three times over the legal limit in June 2014. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for They heard a helicopter, but they were unable to fire the flare gun successfully and the helicopter left. 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. Push push push, push the blue side up!, Okay, now lets kick rudder, left rudder, left rudder. 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. Peggy Stockley, 62, SeattleAn animal lover and community activist, Mrs. Stockley was traveling with her husband, Tom Stockley. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. Airlines Flight 261 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. As any good crew should do, Thompson and Tansky then pulled out the checklists for a runaway or inoperative stabilizer. 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. pilots Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. 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. Were pretty busy up here working this situation. However, during the 1990s the quality of maintenance at Alaska Airlines began to slip significantly. 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. 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. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific 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. Were flying were flying tell em what were doing.. Had it been inspected after 7,200 flight hours instead of 9,550, the excessive wear would have been discovered before the crash. Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. pilot drunk He was traveling with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo. 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 specifically did this every 30 months, or 9,550 flight hours.) The lead mechanic that day was John Liotine, a rare Alaska Airlines employee who still took safety seriously. pilots Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. He was a favored friend in the neighborhood where he lived with his wife, Marilyn. 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. 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. pilot Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. This article is written without reference to and supersedes the original. Craig Pulanco, 30, SeattleFormerly Craig Gruhl, Mr. Pulanco changed his name to that of his long-time partner, Paul Pulanco. Pilot The main character Whip Whitaker (played by Denzel Washington) has been through a divorce and the estrangement from his son. Thelma Thompson, 56, Fairbanks, AlaskaMrs. That plane just started to do a big, huge plunge, said one pilot. David Hans Arntson, 62, of Newport Beach, California, agreed to enter a guilty plea in US District Court this week. Hard-working, compassionate and caring, the Pulancos shared their Beacon Hill home with two dogs and a cat. Robert Gandesbery, 69, Davis, Calif.The husband of Jean Gandesbery, Mr. Gandesbery was retired from a career with child-welfare services. 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. 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. pilot drunk Passengers and Crew Members on Alaska Airlines Flight 261 If they lost control again, he didnt want to endanger people on the ground. That was the last time anyone ever measured the wear on the jackscrew nut on N963AS. She was traveling with her husband, Terry, their two sons, and their sons friends. I dont know, my adrenalines going, said Thompson. 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. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. The jackscrew is one of the few components of the MD-80 series that does not have a redundant backup in case of failure. Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Yes sir, he he hit the water, said the SkyWest pilot, his voice nearly cracking. The stab trim, I think.. For the relatives of the victims, this fact made it all the more important that Alaska Airlines pay for its negligence. Okay, right rudder, right rudder, said Thompson. 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. 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. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. At least upside down, were flying!.