You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! In the cockpit, the pilots heard a loud clunk followed by two thumps, and the plane pitched steeply downward. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. Following the incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines. Not according to that its not, said Tansky. A cacophony of banging and roaring filled the cockpit. 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. He grew up in Olympia. Collins said the bodies recovered were those of an infant, two women and a man. SkyWest 5154, you still got your eyes on him, sir?. The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. Rodrigo Laigo, 53, Fairfield, Calif.An engineer for Arco, he was traveling with his wife, Naomi, on one of their many golf vacations. 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. KTLA 5 adds that Arnston will also have to pay a $10,000 fine, in addition. All of these factors could have contributed to their decision to troubleshoot a problem that was best left alone. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. On the basis of these measurements, the shift supervisors overruled Liotines earlier work order and cleared the plane to fly. Pilots of nearby planes caught sight of flight 261 and radioed Los Angeles air traffic control. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. She was part of the Flight 261 crew. He is survived by his wife of five years, Susan da Silva. But airline dispatchers in Seattle were less keen on this idea and preferred that flight 261 continue to San Francisco as scheduled. He was traveling with several college friends. For Linious Mac McGee, 1932 marked the beginning of a new way of life, and steady work. Robert Ost, 39, San Bruno, Calif.A veteran San Francisco firefighter and avid mountain climber, he considered risk part of his job and his life. The pilots, 53-year-old Captain Ted Thompson and 57-year-old First Officer Bill Tansky, could not have known that they were about to play out the final chapter in a sordid story that had been building toward its conclusion for years. Those operating commercial vehicles may face criminal penalties and license suspensions. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Jerri Fosmire, 48, Eugene, Ore.She was returning home early from a family vacation in Puerto Vallarta after suffering a back injury. Steve Wilkie, 38, San FranciscoThe brand manager of the Levi Strauss Silvertab clothing line, Mr. Wilkie had recently received the companys exalted Koshman Award in recognition for his work on marketing in Europe. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. Colleen Whorley, 34, SeattleAn art director at Microsoft, Ms. Whorley honed her skills in photography. 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. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? 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. The entire horizontal stabilizer assembly was now attached to the airplane only by the rear hinge. CNN has reached out to Alaska Airlines for comment. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Most importantly, the National Transportation Safety Board excoriated Alaska Airlines decision to increase the intervals between jackscrew lubrications and wear inspections, and the FAAs approval of these intervals, which it considered to be a direct cause of the accident. 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. 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. She was a food-and-beverage agent for Alaskas sister airline, Horizon Air. We did both the pickle switches and the suitcase handles, he told the maintenance technician, and it ran away full nose trim down., And now were in a pinch, Thompson continued, so were holding, uh, were worse than we were.. He worked at Travel Trends in San Francisco, and was traveling with a friend, James Luque. The NTSB report did not identify a probable cause of the crash. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. But this very success may have planted the seeds of the disaster which followed. 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. The first flight was from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon. 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. What caused Alaska Airlines 261 to crash? The pilot of Flight 261, Capt. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also revoked his pilots license. 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. Coriander Clemetson, 8, SeattleShe was a quiet, poised student at John Hay Elementary School on Queen Anne Hill. 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. 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. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. 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. 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. View on timesmachine. 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. He was traveling with his cousins, Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo. At that moment they effectively were dead. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Okay, well, your discretion, said maintenance. Cynthia Oti, 43, Oakland, Calif.She was an investment broker who hosted a nightly radio show on investing on KSFO in San Francisco. 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 free-swinging stabilizer rotated up past its stop, slamming back against the aerodynamic fairing that encased the tail. For several months he surreptitiously recorded his bosses violating safety rules and handed the tapes over to FAA investigators. Thompson was traveling with her husband, Morris Thompson, and daughter, Sheryl Thompson. Keep us advised.. 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. Grace Pearson, 23 months, SeattleLittle Grace Pearson was traveling with her parents, Sarah and Rodney Pearson, and her sister, Rachel. Salvage vessels had to be brought in to raise the rest of the plane from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. 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. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content The seemingly simple task of greasing the jackscrew was not immune to this degradation of the maintenance environment. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. 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. Web19K views 2 years ago. Lorna Thorgrimson, 52, PoulsboTraveling with her husband, Robert Thorgrimson, Mrs. Thorgrimson was also accompanied by her close friends, Patty and Bob Williams. Let me just try it, Tansky said, offering to take over the strenuous task of holding the plane level. As Thompson fought with all his might to regain control, Tansky shouted Mayday! but forgot to key his mic. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Charles Russell, 65, Scotts Valley, Calif.Mr. At this point the checklist said Consider stab jammed, do not use autopilot, and offered a list of considerations to be made during landing. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. Erickson was a student pilot. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content David Hans Arntson, 60, was arrested Wednesday morning and arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles, according to a Department of Justice news release. Both Captain Thompson and First Officer Tansky posthumously received the Air Line Pilots Association Gold Medal for Heroism. A Warner Bros. Before that, he was a principal at two elementary schools in the Snohomish School District. He worked for a San Francisco wholesale ice-cream manufacturer. 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. 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. Legal Statement. Finally, the Safety Board also felt that there were lessons to be learned from the actions of the pilots. Pearson was the first chef at the Jake OShaughnesseys and F.X. At that moment they effectively were dead. 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. A special inspection by the FAA after the accident found further evidence of a massively deficient safety culture at Alaska Airlines. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not She was traveling with her father, Dr. David Clemetson, her stepmother, Carolyn Clemetson, and their blended family. 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. What he liked best in life was family, said his longtime medical assistant. He also served for a time with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not I think its at the stop, full stop, said Thompson. Yes sir, he he hit the water, said the SkyWest pilot, his voice nearly cracking. Market data provided by Factset. No survivors from Flight 261 have been found. The anger he must have felt is difficult to fathom. At 16:07, flight 261 contacted Alaska Airlines Los Angeles maintenance facility on the radio. Busche was traveling with his wife, Abigail Busche, whom he met when they were students at Western Washington. The Safety Board also examined the design of the jackscrew itself, and found that it probably didnt meet certification standards. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crew members, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane 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. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. She was a flight attendant for Alaska. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Toni Choate, 48, San FranciscoHe had been a general contractor and cabinet finisher in Visalia, Calif., then bought a bar in Santa Clara, Calif. 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. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for 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. 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? Consequences of Flying Drunk So what happens when a pilot is arrested for flying under the influence? He is a resident of Newport Beach, California. How much does Alaskan airline pilot make? LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. The pilots consisted of Captain Edward (Ted) Thompson, 53, who had 17,750 flight hours, and had more than 4,000 hours experience flying MD-80s. Mechanical stops attached to the jackscrew prevent the stabilizer from moving farther than 2.5 degrees upward or 12.5 degrees downward. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. Robert Hovey, 50, San FranciscoHe was an athletic, outdoorsy, avid traveler who lived on a sailboat on San Francisco Bay. Do smaller potatoes take less time to bake. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. A member of Ski Patrol, he was known to friends as Pat. 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. 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. appreciated. Web19K views 2 years ago. The two worked together several years at the Roy Potter Insurance Agency. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. Okay, we are inverted, and now we gotta get it. Charles Weimer, 31, and three others died in the Aug. 4 crash near Girdwood, a ski town in the municipality of Anchorage. Who was the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 261? 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. Stepping on the rudder pedals while upside down was no easy task. A big, huge plunge, thank you, said the controller. Rodney Pearson, 45, SeattleMr. The logo was changed to an image of a smiling Eskimo, which remains today. It disappeared from view and witnesses saw a plume of black smoke. Jacquelyn Choate, 17, Santa Cruz, Calif.She was returning from a vacation with her father, Toni Choate. And many airlines have responded to this by simply missing row 13 in their seat numbering. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. 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. By nightfall, working with the help of flood lights from squid fishing boats, recovery workers managed to find just seven bodies. It looks like hes turning hes turning over in front of you now, said the controller. 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. But the mechanism by which Alaska Airlines fell to such a dismal level of safety is not entirely gone. He was with his wife, Ileana, their 4-month-old daughter, Emily, and his mother and her longtime companion. The design of the jackscrew on the MD-80 series was identical to that of the original 1960s-era Douglas DC-9, which was certified to meet requirements stating that no reasonably probable single failure of the control system could jeopardize the controllability of the airplane. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. 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. Joe Knight, 54, MonroePastor and missionary Joe Knight, with his wife, co-pastor and co-missionary, Linda Knight, worked to help starving children and families in Mexico. Carol Karlsson, 42, Petaluma, Calif.Wife of Karl Karlsson, she was fun-loving and cheerful. Increasing the interval between lubrications meant that every lubrication had to be done correctly in order to prevent accelerated wear and tear. Push push push, push the blue side up!, Okay, now lets kick rudder, left rudder, left rudder. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. Keep in mind that the pitch of the stabilizer itself is actually inverse to the pitch of the airplane.). 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. Rescue vessels raced to the crash site three kilometers east of Anacapa Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, hoping to find survivors. 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. He won commendations from a booster group for the action. Gabriela Chavez, 33, Puerto Vallarta, MexicoA homemaker, wife and mother of one, Ms. Chavez was flying to San Francisco to visit her sister. Many of Alaskas maintenance workers received on the job training only without any formal curriculum. Epilogue. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. 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. We are at twenty three seven, request, uh, Thompson said to the controller. 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. How should I dress my baby in 69 degrees? Possibly. Former owner of a travel business, she was a very giving person, friends said, and was working toward a masters degree in art therapy. 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. 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. Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more. As the NTSB investigation continued, so too did the criminal investigation and the saga of John Liotine. What a hard way to die: so an airline can make more money., ________________________________________________________________. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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.