Accidents
Final Report: FAA-approved maintenance procedure cited in fatal accident
MD-80, Anacapa Island, Calif., Jan.

MD-80, Anacapa Island, Calif., Jan. 31, 2000–Both pilots, three cabin crewmembers and 83 passengers on board the Alaska Airlines MD-80 were killed when Flight 261 crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island at 4:21 p.m. PST.

It was a scheduled international passenger flight operating under Part 121 from Lic Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (MMPR) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), with an intermediate stop planned at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Weather is not considered a factor as the entire trip was conducted in VMC. The pilots reported a handling problem to ATC and were en route to Los Angeles (LAX) for an emergency landing when the stabilizer failed and the aircraft plunged into the ocean.

Loading…