31-01-2025
Remembering Alaska Airlines Flight 261: 25 years since tragic crash
The Brief
On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people onboard due to a jackscrew failure caused by insufficient lubrication.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft was en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle, with a scheduled stop in San Francisco, when it experienced an uncontrollable dive.
A memorial sundial in Port Hueneme, California, honors the victims, casting a shadow on a plaque each January 31.
Jan. 31 marks 25 years since Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean while on its way to Seattle, killing all 88 people onboard.
What happened to the plane?
Everything seemed normal when the flight departed Puerto Vallarta, Mexico until the horizontal stabilizer in the tail of the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 plane stopped responding.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a jackscrew in the tail of the plane failed mid-flight, leading to an uncontrollable dive. The FAA said the thread failure was caused by excessive wear from insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly.
The plane was destroyed on impact when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean a few miles north of Anacapa Island, California. All 83 passengers, three cabin crew and two pilots were killed.
The flight was scheduled to stop at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) before reaching Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
A memorial for the victims is located at Port Hueneme. It's a 20-foot-long sundial that casts a shadow on the memorial plaque each January 31.
The Source
Information in this story came from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
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