Alaska Airlines Flight 261

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was an Alaska Airlines flight, which suffered a serious accident on January 31, 2000 in the Pacific Ocean, 4.3 km north of Anacapa Island in California. The two pilots, three flight attendants and the eighty-three passengers on board were killed when the MD-83 fell into the sea. This international flight covered the route Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) - San Francisco - Seattle, United States

Alaska Airlines Flight 261

N963AS, the Alaska Airlines MD-83 aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date	January 31, 2000 (2000-01-31)
Summary	Loss of control caused by jackscrew failure due to improper maintenance
Site	Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island, California, U.S. 34°03.5′N 119°20.8′W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Operator	Alaska Airlines
IATA flight No.	AS261
ICAO flight No.	ASA261
Call sign	ALASKA 261
Registration	N963AS
Flight origin	Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport
Stopover	San Francisco Int'l Airport
Destination	Seattle–Tacoma Int'l Airport
Occupants	88
Passengers	83
Crew	5
Fatalities	88
Survivors	0

Memorial sundial in Port Hueneme, California

The aircraft, manufactured in 1992, had more than 26,000 flight hours at the time of the accident.

Among the 88 passengers were 12 employees of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, which led to a mourning on the part of the airline for those killed in this accident. Alaska Airlines stated that it was common for employees to occupy places that would otherwise go empty. Bouquets of flowers arrived at the airline's headquarters in Seattle - Tacoma, Washington the next day. Due to the extreme efforts of the pilots to regain control of the aircraft, their quick reaction to the emergency and the decision to avoid flying over populated areas, the international association of airline pilots awarded both the gold medal posthumously.