Alaska Airlines Flight 261 – Pacific Ocean Crash
Date of Incident: January 31, 2000
Location: Pacific Ocean, 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California
🧭 What Happened
Flight AS261 was a scheduled international service from Puerto Vallarta to Seattle via San Francisco. While cruising at FL310, the MD-83 experienced a jammed horizontal stabilizer. After multiple failed attempts to troubleshoot, the stabilizer broke free and pitched the aircraft into a steep dive. The crew briefly recovered, but a catastrophic jackscrew failure led to a final inverted plunge into the Pacific Ocean. All 88 onboard perished.
✈️ Aircraft Details
Flight Number: AS261
Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Registration: N963AS
Departure: Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)
Stopover: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Destination: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Fatalities: All 88 onboard (83 passengers + 5 crew)
Survivors: 0
🔍 Key Factors
The horizontal stabilizer trim system jammed mid-flight. Maintenance records revealed inadequate lubrication of the jackscrew assembly. When the jam broke loose, the stabilizer moved to a full nose-down position. The final failure occurred when the acme nut threads stripped completely, causing total loss of pitch control.
📆 Timeline of Events
- 21:37 UTC – Departure from Puerto Vallarta
- 23:49 UTC – Crew reports jammed stabilizer to maintenance
- 00:09 UTC – Stabilizer breaks free; aircraft enters steep dive
- 00:19 UTC – Loud thumps recorded; jackscrew fails
- 00:21 UTC – Aircraft crashes inverted into Pacific Ocean
🎙️ Cockpit Voice & Flight Data
“We’re in a dive here.” — Captain Thompson
“Push the blue side up!” — Final recovery attempt
The CVR captured the crew’s struggle to regain control, including upset recovery maneuvers and coordination. The FDR showed extreme pitch and roll angles before impact. Both recorders were recovered from the ocean floor.
⚙️ Aircraft Systems & Failures
- Jackscrew acme nut threads worn beyond tolerance
- Lubrication intervals extended without proper oversight
- No fail-safe mechanism for stabilizer trim failure
- Crew unable to override runaway trim
🛡️ Aftermath and Reforms
- NTSB issued 24 safety recommendations
- Alaska Airlines revised maintenance protocols
- FAA increased oversight of lubrication and inspection intervals
- MD-80 fleet retired by Alaska Airlines in 2008
- Memorial sundial erected in Port Hueneme, CA