Former Chairman Jim Hall, Dr. Vern Ellingstad(l), and Dr. Bernard Loeb(r), with CVR and FDR from Alaska Airlines Flight 261 |
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu, California January 31, 2000 DCA00MA023 |
| Board Meeting Information:
December 10, 2002 Hearing Information:December 13-16, 2000
Reports from the Public Docket
Photos of Recovered Components
Recommendation
Letters
Information from other sources:
NTSB General Information:
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On January 31, 2000, the National Transportation Safety
Board launched a Go Team to Oxnard, California, to begin its investigation
of the crash of Alaska Airlines flight 261. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83
(N963AS) was in route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Seattle, Washington
with a stop planned for San Francisco, California. All 83 passengers and
five crewmembers aboard the MD-80 died when the aircraft crashed into the
Pacific Ocean.
The Navy mapped the accident area with underwater side scanning sonar and video, enabling wreckage recovery. The CVR and FDR were recovered by the Navy from about 700 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The FDR was recovered February 3; it contains 48 parameters of information, including stabilizer trim position and elevator position. The 25-hour magnetic tape captures the entire 2 hours and 43 minutes of the accident flight, as well as information from previous flights. The CVR was recovered February 2 and contains slightly more than 30 minutes of data.
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