Karl Karlsson, 51, Petaluma, Calif.The jovial former San Francisco police officer loved fun and parties. 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. Its on the stop now, its on the stop, Thompson said. A ground-service agent for Horizon Air, she was outgoing and athletic, an avid volleyball player who hoped to become a personal trainer. But mostly he loved his wife, his grown son, golf and travel. However, the procedures available to them did not state that this was necessary, which doubtlessly contributed to their decision to continue on. Updated 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. Possibly. Stepping on the rudder pedals while upside down was no easy task. Profiles of Alaska Flight 261 victims 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. Okay, we are inverted, and now we gotta get it. Born in Hawaii, Mr. Ing grew up on Mercer Island, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1990. Harry Stasinos, 54, BrierMr. One of six children born to Jovanna Luque of Olympia, Mr. Luque is the second child she has lost. He worked for a San Francisco wholesale ice-cream manufacturer. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content View on timesmachine. 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. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. He was a vice president of business development for Creditland, Inc. Okay, give me sl see, this is a bitch! said Thompson. 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. AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER BITTEN BY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER ON PLANE, LAWSUIT CLAIMS. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. Push and roll! Thompson shouted, trying to coordinate with Tansky to roll the plane right-side-up. Alaska Airlines flight 261 But the mechanism by which Alaska Airlines fell to such a dismal level of safety is not entirely gone. 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 it happen went in reverse? Tansky asked. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members.Were the bodies of Flight 261 recovered? He had gone to Mexico with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Prasad, to celebrate. She was also accompanied by her longtime companion, Charles Russell. 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. Okay, well, your discretion, said maintenance. By now the plane had leveled out at about 23,500 feet, after plunging 7,500 feet in 80 seconds. Badly shaken witnesses reported the crash to air traffic control within seconds. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Flight (2012 film 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. 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. Video Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk - ABC News Jimmy Carter Kellie Pickler's husband dies Georgia shooting Escaped NYC zoo owl Tesla union launch Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk Authorities say 60-year-old David Hans Arnston flew drunk twice in one day. You got it?. Captain Thompson was not happy with this reasoning. Should you poke holes in potatoes before boiling? Alaska Airlines pilot This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. View on timesmachine. Having decided not to touch the trim system anymore, the crew now performed some final tests of the airplanes low speed handling. Gotta get it over again said Thompson. 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. The result was a chronic problem of Alaska Airlines MD-80s with poorly greased jackscrews. We are at twenty three seven, request, uh, Thompson said to the controller. If done correctly, the process took about four hours. Yes sir, he he hit the water, said the SkyWest pilot, his voice nearly cracking. The problem was that with insufficient grease, the threads on the nut began to wear down at an accelerated rate. William Bryant, 45, San FranciscoMr. Capt. 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. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Thompson was traveling with her husband, Morris Thompson, and daughter, Sheryl Thompson. Key safety-related positions within the airlines management structure went unfilled. Indeed, all seemed normal as flight 261 climbed out from Puerto Vallarta, heading for its cruising altitude of 31,000 feet. 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. Technical logs fell through the cracks; critical forms were left incomplete; paperwork was outright falsified to show work done when it was not. As the NTSB investigation continued, so too did the criminal investigation and the saga of John Liotine. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. At this point the checklist said Consider stab jammed, do not use autopilot, and offered a list of considerations to be made during landing. Uh, its a lot worse than it was? Tansky asked. Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. She was traveling with her fiance, Malcolm Branson. Alaska Airlines pilot arrested for allegedly flying planes drunk Colleen Whorley, 34, SeattleAn art director at Microsoft, Ms. Whorley honed her skills in photography. It can be interpreted (and alcoholics often reverse the order in their mind) that he therefore feels lost and is drinking and using drugs to run away from that sadness. It 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. An Athabascan Indian, he grew up in Alaskas interior. I dont think we should, if it can fly, its like . Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. Alaska two sixty one, say again sir, said the controller. The two worked together several years at the Roy Potter Insurance Agency. Almost all of these recommendations were implemented. Rachel Janosik, 20, BellevueA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she was traveling with former schoolmates Ryan Sparks and Meghann Hall. Alaska Airlines pilot arrested for allegedly flying planes drunk But we will be going into LAX, and Id anticipate us parking there in about twenty to thirty minutes.. Monte Donaldson, 31, SeattleA freelance landscaper, his passion was music and filmmaking. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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.. Pilot Error In Alaska 261 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. 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. It worked. Pilot Error In Alaska 261 Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. Okay, right rudder, right rudder, said Thompson. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members.Were the bodies of Flight 261 recovered? Finally, the Safety Board also felt that there were lessons to be learned from the actions of the pilots. Also killed was the airplanes owner, Karl Erickson, 55, and David Osborn, 60, both of Girdwood, and Paul Wiley, 37, of Superior, Arizona. 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. Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. The rows jump straight from 12 to 14. There is a long-held belief in many cultures that the number 13 is unlucky. Alaska Airlines pilot With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. She and Monte Donaldson had just bought a home and planned to be married, then honeymoon in Ireland and Bali. Ryan Busche, 28, SeattleMr. The airline ended up being fined a mere $44,000 for allowing planes to fly 840 times without properly completed maintenance records. It might be mechanical damage too. 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. 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. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. The FAA approved the extension without assessing the effect this would have on individual inspection tasks that were tied to the C-check interval. The longer it went without being greased properly, the faster the jackscrew wore down the threads on the nut. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. Upon deplaning in San Diego, he was randomly selected for drug and alcohol testing by the carrier. 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. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. Numerous people saw the plane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it turned and descended. The base confirmed that there werent any known problems with the stabilizer, and the discussion then turned to how to handle the failure. 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.