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Photo credit to FAA.govOne pilot radioed, "that plane has just started to do a big, huge plunge"; another reported shortly after, "Yes sir, ah, I concur he is, uh, definitely in a nose down, uh, position descending quite rapidly." ATC tried then to make contact with Alaska Airlines Flight 261.
"He's, uh, definitely out of control," another crew observed. Although the blackbox captured the co-pilot saying "mayday", during the final event, no radio communications were received from the crew. On Jan. 31, 2000, all 88 people on board perished and the airplane was destroyed on impact into the Pacific Ocean. This accident was caused due to a loss of pitch control resulting from the failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly's Acme nut. Excessive wear was found to be the result of thread failure caused by Alaska Airline's maintenance insufficiently lubricating the jackscrew assembly.
This is one of many catastrophes that could have been prevented by proper maintenance prioritization. In order to make sure that airplanes are performing as intended, appropriate maintenance is vital. Maintaining your aircraft's airworthiness and compliance with aviation safety regulations should always be the primary goal. The Alaska Airline Flight 261 resulted in a total loss of persons and property. This event was preventable.
Pilots are responsible for performing an exterior visual sort of maintenance check every time they get into an airplane. This task takes place during the walk-around phase of their pre-flighting procedure. But some things that are internal maintenance, aren't noticeable. As the pilot in command of each flight, they are responsible for ensuring the aircraft is in airworthy condition. However, it is the responsibility of the owner/operator to ensure all maintenance is complied with. This is where Alaska Airlines was found negligent. To ensure the safety of pilots and all passengers, proper maintenance compliance is critical. This also includes the integrity of maintenance officials to abide by all rules and regulations with the utmost care and attention to detail. Things such as preventive maintenance and progressive inspection plans are significant parts of keeping an airplane in good and healthy condition. Maintenance is very important for the safety of lives and for the general well-being and safe upstanding of the aviation industry.