Allistair Fitzgerald

Air Crash Investigations: the Crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Allistair Fitzgerald

On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines, Flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, was on its way from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle, Washington, when suddenly the horizontal stabilizer of the plane jammed. While passengers were praying for their life, Captain Thompson and First officer Tansky tried to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles. They did not make it, the plane suddenly crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 93 people aboard. The NTSB concluded that the failure of the horizontal stabilizer was caused by insufficient maintenance. In other words the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 could have been avoided.