MD83, en-route, Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island CA USA, 2000
MD83, en-route, Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island CA USA, 2000
Summary
On 31 January 2000, an Alaskan Airlines MD83, crashed into the sea off the coast of California, USA, following loss of control attributed to failure of the horizontal stabiliser trim system.
Flight Details
Aircraft
Operator
Type of Flight
Public Transport (Passenger)
Flight Origin
Intended Destination
Actual Destination
Take-off Commenced
Yes
Flight Airborne
Yes
Flight Completed
No
Phase of Flight
Cruise
Location
General
Tag(s)
Inadequate Airworthiness Procedures,
Inadequate Aircraft Operator Procedures,
Ineffective Regulatory Oversight
HF
Tag(s)
Inappropriate crew response (technical fault)
LOC
Tag(s)
Airframe Structural Failure,
Significant Systems or Systems Control Failure,
Extreme Pitch
AW
System(s)
Flight Controls
Contributor(s)
Maintenance Error (valid guidance available),
Inadequate Maintenance Schedule
Outcome
Damage or injury
Yes
Aircraft damage
Hull loss
Non-aircraft damage
No
Non-occupant Casualties
No
Occupant Fatalities
Most or all occupants
Number of Occupant Fatalities
88
Off Airport Landing
No
Ditching
No
Causal Factor Group(s)
Group(s)
Aircraft Technical
Safety Recommendation(s)
Group(s)
Aircraft Operation
Aircraft Airworthiness
Investigation Type
Type
Independent
Cite This Page
SKYbrary Aviation Safety. (June 2, 2023). MD83, en-route, Pacific Ocean near Anacapa Island CA USA, 2000. EUROCONTROL.
Retrieved February 1, 2026
from https://skybrary.aero/accidents-and-incidents/md83-en-route-pacific-ocean-near-anacapa-island-ca-usa-2000
UID: 20113
Copied!
COPY
Description
On 31 January 2000, an Alaskan Airlines MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-83, crashed into the sea off the coast of California, USA, following loss of control attributed to failure of the horizontal stabiliser trim system.
Synopsis
This is an extract from the Aircraft Accident Report published by the National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (NTSB), USA:
"On January 31, 2000, about 1621 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines, Inc., flight 261, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N963AS, crashed into the Pacific Ocean about 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island, California. The 2 pilots, 3 cabin crewmembers, and 83 passengers on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces…
…the probable cause of this accident was a loss of airplane pitch control resulting from the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly's acme nut threads. The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines' insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly…"
Related Articles
LOC
AW
Further Reading
For further information:
