Date: 31 January 2000
Airline: Alaska Airlines
Flight No.: 261
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Location: near Pt. Magu, California
Fatalities: 88:88
Photographer: Unknown
The aircraft was on a flight from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco,
California, when the crew reported that they were encountering problems with the
stabilizer trim. At 28,000 feet, the crew reported that they were unable to control
the pitch of the aircraft. Descending through 23,000 feet, the crew reported that
they had regained control, declared an emergency, and received vectors to land at
Los Angeles International Airport. The last radio contact with the crew came as the
aircraft passed 17,000 feet at an unusually slow speed of 119 knots. A park ranger,
along with the pilots of a nearby aircraft, reported seeing the aircraft plunge into the
Pacific Ocean in an inverted flight attitude.
