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. Still flying inverted, the plane leveled further, to nine degrees nose down. He moved to San Francisco last year. He was an outgoing, friendly first-grader. I dont think we should, if it can fly, its like . Sheryl Thompson, 33, Valdez, AlaskaTraveling with her parents, Morris and Thelma Thompson, Ms. Thompson was an important figure in extreme skiing in Valdez, helping organize annual events. Many of Alaskas maintenance workers received on the job training only without any formal curriculum. But in the end, Alaska all but got away with it. They had just moved to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, where they had raised three sons. She was also accompanied by her longtime companion, Charles Russell. At this point the checklist said Consider stab jammed, do not use autopilot, and offered a list of considerations to be made during landing. He opened the mic for the public address system but never managed to get any words out. 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. The stabilizer is attached to a giant threaded screw, called the jackscrew, which feeds through a nut attached to the aircraft structure inside the tail. At Alaska Airlines, our roots trace back to the Great Depression and the resourcefulness of Mac McGee. Busche was traveling with his wife, Abigail Busche, whom he met when they were students at Western Washington. Visit r/admiralcloudberg to read and discuss over 190 similar articles. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for It disappeared from view and witnesses saw a plume of black smoke. When daughter Grace was born two years ago, he started saving Sundays for family. 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. Alaska two sixty one, say again sir, said the controller. More importantly, investigators felt that the pilots should not have attempted to troubleshoot the problem after exhausting the procedures in the checklist, considering that they didnt know the extent of the damage. 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. Fox News Alexandra Deabler contributed to this report. Okay, we are inverted, and now we gotta get it. Carolyn Clemetson, 31, SeattleMrs. 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. Nine years after the cost-cutting began, Alaska Airlines was posting profits again, its fleet was expanding, and passenger numbers were higher than ever. 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. I cant reach it! said Tansky. Alaska Airlines 261 is a chartered flight operated by Alaska Airlines. 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. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. Among major US airlines, Alaska has charted perhaps the most unusual course across its long and fascinating history. / CBS News. 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. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. 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. After four days in the woods, they were rescued and taken to Boise Memorial. Still, the pilots did not give up; Thompson thought it might be possible to roll out right-side-up using the rudder. Bob Williams, 65, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyHe was a builder who served on the Poulsbo city Planning Commission. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The legal limit for operating a commercial plane is a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent or higher. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. She is also survived by a son, Richard, in the Bay Area. It got worse, okay. Violent vibrations shook the airplane. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? Abigail Busche, 25, SeattleRecently hired by Microsoft as a permanent employee, she was traveling with her husband, Ryan Busche. Meghann Hall, 19, EnumclawA graduate of Enumclaw High School, she had considered a career in sports medicine or coaching. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not Im sorry, this airplane isnt gonna go anywhere for a while.. Do you poke holes in potatoes when boiling? Numerous people saw the plane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it turned and descended. Thompson was traveling with her husband, Morris Thompson, and daughter, Sheryl Thompson. The evidence indicates that he had flown with an alcohol level more than three times the legal limit, US Attorney Nicola T. Hanna said in a statement. 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. Gotta get it over again said Thompson. 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. Arntson was selected for random drug and alcohol testing by Alaska Airlines at at John Wayne Airport after landing. Legal Statement. Join the discussion of this article on Reddit! January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM She was a treasured volunteer at a Eugene elementary school. 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. KTLA 5 adds that Arnston will also have to pay a $10,000 fine, in addition. On board the stricken MD-83, the pilots managed to slow the dive somewhat, pulling up from 70 degrees nose down to 28 degrees, but the plane remained inverted, falling upside down toward the rapidly approaching ocean at a high rate of speed. How long were they stuck in the woods after the plane crash? Finally, the Safety Board also felt that there were lessons to be learned from the actions of the pilots. He had planned to spend his retirement trading stocks on the Internet and taking leisurely afternoon walks with his wife of 30 years, Bonnie. View on timesmachine. Both of them were creative, outgoing people. No decision was made at this point about whether or not to divert. She used to drive a riding lawn mower around their yard, and relax in the family swimming pool. 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. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Bryant was a travel agent who was excited when he received free tickets for a trip to Mexico. January 22, 2016 Examined 9:54 Whats next for 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. Ryan, who owned a commercial printing business, Copy Cat in Redmond, was an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. 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. 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. Mr. Williams wore a ring identifying him as a Mason; the ring was found off the California coast and saved as a gift for his daughter, Tracy Knizek. As a result, Alaska Airlines slowly increased the interval between jackscrew lubrications from 500 flight hours in 1987 to every eight months (approximately 2,250 flight hours) in 1999. Four minutes later, a warning light illuminated to inform the crew that the autopilot was unable to move the stabilizer. As any good crew should do, Thompson and Tansky then pulled out the checklists for a runaway or inoperative stabilizer. This may seem strange to make such a change in the cabin based on a superstitious belief. Ronald Lake, 59, Corte Madera, Calif.He was the husband of Joyce Lake, father of three adult sons and an avid traveler. 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. 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. All large airplanes have what is referred to as a trimmable horizontal stabilizer. An accountant with MPL2.com in Bellevue, he was traveling with the Ryan family and several friends. The basis for the approval of the design under this rule was the fact that the nut has two independent threads that did not link with one another, such that if one thread failed, the other could still hold the jackscrew in place. She played fast-pitch softball in high school and soccer at Bellevue Community College. Nevertheless, investigators praised the pilots for their heroic last-ditch efforts to save their aircraft, even attempting to fly upside down when they found they could not level the plane. 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. And then, as the plane passed through 23,400 feet, a warning light flicked on in the cockpit: AUTOPILOT TRIM, it said. He worked at Travel Trends in San Francisco, and was traveling with a friend, James Luque. 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?