Shelby Skinner 3.2 Regulation Violations
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Dec 6, 2023
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ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Shelby L. Skinner
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
Alaska Airlines flight 261 was a tragic accident that stemmed from years of neglect at
multiple levels of inspections and supervision. The levels of failure started from the airline
wanting to cut costs and with those cuts they needed to extend maintenance timeframes at
different intervals. This stabilizer trim jackscrew required lubrication at certain intervals in which
were extended.
What actions or inactions led to the accident or incident
Alaska Airlines extended the interval of the inspection from 500 flight hours in 1987 to
every eight months which is approximately 2,250 hours in 1999. This came from Alaska Airlines
trying to cut costs to stay in competition with MarkAir and Southwest Airlines. In 1991, Alaska
Airlines reported a loss of $121 million so the company began slashing costs where they “could”
then after nine years they posted profits again (Cloudberg, 2021). In 1998, a lead mechanic
ordered the jackscrew to replace it since it was at the maximum limit of .040 inch. However,
before the $80,000 jackscrew was replaced the aircraft was returned to service. The mechanic
went to federal authorities informing them that Alaska Airlines was cutting costs on maintenance
(Guzzetti, J, 2021).
Did the MRO facility violate any current laws or regulations?
Alaska Airlies extended the flight inspection on a two-foot-long jackscrew to more than
four times past the manufacturer's suggested inspection time (Goodman, C et al, 2001). Due to
this extension of the inspection, there was a lack of lubrication on the jackscrew, leading the
threads to strip causing the plane’s horizontal stabilizer to jam. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of
Northern California was investigating the airlines for fraud book-keeping but never filled
criminal charges against the airlines.
ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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Did the accident or incident lead to a change in regulations?
New airworthiness directives were established after the initial inspection. During the
issuance the FAA received reports about metallic particles to include shavings imbedded within
the grease. This caused Boeing to issue three service bulletins in March of 2000 (FAA, 2000).
Boeing had given their employees up to 90 days after the endplay check to submit a report of the
results to Boeing.
Did the MRO facility receive any penalties for their violation?
Alaska Airlines did not receive any penalties for the plane crash of Flight 261, but they
were sued by the whistleblower. Alaska Airlines settled for $500,000 to a mechanic that initiated
the 1998 investigation. The airline was fined $44,000 and settled with families out of court for
over $300 million, which was covered by insurance (Cloudberg, 2021). Due to the mechanic
being a whistleblower he can no longer work in the aviation industry (Wonder, 2021). With all
the compensation that the airlines did it took over 4 years for the case on behalf of Joan Smith to
be finalized (Goodman, 2001).
What changes did management take as a result of the incident?
Alaska Airlines hired a new vice president who reported directly to the CEO, filled safety
and maintenance executive positions, creating a new safety office, and hired 130 new mechanics
(Guzzetti, 2020). The new leadership revised the general maintenance manual and reviewed
every C-check aircraft within the fleet to verify proper maintenance was competed. Throughout
the following years it became an obsession to maintain safety standards and to improve as much
as possible. Because of the failure with the jackscrew Boeing initiated a complete investigation
into the maintenance completed on all the aircraft that they acquired. They found that Alaska
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ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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Airlines was the only airline using Aeroshell 33 grease with the highest interval for lubrication of
approximately 2,250 flight hours (NTSB, 2002).
What additional recommendations, alternative approaches or potential solutions
would you recommend to management to avoid such an incident in your MRO
organization?
Open communication is essential within an organization. One of the issues from Alaska
Airlines 261 incident is that the person who outed the situation can no longer work in the
aviation industry from being a whistleblower (Wonder, 2021). Your employees should have a
way to communicate with management in a situation that they see is wrong. A maintainer sees
what needs to be done to the aircraft and understands the intervals of the different equipment.
An organization should be communicating with the people at the lowest level doing the
maintenance to see if interval extension is feasible as well as communicating with the engineers
to know if it is allowed. Single point of failure designs should be avoided whenever possible
(FAA, 2022).
ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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References
Cloudberg, A. (2021, July 22).
The price of an hour: The crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261
.
Medium. Retrieved November 1, 2023, from https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/the-
price-of-an-hour-the-crash-of-alaska-airlines-flight-261-c797a7c3d90d
FAA. (2000, August 23).
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES FINAL RULES: 2000-15-15
.
Dynamic Regulatory System.
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/6E28E61948DF0C1A86256A08006BF
D14.0001?modalOpened=true
FAA. (2022, December 16).
McDonnell Douglas MD-83
. Federal Aviation Administration.
https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/N963AS
Goodman, C., & Long, P. (2001, January 28). Alaska Flight 261 bound for Seattle crashes into
the Pacific Ocean on January 31, 2000. November 1, 2023, from
https://www.historylink.org/file/2958
Guzzetti, J. (2020, March 31).
From C-check to tragedy: Lessons learned from Alaska Flight
261
. Aviation Maintenance Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2023, from
https://www.avm-mag.com/from-c-check-to-tragedy-lessons-learned-from-alaska-flight-
261/
National Transportation Safety Board. (2002).
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
.
ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT 261
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Wonder. (2021, April 1).
The tragic downfall of Air Alaska flight 261 | mayday S1 EP5 | Wonder
.
YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Y2A_fsx7prY
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