Alaska Air Flight 261

ALASKA AIR FLIGHT 261 , a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 on an international flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico bound for Seattle, WA via San Francisco, CA on January 31, 2000 that crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) north of Anacapa Island, California, after suffering a catastrophic loss of pitch control. The crash killed everyone aboard: two pilots, three cabin crew members, and 83 passengers — a total of 88 people.

This is the largest aerial disaster at the California Channel Islands. Second is the crash on San Miguel Island of a B-24 Liberator in which 12 airmen died on July 5, 1943.

A Lockheed NP-3D Orion from Point Mugu, California, two Sikorsky HH-60H Seahawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HCS) 5 from Point Mugu, and Coast Guard helos and a Lockheed HC-130H Hercules responded. Aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln supported rescue crews, and Navy mapping with underwater side scanning sonar and video enabled the searchers to recover pieces of wreckage. Reinforcements included amphibious transport dock Cleveland, destroyer Fife and Jarrett, these ships embarked HH-60 and SH-60 Seahawks, and a Lockheed S-3B Viking from Naval Air Station North Island.

• WIKIPEDIA: Alaska Airlines Flight 261

• Aircraft Accident Report. Loss of Control and Impact with Pacific Ocean Alaska Airlines Flight 261 McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS about 2.7 Miles North of Anacapa Island, California January 31, 2000. NTSB, Washington, D.C., February 10, 2021. Wraps, 236 pages.

[original in SCIF archives]

• [DEATHS IN NATIONAL PARKS] Farabee, Charles R. "Butch" Jr. Death, Daring, & Disaster. Search and Rescue in the National Parks. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, (2005). Wraps.

[original in SCIF archives]

CREW

• Captain Ted Thompson, pilot, 53
• First Officer William Tansky, 57
• Flight Attendant Kristin Mills, 26
• Flight Attendant Craig Pulanco, 30
• Flight Attendant Allison Shanks, 33

83 PASSENGERS

• Larry Baldridge, Jr., 34, with his girlfriend Nina Voronoff
• Renato Bermudez, 39, S.F. firefighter
• Michael Bernard, 30, friend of Ryan family
• Malcolm Branson, 39, Alaskan engaged to Janice Stokes
• William Bryant, 45, travel agent traveling with James "Jay" Luque
• Abigail Busche, 25
• Ryan Busche, 28
• Gabriela Chavez, 33, homemaker
• Toni Choate, 48, general contractor
• Jacquelyn Choate, 17, daughter
• Sheri Christensen, 25, ground service agent for Horizon Air
• David Clemetson, 40, infectious disease specialist
• Carolyn Clemetson, 31, wife
• Coriander Clemetson, 8
• Blake Clemetson, 7
• Miles Clemetson, 6
• Spencer Clemetson, 6 months
• John Cithbertso, 70
• Avinesh Amit Deo, 23, cousin of Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Prasad
• Monte Donaldson, 31, freelance landscaper and finace of Colleen Whorley
• Dean Forshee, 47, musician
• Jerri Fosmire, 48
• Allen Freidmann, 48, marathon runner
• Robert Gandesbery, 69
• Jean Gandesbery, 66
• Meghann Hall, 19, friend of Rachel Janosik and Ryan Sparks
• Aloysius Han, 65, retired architect for PG&E
• Glenn Hatleberg, 65
• Barbara Hatleberg, 64
• Robert Hovey, 50
• Russell Ing, 28
• Rachel Janosik, 20, Horizon Air employee, girlfriend of Ryan Sparks
• Karl Karlsson, 51
• Carol Karlsson, 42
• Joe Knight, 54, missionary
• Linda Knight, 51, missionary
• Willia, Knudson, 53, and partner of William Knudson
• Ronald Lake, 59, retired from U.S. Treasury
• Joyce Lake, 62, real estate broker
• Rodrigo Liago, 53, Arco engineer
• Naomi Liago, 53
• Bradley Long, 39, real estate broker and partner of William Knudson
• James "Jay" Luque, 40, traveling with William Bryant
• Juan Marquez, 34
• Robert Ost, 39, firefighter
• Ileana Ost, 30
• Emily Ost, 4 months
• Cynthia Oti, 43, investment broker
• Rodney Pearson, 45, chef
• Sarah Pearson, 36, Alaska Airlines flight attendant
• Rachel Pearson, 6
• Grace Pearson, 22 months
• Deborah Penna, 27
• Stanford Poll, 59
• Jean Permison, 73, mother of Ileana Ost
• Anjesh Prasad, 19, cousin of Avinesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo
• Avinesh Prasad, 19, cousin of Anjesh Prasad and Avinesh Amit Deo
• Paul Pulanco, 40
• Charles Russell, 65, traveling with Jean Permison and her family
• Terry Ryan, 55
• Barbara Ryan, 54
• Bradford "Pat" Ryan, 33, ski patrol
• James Ryan, 30th birthday trip; flight attendant for Horizon Air
• Ellen Masland Salyer, 51
• Stacy Schuyler, 20, ground service agent for Horizon Air
• John Shaw, 63
• Joan Smith, 53, manager of a SF medical office
• Charlene Sipe, 53, insurance agent and partner of Harry Stasinos
• Ryan Sparks, 20, boyfriend of Rachel Janosik and friend of Meghann Hall
• Harry Stasinos, 54, insurance agent and partner of Charlene Sipe
• Tom Stockley, 63, wine colunmist
• Peggy Stockley, 62
• Janice Stokes, 48, Alaskan engaged to Malcolm Branson
• Morris Thompson, 62, wealthy businessman and Alsakan leader
• Thelma Thompson, 56
• Sheryl Thompson, 33, daughter of Morris and Thelma
• Robert Thorgrimson, 63, friends of the Williams
• Lorna Thorgrimson, 52
• Nina Voronoff, 32, pediatric cancer nurse traveling with her boyfriend Larry Baldridge, Jr.
• Colleen Whorley, 34, art director at Microsoft
• Steve Wilkie, 38, brand manager of the Levi Strauss’ Silvertab clothing line
• Bob Williams, 65, Poulsbo builder (Masonic ring found), friends of the Thorgrimsons
• Patty Williams, 63

In the News~

February 1, 2000 [Eugene-Register Guard]: “Oxnard, Calif.—An Alaska Airlines jet carrying 88 people—including three bound for Eugene—plummeted into the Pacific Ocean on Monday after the pilot reported mechanical problems. The plane had been diverted to Los Angeles for an emergency landing. Several bodies were recovered from the chilly water, but there was no sign of survivors hours after the crash. Flight 261, heading from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and later to Seattle, went down at 4:36 p.m., 40 miles northwest of the Los Angeles airport, the airline said. A National Park service ranger on Anacapa Island, near the crash site, saw the jet going down "nose first", spokeswoman Susan Smith said at Channel Islands National Park headquarters. A large field of debris rolled in big swells about 10 miles offshore as aircraft and small boats converged on the site just before sunset. Hours later, the high-powered lights of commercial squid boats illuminated the darkness as a cutter and small boats continued the search. Deckhands on a fishing boat collected body parts, Mexican toys, a stuffed animal, a shoe, cushions and aircraft insulation. Several bodies were found, Coast Guard Lt. Chuck Diorio said, but he could not give a specific number. The weather was clear at the crash site, where the water is between 300 and 750 feet deep, the Coast Guard said. "Every resource is out there to find people," said Coast Guard Capt. George Wright. "We're actively searching for survivors. In 58-degree water temperature, people can survive. We're not going to quit until we're positive there's absolutely no chance." Alaska Airlines said the plane was carrying 83 passengers and five crew members. The passengers included three Alaska Airlines employees, four employees of its sister airline Horizon and 23 relatives or friends of those employees or the crew. "We will do anything and everything to find out exactly what transpired," Kelly said. He said the pilot, Capt. Ted Thompson, 53, had more than 10,000 hours of flying time with Alaska and the first officer, William Tansky, 57, had more than 8,000 hours. The plane was an MD-83, part of the MD-80 series aircraft built by McDonnell Douglas, now a part of Boeing. It was new when it entered the fleet in 1992. The airline said the pilot reported having problems with the "stabilizer trim" and asked to be diverted shortly before the plane crashed. "Radar indicated it fell from 17,000 feet and then was lost from radar," San Francisco airport spokesman Ron Wilson said. On the MD-80 series airplanes, the horizontal stabilizer looks like a small wing mounted on top of the tail. The stabilizer, which includes panels that pitch the nose up and down, is brought into balance, or "trimmed" from the cockpit. If a plane lost its horizontal stabilizer, it would be unable to keep the nose pointed at the proper angle up or down, and the plane would begin an uncontrolled dive... ”