Here's the longest air crash investigation video I have ever created. No need to say that it took me a lot of time to make it. Hope you'll appreciate my work. 😊
Ive seen a documentry on this crash. While it was discovered that Alaska Airlines cut corners to save money, and falseified maintenece documents to cover it up, nobody faced any criminal charges. 88 passengers and 5 crew members lost their lives, yet nobody was punished for it, thats wrong!
I am telling you that if one of my family members would have died in that crash and after seeing the evidence, I would have found that CEO or other executives and killed them. That's why people get away with crap, the family members never take revenge,,,,they are just as pathetic.....the airlines offers them thousands of dollars in compensation and everybody goes to party.
@@camtonyray666 yeap, i guess God a.k.a. you spoke and is all settled. are you related to one of the maintenance crew that falsified the records? or related to the executives? So I guess now since you labeled me mentally unstable , then I will be found innocent due to mental illness. I see. thanks. make sure a family of mine doesn't die in an airplane you falsefied records to.
@@hmax1591 Killing people doesn't solve the problem of these accidents killing people (unless terrorism is involved). Instituting better practices and potentially taking that airline out of service is how you solve this problem. Although I do have to admit it is sick and twisted, along with beyond irresponsible to falsify maintenance records and cut corners to the point of actually ignoring a major air disaster in the making. I honestly can't believe that Alaska Airlines is still in operation today. These Kinds of accidents have been known to seal the fate of airlines such as nation air, PAN-AM and even Chalks.
I live in Seattle and I remember this story being covered extensively. I mean, falsified maintenance records - FALSIFIED! How no one went to prison for this will forever be a mystery to me.
Gotta love America. Where the poor get made examples and the rich get plea bargains with time served. The only true justice is still at the end of a gun, unfortunately.
@@derek96720 yup. Vote more for Bushes, Clintons, Obamas & Bidens... You'll never be surprised. The rot in American lawmaking started long before with the Bushes, & Obama worsified it even more.
I’ve noticed this a lot with air disasters.......like the 737 max crash....the pilot was communicating to maintain crews on the ground that they didn’t have control of the aircraft, essentially. The maintenance guy responds “huh, wow” or something equally unhelpful. The flight that landed on the Hudson River (captain Sully) his air traffic controller kept asking him which airport landing he wanted, and the pilot kept telling the ATC that he wasn’t going to make it to a landing strip.
A number of passengers on this plane were Alaska employees returning from Vallarta, which is a popular vacation hub for Alaska's crew. My boss, his wife (an Alaska employee) and their 2 kids died. Cheers, Rob and family. RIP.
The pilots deserve ever-lasting respect for their decision in trying to descend to a lower altitude over the Pacific Ocean for an attempting landing at LAX. They knew they were doomed by then and yet, spared a thought for all those lives on land. Can't get more selfless than that. RIP to all souls on board.
Exactly. Even if they didn't divert and continued to overfly into land, that jackscrew was on borrowed time and still could've failed in the same way and lost a lot more lives. The Captain and FO definitely deserved those medals.
Wrong, they made fatal fatal errors. How are they going to land at LAX ? Flight controls getting stuck in the nose down position ? Yes they saved the plane a few times, but the plane was "saying" bring it down and water ditch now ! That was the problem,....It was the opposite of what you are saying. Thinking they can fix a broken plane in the sky. Yes, it's bad maintenance, but they had that first nose down position (10 lbs) that's is a bad bad sign, but then vertical nose dive and you want to go test it ??? Wtf ? They had to pull up with 130+ lbs of force....and you want to go test it ...really ? What's up with their maintenance control ? "I'm okay if you want to try it...see you at the gate " They should of said , land it in the water NOW ! It never crossed their minds to ditch in the ocean, they were right by LA, and that day was calm ocean, if there was ever a day you need to water ditch it was that day.
cndvd with the amount of control they though they had, it would’ve been a wiser decision to land at KLAX rather than ditch. Ditching is a very dangerous manoeuvre and could end in disaster (ETH961). Pilots usually reserve ditching as a last effort to land “safely”. Yes, ditching would’ve made sense but there is no way the pilots knew what happened and they assumed the problem is not gonna get any worse. For them at the time, the most sensible thing to do was to divert.
@@hwinangkoso Yep, maintenance and the pilots thought it was a motor or wiring malfunction. They weren't thinking at the time that the jackscrew threads were eating themselves. That was discovered after the crash.
Flying an MD83 inverted for so long when all hope is lost to try and recover. Those pilots were real heroes, they fought till the bitter and unforgiving end.
is there anything in particular thats hard about flying the md83 inverted compared to others? i have no clue and am really curious if somebody could tell me. no disrespect.
Can you imagine the flight attendents who are trained yet required to stay calm under pressure while saying "brace brace brace in this particular situation, it is heartbraking.
jiggliness Pilots radio for advice “Thanks for calling Alaska Airlines. Your call is important to us. Please hold and we’ll be right with you.” *music playing*
The plane was their only ally in their fight against gravity. Gravity is ALWAYS more powerful. A smooth landing is a fight to a draw. Respect to the pilots, and prayers for God's mercy to for all the souls.
Here's another thought seeing the aircraft mechanic who worked on the plane realize that his recommendation wasn't done then this plane crashing heartbreaking to know that this could have been prevented
brian davidson that, plus a million other working parts of an airplane that can also malfunction if not tended to with proper maintenance. 😨 Scary shit
Terrifying that Alaska Airlines weren't maintaining their aircraft because they were cutting corners to save money, and caused the deaths of 88 people.
It would have been possible to have two jackscrew in tandem. The primary jackscrew would be anchored on to a lever the other side of which would then be moved by a second jackscrew. Never assume a moving component is 'infallible'. Two Jackscrews in tandem like this could still fail by one completely dethreading but had the pilots had the option of a backup standby jackscrew they would never have had the temptation to force the faulty one. There would have been several possible arrangements.
When I went through school to get my Airframe and Powerplant license my turbine engine theory instructor was one of the mechanics at Alaska Airlines when this happened. He had been keeping his own records and whistle blowing to the FAA about the shoddy practices at Alaska Airlines for sometime before this happened, and the FAA was already moving to start an investigation. He had even pointed to this exact problem on the MD-83s several times to the higher-ups in the company and was pretty much just blown off and told to, "take care of it", which he never did falsify any records of his work. The jackscrew is made of hardened steel and the jacknut is made of a copper/brass alloy, and when the nut jammed, the screw literally stripped all the threads out of the jacknut because it was the softer material. When this happend the turning jackscrew had no threads to engage on the jacknut giving it a nose down trim angle. When the retaining nut at the end of the jack screw finally failed, the horizontal stabilizers fell into an extreme nose down trim angle. The pilots could only use the elevators at the back of the stabilizer to try to keep the plane aloft. When the FAA launched a full on investigation after this incident, my instructors name was found out and he was black balled by the airline industry for being a whistle blower. Now, I am not taking anything away from the pilots here, they did their best with the shitty hand they were dealt, but let us not forget that there were guys on the ground that were trying to keep this from ever getting to this point and were summarily dismissed because it wasn't "in keeping with the bottom line". Not all aviation heroes are pilots.
4 года назад
Excellent point. I think there is a law that protects whistleblowers though. But I guess you'd need a good lawyer and $$$ to fight it.
FAA is a joke, this is not the first time this has happened sad to say. The definition of insanity is to try the same thing over and over and expect different results. Why have the FAA and NTSB not enforced safety requirements in regards to preventative maintenance? Obviously the higher ups in Alaska Airlines did not care, and neither the FAA or NTSB was there to say you can not do that.Why is there a gap between law and stock rates? The question is" why do they even have the option to care or not?" Specially when human lives are involved?
I’m a flight attendant and I always thank maintenance because I know they have a hard job. Also I live next to Boeing in SC and they fired anybody who complained about the max before the crashes and look what happened.
It's not just aviation, it's _every_ industry. Shareholders want what's most profitable, and what's most profitable kills people. Bic, for example, knew about a design flaw in their lighters which allowed hot flint to fall down into the fuel reservoir and turn the lighter into a hand grenade. But they simply settled the resulting lawsuits because their corporate beancounters calculated it was cheaper to pay out the settlements than to recall every lighter they had on the market.
Hey Alaska Airlines, was it worth sacrificing 88 lives in order to save a few $$ cutting corners on maintenance? How can you sleep at night, seriously. These people put their trust in your airlines and you let them down in the worse possible way. Damn!
Mark Wheeler I can't believe one family didn't press for criminal prosecution of those responsible and prison sentences I would have. I would have accepted 30 years in jail with NO parole.
One guy blew the whistle to the FBI and the NTSB, and wound up losing his job for it. But he shed light on how Alaska was falsifying records to put planes in service when they had no business flying.
"Hey Alaska Airlines, was it worth sacrificing 88 lives in order to save a few $$ cutting corners on maintenance?" Their accountants might have told them "yes". They might have concluded that any fines incurred by getting caught would be much less than the money saved. This is really a thing. Ford knew that the Pinto was prone to fires due to collisions, but they figured that the legal settlements to the burned and killed victims and their families would be a lot less than the cost of recalling the cars and correcting the design.
The CVR audio is disturbing from this incident, I don't recommend listening to it. The ATC recording is on RU-vid, and it is disturbing enough. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Df-UGtdGryU.html
This really got me too. I don't think I really have the words to describe it. They really did everything in their power to make sure everyone survived.
I watched this live on the news. They were talking to the pilots and other planes could see them roll over and hit the ocean in real time off of malibu. Can you imagine just coming back from a vacation of drinking margaritas and mariachi music and having your life taken from you because of cheap maintenance. Unfathomable
Kevin Allen me too , lived in Thousand Oaks CA at the time , I watched the recovery helicopters for days flying right over my house . Such a tragedy all to save some money !
I think this was the flight I read about when it happened that a family had not only their kids on the plane, they had taken their daughters friend along on the trip to Mexico. I had young kids then and it really kind of hit me and never forgot about it
Plus if you cut corners for money and one of your planes crashes...you just lose more money anyway, not to mention the poor souls onboard. Why are people stupid?
@Michael OatesWould they have been tried in 2020? Has anyone at Boeing been arrested for the two 737-Max crashes that Boeing was responsible for? Jacking some under-tested and poorly documented computer program into an over-powered airframe in order to save development costs and try to stay up with Airbus? All for "shareholder value"....
One of my instructors at A&P school, John Liotine refused to sign off on this flight because of shoddy maintenance & for that he was ostracized for his efforts.......one of the finest men I've the honor of meeting in my life.......
I remember him! I remember the Mayday episodes they've done on it (the original and the remake). He had even ordered for the jackscrew to be replaced and then some asshole went behind him and overruled his order. If they had done what he had said, this accident NEVER would have happened.
Can’t believe that ground control was upset that they wanted to divert to LAX instead of continuing to SFO because they were afraid it would mess up their flight schedule??? Are you kidding me?? Greed is the root of all evil. They cared more about losing money than they did the passenger’s & crew member’s lives! Unbelievable! 🤬
Out of all the crash episodes this one affected me the most. This and the Air France flight 441 from Rio to France. Its the manner in which these poor souls died. The plane was spinning like a top, so out of control that I cannot imagine the horror those people experienced before they died. :( RIP and bless your dearly departed souls.
G force will see to it that they were unconscious during the whole catastrophe, but it's still very unfortunate for those souls.. But one has to fly if they must
@@jadefenanders9263 I thought the pilots being alive and talking to the end means the passengers would know what was going on as well. Another documentary I watched re-enacted passengers screaming to the end, aware of their impending death. There is a high likelihood that they were conscious. Makes me ill just thinking about it🙁😔 Makes me afraid of flying. But kudos to the crew, they tried everything in the power to save everyone on board.
Pule... For one thing, the passengers are dead, not resting in peace! Second, how do you bless dead people? Just being practical. Any lie to make the living feel better!
@@mdot100 instead of being late, now their aircraft is destroyed, along with 2 of their best pilots, and their reputation got demolished too Like the old saying goes, better late than never
I just cant fathom nobody being penalized for this. Rest in peace to all the souls on that plane. No more money of mine for Alaska airlines... plus their fares are insanely high in comparison to other carriers.
@@NigelThornbery So what?? They have a few large hubs! The price of their air fares have nothing to do with the state of Alaska, they are high because they have an "undeserved" loyal following of passengers!
@@PeteRFNY Yes, totally useless maintenance 'support', couldn't give a shit basically! Those poor pilots did everything they possibly could to avert disaster, but cost cutting crooks sabotaged the flight. Tragic and a travesty.
And “I’d like to do it over the bay if I may” is just heartbreaking. He might have saved a lot of additional lives right there by intentionally staying over the water.
I remember this one so very well as i live in Alaska and fly this airline often. Never liked the MD aircraft. And i remember flying the MD quite often, they always seem to land far too fast. Its so hard to even imagine how the passengers were going through flying inverted. Those brave pilots tried so very hard. Rest in heaven.
I remember it well also. The airlines had lobbied the FAA hard to permit them to do reduced maintenance intervals on the tail motor. It was costly because they had to rent a lift to reach the high T-tail. Despite objections from MD's engineers, the FAA agreed to let the airlines skip maintenance intervals. The result was all those lives lost on 261 for want of a dollop of grease.
@@jay_321 yep, but halfing the service was not the issue it was falsifying that they had greased the jackscrew when they hadn't, and unfortunately this jet had not been greased for at least 3 of the extended services (was something like 2 years? It had not been greased, its been long time from when I watched the actual crash investigation video on this) and because the records were falsified the maintenance crew they did not know it had not been done before After this they halved the service interval for when the jackscrew needs greasing and that it must be visually expected at every service even if it's not being greased ( which is why they probably stopped using them in 2008 because it was probably costing them too much, how the airline did not go bankrupt because of that actually I think they did I've not checked but I guess somebody can do that)
In a B737, the jackscrew can be accessed through a hatch reached by a ladder, there are something like 2 fittings on the gimbal nut and it can be lubed in about 15 minutes.
Those two pilots, true heroes until the very end. Even when the plane turned upside down they kept fighting and trying to fly it UPSIDE DOWN in an attempt to save everyone. I have so much admiration and respect for them. May they rest in piece.
Not only did they make extraordinary efforts to continue to fly a plane they knew was doomed, before that they requested not to overfly POPULATED areas because they knew crashing was a real probability and wanted to ensure the safety of lives on the ground, yet they continued to heroically fight against the inevitable. So terribly Sad!
This one really hurt. The two pilots worked so well together, kept each other in control and calm… I so wanted them to live, even though I knew that they didn’t. I hope the loved ones of all on board have found some semblance of happiness in their lives. Thank you for honoring these folks. Happy 2022 everyone 🙏💚
Alaska's CEO needs at least 20 years in prison for this unbelieveable display of callous greed. He needed to be made an example of, to deter future corner-cutting by any other airline as well as Alaska.
"At one point unable to raise the nose, they attempt to fly the plane upside down " God! that's the most disturbing, heartbreaking and agonizing thing I've ever read..
This flight in particular has haunted me the most since I almost exclusively fly Alaska between Seattle and L.A. It’s terrifying enough to be in a dive; it’s unimaginable to be in an inverted dive. Pilots are absolute heroes for doing the best they possibly could under impossible circumstances.
I think pilots were trained for inverted flights. Maybe they used to be fighter jet pilots before where they commonly fly inverted and diving and all sorts of movements
@@godsbelovedchild1810 Yeah, being a pilot and having the plane point straight at the ground would be terrifying. Then even more terrifying would be the relization that theres no recovering the aircraft as you see the ocean get closer and closer
Beth Clemensen The difference is MONEY. Not race. Nice try though bro. Maybe tomorrow you will succeed in making the world appear more racist than it actually is
@@veralenora7368 Race baiters like yourself are shameless. Video about hundreds of people losing their lives in a horrific accident? Perfect time to push my racist talking points.
This is the saddest one I’ve seen so far. God bless those pilots, they remained calm and thoughtful and did the best they could. I can’t imagine the sheer terror when that plane went upside down for all those on board. RIP to all of those people.
So very sad!😢 If I were the victims families, I would have sued the company, the President and CEO! Ground dispatch was pathetic! This was an avoidable crash and could have been prevented. As an ex AA flight attendant, I thoroughly commend the guy who works tirelessly to make these videos!
The Captain Replies, “ I need to get down to about ten, change my configuration, make sure I can control the jet, and I’d like to do that here over the bay if I may.” The words of a true Hero who so selflessly protected innocent lives by troubleshooting his mortally wounded aircraft out over the water. RIP for God has taken you to safety. 😔
@Goose Tater not that it matters but, with this statement you just earned my respect in a way few people ever have. Not because you were admitting that I and others were right, but because you were curious if you were wrong... And you sought out more information until you became convinced that you actually were wrong. Which was good. But some people would sulk about that and not return to this thread and apologize. But you did come back and apologize. Not many people would do that, and those that I've known who would do that are all good people. Don't feel obligated to answer this but, for my part, I'm sorry I was such an asshole to you. Cheers.
At video time-line 07:45 + when already over the U$A coastline, and roughly +2:00 hrs into the flight ,... the discussion to DIVERT was WAY TOO LATE. ... Because they KNEW after being in the air for ONLY 6-minutes AFTER take off, ( i.e. about 50 miles out ) and achieving 31,00ft cruising / flight-plan altitude,... there was a PROBLEM,.. they should have TURNED BACK to their take-off airport immediately !!! . There is a FINE line between that which (society & the individual) deems the HERO or the FOOL,... generally, the HERO survives his 'act' of intervention,... when he DISREGARDS his own SACRIFICIAL safety, for 'another',.... whereas, the FOOL does not. !!! .
I can't imagine being other planes seeing that plane plunge. It must have been a horrifying sight. I don't know why I watch these, they just make me so sad. The controller who was worried about the schedule was awful.
Yes. Must have been hell. I decided to watch this only because I don't intend to fly for probably a year or two. It could give me panic attacks even when all is well mid-flight.
I'm beyond impressed with how professional the Captain and First Officer were until the very end. Grace and dignity are timeless and not bound by form.
Listening to the two other pilots describe what they're seeing breaks my heart every time I hear it. The younger, eager pilot is nervous and jacked up describing what's happening to ATC. The older pilot is calm, reserved and resigned. The younger pilot has hope.... The older pilot knows it's hopeless..... You just know that night, after answering whatever questions he had to or filling out whatever report was needed, the younger pilot sat down at home or in a hotel somewhere alone and tears welled up in his eyes....right then is when he became - even if only in some small way - the older pilot. I didn't watch this.... I really can't. Especially if it covers the mechanic at Alaska who was put on leave because he wrote a memo about the dangers of what Alaska was doing in which he specifically mentioned the bushit jack screw inspection schedule on the very aircraft that crashed and how dangerous it was. Alaska was literally trying to figure out how to fire him when his unfortunate prophecy came true. He walked away with a chunk of cash and he deserved it. Those assholes at Alaska should have listened to him and made him a supervisor...he was the exact mechanic employee you want working for you if you run airline but instead they shit all over him.
BW Acuff I know...it’s fucking ridiculous how careless these people were that didn’t wanna listen to him. They should be in jail. They played a role in costing 88 innocent souls that all could’ve been protected from a sudden untimely death like this. Just really pisses me off
Sir, You NAILED It! I live only about 7 miles from the Alaska 261 memorial in Port Hueneme; every time I go there I get pissed off and sad all over again. That no one go jail time is beyond belief!!
It may have taken a long time to make but - IT SHOWS in the final product - your video of this incident. Thanks for your hard work and dedication in trying to clarify and document thru video simulation, aircraft accidents. I am sure it is MUCH appreciated by all of your viewers. This was an especially hard video to watch for many reasons but I think the crew did absolutely nothing wrong in trying to free the jackscrew. They were only trying to deal with a situation they were presented with and get the plane safely landed. I agree with the awarding of APA's Gold Medal for Heroism. They did everything they could without knowing the cause of the jammed stabilizer and how to recover from it. May the crew and the passengers rest in peace. Amen.
It is incredible that a single nut, bolt, etc can lead to a crash. These videos make me realize that there is absolutely zero room for maintenance error. In this case, the lack of grease and the wrong nut helped down this aircraft. I can’t imagine the horror of those on board. May they all RIP ❤️
The movie 'Flight' has clearly taken some dialogue from Flight 261's CVR, undoubtedly as a homage to the pilots, who tried everthing. Another great video FlightChannel.
I had a family member who worked for Alaska when this happened. They were responsible for updating the website with pictures of the passengers who died and employees who were on the plane. They almost had a complete breakdown because it was so devastating. Changed them for life...
One of the most DISGUSTING airline crashes in modern times, due to the appalling GREED and corruption of Alaskan Airlines' derelict and DISHONEST maintenance practices...all calculated with PROFITS in mind - and I'm not even sure there was a class-action lawsuit against AA! There's no way I'd EVER fly Alaskan....absolutely NOT!
@RavenclawAtHeart Yeah. Lots of these soyboys act like these old bad events from decades ago are still revelant. I bet they won't visit germany because they think its still the same as it was in World War 2.
Peter, these things can happen with any airline. Flying is a risky endeavor regardless of how many people tell you it’s the safest method of transportation. Safest my ass. There’s no pulling over or getting off when stuff goes south. You either land in one piece, or many. That’s it.
I think (with respect to the effort made with this reconstruction) what isn’t communicated is how extraordinary the effort was to invert the aircraft; the pilots were being forced towards the ceiling under Hugh g forces, and the controls must have been very difficult to reach. They really did everything they conceivably could to save the aircraft and passengers.
This is the crash that made me afraid to fly. I was living on the west coast when it happened, and later learned what caused it. I had also done courier work in my college days, and I delivered parts to a certain plane maker quite often. The complete and total lack of care about anything from some of the people who worked there, always stuck in my mind. Combine these 2, and I realized that flying required that I trust a whole lot of people, all along the line, from first bolt to the pilot flying the plane.....and I just don't have that kind of trust.
@@ralfrd2yeaaah, I used to love flying until I was about 17-18. I was on a flight that had touched ground but sped up quickly and took off. Everyone was confused what happened, then I saw we missed a plane just barely sitting on the runway, right out my window on the left wing. Since then, I looked up how something like that could happen since “it’s so much safer statistically than a car!” and realized slowly that most airline aircraft is maintained by hundreds of people, and the aircraft are generally 20+ years old etc. it may be statistically safer, but I’d rather have my last moments in a whiplash car crash than slowly/quickly realizing you’re going to die and being absolutely terrified for minutes or even hours. Especially in the case with this flight. Had to have been terrifying. I’ve flown many times since then, but now I’m paranoid the whole flight, and even turbulence makes me iron grip the seat…
I've spoken with an FO who flew MD-80's for Alaska before converting to the 737NG. He knew Flight 261's pilots and had flown with the captain before. He blamed the crash squarely at the FAA for letting airlines cut corners. He explained how the FAA at the time had a conflicting role of regulating aviation while promoting it at the same time, which led to the agency being easily influenced by airlines and aircraft manufacturers when it comes to the issue of cost. He cited examples such as the 747 cargo door issue being given 18 months to fix, which caused United Airlines Flight 811 to loose its door and almost a dozen passengers before the FAA shortened the directive to 30 days; ValuJet, who was allowed by the FAA to continue to operate despite horrendous safety records which led to Flight 592 crashing into the Everglades. Flight 261 was just another crash that was caused by regulators who gave the operators too much leeway.
Really sad. Just increase my disgust with Amercia ..lives dont matter , money does. It's extremely sickening . We look at these dictators taking lives as appuling (which it truly us) but greedy Americans r no different ehen they sacrifice lives for money. It's thr same principle, its all about what they want , not safety or public protrection.. only difference is the whole population of a country is not affected. So theirfore people don't care.
Maggie Morel Good, we don’t want you here, our country is all full of dumbass communists. The true mark of capitalism is self-correction and criticism which we have the luxury to do, which means nobody has to buy a ticket on Alaska airlines and it will put them out of business. The fact that they are still in business, means people are still willing to trust them.
@@goldenshark3182 the US is a shithole, nearly a 3rd world country if you aren't rich, where rampant capitalism and profit over lives has destroyed most of your infrastructure, trailerparks, ghettos and so on. And please stop the baseles redscare about communism and socialism you have no clue what you're talking about. Rampant capitalism is the other extreme of the spectrum and critisizing it doesn't mean one is a stalinist communist. How about nuance and finding the right spot at the center where both business and people can thrive? But I guess most of you americans are just too braindwashed by neocons and neolibs to smell the ginger tea already.
@@maggiemorel4994 thats a dumb comment. there are literally tens of millions of people and corporations who do things properly and arent corrupt or greedy in America. thats like saying Britain is disgusting for what BAE did. think about it
@@Shinbaal99 yeah sure bud. whatever you say. capitalism isnt the problem, its corruption. and its not a "Rampant" problem in the U.S. anymore than it is in any other 1st world country, including the UK. you guys are your scare tactics and brainwashing. everything you wrote is laughable. your "nuance and finding the right spot" is pretty much the reason why America has succeeded.. why else are billions of people trying to get in?
Wow, I hadn't heard about this one, had to be a sick feeling when they were inverted and finding out there maintenance crew new less about the plane than they did. It most generally always go back to the airlines cutting corners to make a profit, what a shame for the loss of all the people on that plane. I love the airport vehicles you have, they look really good and again another great video, thank you for sharing.
I can't honestly imagine the pilots looking out their windows and seeing that sea upsidedown. Truly scary and if you were a passenger my god. Just awful
After the NTBS shared its findings the FAA ordered an immediate inspection of all MD 80’s in the United States. Alaska Airlines had an additional six MD-80’s grounded after failing new inspections of the jackscrew, and a former maintenance supervisor, found he had ordered the jackscrew to be replaced on that MD-80 during its last overhaul, but the following shift decided it wasn’t necessary. The next overhaul wouldn’t be for another six years, flight 261 would crash two and half years before the scheduled overhaul. That same maintenance supervisor had reported Alaska airlines to the FAA for numerous regulatory violations, and gross negligence of their aircraft 6 months prior to the accident. Despite his efforts to prevent a major accident, it was to no avail.
I work for Alaska nowadays, and flight 261 is still used as an example for doing your job correctly. There are reward programs for spotting problems and everybody on the ground is able to stop everything on the ground if there’s a problem and they won’t get in trouble. It’s a huge part of the culture now.
@@ronwilliams357 they really tried their best to fly the plane until the end. Not a moment of giving up. But there's nothing they can do anymore... I hate this accident so much because the airline didn't have to pay much for this. Fucking bs.
@Goose Tater you're dumber than your username The pilots (not wanting to die themselves) did everything they could to save the plane, the Alaska airlines head executives killed everyone on board, not the pilots
This flight is terrifying. For me. For the deceased. What is even more terrifying is the lack of empathy from the controllers and maintenance personnel. They literally told them the plane is having major control issues, issues that could crash the plane. No reassurance from the controller. No, “Do you need any assistance?” Or “Is there anything I can do to help?” It would have at least put less stress on the flight crew knowing ATC and maintenance understand the gravitas of the situation. I hope they live with regret for the rest of their lives for not being helpful in a life or death situation. Sickening.
They understood the gravitas of the situation, they were remaining collected and professional because grace under pressure is what's required in life or death situations. It's the same with 911 dispatchers who get criticized for "not being empathetic" because they're focused on getting someone urgent help rather than having a cry with them. If you want to be sickened by someone, then be sickened by the people falsifying maintenance records.
I watch this channel quite often.. the cockpit views at the end are heart wrenching.. I couldn’t even imagine the fear and shock of the pilots. Not to mention the passengers. Thank you for making these videos in a very professional manner. And with respect…
I really liked Captain Thompson's personality. Very cool under pressure with a low key sense of humor. He made me grin. Thank you for the cockpit transcript:) Rest in Peace
This tragic loss happened off the coast of the town of Port Hueneme, CA soon to be 20 years ago in one more week. This is my hometown and I remember the day very well. It was a VERY somber day afterward and for several days later. The large memorial sun dial at our beach is a daily reminder for those visiting. This flight is why I never boarded a plane with a high tail using jackscrews again. I am sure there will be a 20 year memorial service. Rest peacefully.
I don't think this crash is a reason to never get on a high tail with a jackscrew again, or even to never ride an MD-80. It was Alaskan's poor maintainence that caused the crash, not the aircraft design.
Your amazing videos constantly remind me being an Airline pilot is a truly immensely heavy job that gets taken for granted. The whole flight process and everyone involved to make it successful is beyond important and crucial. Being a passenger focused on your destination, you can lose sight of that. I’m sitting here thanking every pilot, crew member, technician, and all ACC staff that have gotten myself and my family safely from point A to point B domestically and internationally. RIP to all the lives lost on the flights covered in this channel.
Yes Erica and thats exactly why many feel very anxious about flying and refuse to do so, they realize what you said and dont have such a trust in pilots maintenence and so on
”Maintenance, we lost all control!!!” ”Cool. We will see you at the gate with a wrench on our hand. Continue to San Fransisco, otherwise there could be a disruption.”
@Goose Tater That's what I would have said and done before the first nose-dive. Something was wrong the moment the plane dipped after takeoff. I would like to land in San Diego, but it's hard to land at a single runway airport. LAX is better equipped.
The Captain should be a Decorated Hero. Here's why; There are comments that are inappropriate for family members and untruthful. When the Captain spoke to maintenance briefly and was told there was no override or fix, He knew what that meant and why maintenance discontinued any further conversation. The jack screw was currently in a position that made a landing impossible. It was broke so freeing it would mean no control.. He then requested to fly over the ocean with hope that maybe the screw may jam in a landable position. Which would not have happened. That is always a fatal event. Then the Captain instructed the lead Stewardess to prepare the cabin and let the passengers know that He would invert the plane to fix the control issue. He knew when the assembly freed itself he wouldn't have any control. He constantly assured his crew and passengers that he may be able to fix it, so when the plane inverted and dived most wouldn't realize right away that death would be the result. The dive was 90 seconds. The passengers wouldn't have been happy with the inverted dive but likely would have been busy trying to hold on believing it was intentional and controlled. I believe the Captain did that to spare the passengers as much fear as possible. The crash would have been instant death at that speed of decent. If the Captain had tried to land on the ground the crash would have been worse and there's a risk of killing people on the ground and fire . He choose the ocean and the fastest way out for his doomed plane. He maintained admirably knowing there was no way out. He likely prepared himself for what he had to do then freed the screw knowing the inevitable. Which is better than flying around burning off fuel and crashing anyway while putting passengers thru too much fear for too long. He IS a Hero who was a Victim as much as anyone, yet He did all he could to spare everyone else from knowing the inevitable. He choose the fastest cleanest ending possible for his crew and passengers. That took Great Courage!! RIP and prayers for the families that must grieve way longer in hell than 90 seconds. Some people should have been charged with 88 counts of negligent homicide and gone to jail. They even failed to use the proper grease on the jack screw which is why it burned away. Why because the proper grease is way more expensive than general grade grease. This was Criminal.
Maintenance errors should be scored. If a maintenance technician gets 5 points in 3 years, he’s suspended without pay. 10 points in 5 years, he’s decertified due to malpractice. Example, cowling left unlatched (39 cowlings have come off in flight after maintenance failed to latch), is 1 point. This guy who improperly tensioned the Alaska airlines flight is 10 points, and he’s out for good. Failure to self-report an error is automatic loss of license, and potentially criminal charges. These maintenance techs are licensed/regulated professionals, like doctors and lawyers, and need to be treated as such. Even a bad doctor can’t kill 200 people at once.
I just looked it up and the maintenance manager who was pressuring everybody to put unserviceable parts back in aircraft, and to cut corners in general (Robert Falla) was dismissed by Alaska Airlines...and got hired by Boeing and later American Airlines. As of 2021, that man is still a manager at AA. WOW yeah not going to be flying American AIrlines anymore wtf
@Bronski Turboski Actually I filled AA's contact form asking why they would hire this kind of criminal... I never got a reply, not surprisingly lol! Also aviation is a small world, there is no way his hiring managers didn't know. Oh well, thanks to LinkedIn we can just check where he works and not fly that airline! Dude's name is Robert Falla. Scary shit for sure
The head executives of Alaska airlines should have been given life sentences Ask any airline passenger what they would prefer 1: save $5 on your ticket, but risk that being the last flight you ever take 2: pay a little more, but be able to ride in an aircraft that has been properly maintained and is up to code I guarantee the overwhelming majority of the flying public will choose option 2
ULCC's have thrived before this accident and will continue to thrive after it. The public has shown they value price above most everything else when it comes to air travel.
@@Jagshemasher I guess we could load them up in an old decommissioned aircraft that has been structurally weakened by the elements, fit it with sensors and cameras, rig the plane for remote control, then fly it around the desert until it crashes (whether that is from structural failure, running out of fuel, or something else) Then we can let scientists, engineers.etc study it
26000 hours in 7 years is a ridiculous amount of time, think about it. It leaves no time for maintenance at all. There should be a limit on the amount of hours a plane can fly per year.
Scary thing is that I did 3rd party overhaul on Alaska Airlines planes after this occurred. They knew the cause by then, and were still being cheap and stingy with their maintenance. They refused to do repairs and tried pressuring us into just signing off on stuff without actually doing it. Eventually my company refused to work for them. We put one plane back together in the middle of a month long heavy check and told them to take it elsewhere. They were the only company that we ever refused to work for. For that reason I’ll never let my family fly on them.
Nice job on the video. I remember this crash, and I had pulled up the accident reports as they were being published. I had photos of that jackscrew. That thing looked like it had never been greased since it was built and put in service. The threads had peeled off like pulling the string to unwrap a pack of chewing gum. All because it was a bigger hassle to pull all of the covers off to access it and do the job right.Those people had a horrifying ride down. It makes me angry thinking about it.
I was so pulling for them to continue flying inverted and at the last moment recover and perform a Sully belly landing. That would have been one for the ages. They did the best they could with such a shitty deck. RIP.
When they rolled it I thought ha you did it you mad men you did it! Then they started descending slowly. I kept saying roll back over roll damn you. But they never rolled back and slowed down. The ocean only got bigger... Truly a sad sight.
@@sapede Yep, if I'm not mistaken there was nothing at that point to hold the horizontal stabilizer in place except for the hinge, so even if they rolled it back over it could've easily plunged back into the ocean. :(
I thought it was so messed up how ATC acted as if the captain's calls for assistance was seen as a nuisance. Alaska Airlines is lucky they managed to stay afloat after this because they were cutting corners that costed the lives of 88 souls. Hearing the other pilot describe how the plane crashed into the ocean was hard too. You can hear it in his voice that what he witness didn't sit well with him. That must have been horrific sight to see.
Amazing video, thank you very much. I remember this air disaster well. It's just one that sticks with you. Two incredibly talented pilots that managed to fly the plane inverted. It's hard to imagine that they carried on trying to fly the plane in the end with the horizontal stabiliser jammed nose down, and well beyond its aerodynamic tolerance and design. I would imagine the four noises heard in the cockpit was the sound of the stabiliser being forced past its operational limit, before jamming into the final position which made the plane's pitch unrecoverable.
Niko Yes these pilots were amazing in their ability to make the impossible possible at least for a time. If only they wouldn't have tried freeing the stuck stabilizer trim. But only very mechanically minded people would have thought about not trying to free the stabilizer controls for fear that is was a mechanical failure.
@@watershed44 The threads on the stabilizer were stripped, so the stabilizer was free floating. The Stabilized wasn't jammed, it was the air load that was holding it in the full nose down position!
kingg213 But PRIOR to the pilots playing with the controls the stabilizer was in a sufficient position so that the plane was fairly level and flyable, once they kept playing with it the motor disturbed the position and then it got stuck in the full nose down position. If only they left well enough alone, but they really couldn't have known, although like I said if you are mechanically minded I would have left things alone with that, knowing that something very odd was going on with that control system.
@@watershed44 There were rumors that the incoming flight crew gave a verbal heads up to the outgoing crew, that they were having stabilizer issues, but the airplane was operating normally. The issue was that, the stab motor was experiencing thermal trips due to over heating. The reason for the verbal was that in Mexico, only Mexican labor can be used. The airline is allowed to send a maintenance representative, to witness work done, but that is it. So, grounding an airplane in Mexico was not a good thing.
@@watershed44 The jack screw was on it's last leg, they probably were able set the stab initially to takeoff configuration, based on the existing load. I am speculating here, but that might have been when the threads were stripped badly enough, and were really binding the ball nut limiting it's movement. As the flight progressed the stab probably wasn't configuring correctly, and that is when they started the "Dicking Around" trying to force it. That's when the threads finally broke free. the loud banging they heard was at that point, because the stab was now "Free Floating"!
the saddest part was how they kept trying so hard until the very end but still died, all because of company cutting corners saving some maintenance fee.
I had an acquaintance who worked for 20 years with Qantas. He was very annoyed that over recent years, Qantas began outsourcing one after another of its operations to China! This included maintenance and other areas. Older experienced staff were gradually replaced.
To the passengers it probably seemed like the entire ocean, or the entire planet, was dropped down right on top of them. I can't imagine how horrifying it was for them, may they rest in peace.
From FAA , Alaskan management got a little slap on their wrist. From their shareholders, they received a big round of applause during their annual meeting. And at the end, at their buffet, the lobster tails were, as always, soo delicious my dear.
I notice you always show respect and sensitivity towards the casualties / those affected. I appreciate you creating informative and educational content without ever sensationalising human tragedy.
for some reason this one hit harder than any other crash it's so engaging and it just really seems to narrate how normal people get put into situations like this. it's also a tragedy they fought as hard as they could.
The inverted manuever are their last resort , they are trying to counter the nose down problem . they really tried everything they can , respect for them even though they didnt make it . they have fought really hard to save everyone.
Every time I see an aircraft with a "T" tail that uses a jackscrew, I think "There's a disaster waiting to happen." In my opinion, too much rides on this one mechanism. Bravo to these two pilots, who fought to the very end.
This one of the saddest air crash accidents to read or view. Every single person suffered before dying at or just after impact. When plunging at 90 degrees or being upside down, you can't be unaware of what's happening.
I asked my friend who's an aviation engineering student about why no one was charged for this crash, and he replied that it was because the management of Alaska Airlines had ties with the regulatory authorities, and that's why they got off. I got really sickened when I heard that
Thanks for posting this. I was at SeaTac airport awaiting a flight to California when this happened. My plane from San Francisco was late. I'm not sure if it was this plane or nor, but flight 261's final destination was Seattle. We were watching it on TV in the bar, but then the bartender told us he the airport management asked him to change the channel. I watched flight attendants and pilots coming off the other planes in tears, some running through the airport. I was a surreal experience. My flight finally took off about 2 hours late.
@fk god Very true, all the pilots at Alaska loved flying the MD80, because they never had to work on one! The only mechanics I've met who liked the MD80, were those who never actually worked on them in heavy check! As a mechanic, the MD80 was OK at the gates just turning them for the next flight out. But, when something went wrong with them, it was a different story!
It was indicated in the maintenance log book that that the greasing only took 1 hr when for a fact it takes about 4 hrs to complete the work. Maintenance were falsifying the work....
Probably a little more time than you would think because you have to remove panels to get to the areas, then clean and regrease the jackscrew (possibly remove it first), etc. Still doesn't excuse what the airline did, though.
In hindsight its odd that the crew (and Alaska corporate) were so casual about a control surface failure. I'd much rather have an engine fail that have a CS fail. Declare an emergency and get vectors for landing at the nearest suitable airport immediately. Absolutely criminal that Alaska corporate discouraged the crew from that action.
Can't blame Alaska Airlines, they weren't flying the plane. There was nothing stopping the pilots from landing that plane at the first sign of trouble. They made the decision to fly for over 2 hours fiddling around with the switches instead of landing.
This would be one of the most horrific and heartbreaking incidents in aviation history. To the pilots who fought till the very end; godspeed. May everyone on board RIP.
