Alaska Flight 261 moments from disaster

[jennygrotemeyer]

Last summer l ended up staying another night in Utah as the pilot refused the aircraft. He came out and was really furious as he told us the plane was not safe, l learned then when a pilot refuses a plane that it cannot be flown until repaired. Thank God he was brave enough to take on the company.

[RaymondChapman]

It disgusts me that federal charges were not placed on anyone involved with this incident. An Alaskan Airline mechanic contacted FAA and told them his supervisors were approving things that shouldn't be...he actually wanted to change the jackscrew/nut on the plane that crashed, as far back as like 1997, and it was denied. It is beyond disgusting to know that man could have saved all of those people from being killed but a supervisor denied the work request. Those supervisors should've been criminally charged with manslaughter.

[hslscorpion]

I flew a Navy helicopter on missions for two days following that mishap to assure there were no survivors. What I remember most was the debris field of floating portions of wreckage, bits of baggage, and a sheen on the surface of the ocean.

I had never heard this audio until now. Those pilots really stayed with it. Salute and RIP.

[traceyfletcher]

That's one hell of a pilot doing his job and knowing they are going down...kept his calm through it all❤❤❤❤

[DS-psil]

My dad was capt. with AA, 34 years. These guys will fly that equipment until they can't, .... coolest, bravest, incredible pilots.

[joanofarcxxi]

I can hear his breathing through the words. He really had a hold on himself, but he was scared. What a brave man, God rest his soul. It's so heartbreaking. 😢❤

[nurseratched]

I know as USAF veteran and ex flight medic how professional, calm and dedicated these two ex Navy pilots were. They’d do everything possible to avoid the inevitable. God rest their souls and every soul on board. It’s painful to hear him. 🙏🏼♥️🇺🇸

[rockythexplorer]

I was supposed to be on that flight. On January 24, 2000 I flew to Puerto Vallarta by myself from San Francisco. I was meeting a couple of friends who were flying in from the East Coast. Two days before we were flying back to the States I became very ill. Something I ate made me sick, so I spent those two days in bed. The day we were supposed to leave I still wasn't feeling well, but I got up and took a shower, I went down to the restaurant and tried to eat some fruit but after a few minutes I started feeling worse, so I decided to go to the front desk and told them I needed to stay a couple of more days. Then, I contacted the airline and rescheduled my flight and called my girlfriend and my family to let them know. My friends left that day on a Continental flight to Houston and then they took separate flights to New York and Atlanta, respectively. The ironic thing was that I stayed at the Sheraton Bugambilias Resort in Puerto Vallarta and that's the same hotel where the Alaska Airlines crew stayed. I actually saw them checking out while I was waiting for another room. That image still haunts me to this day. Anyway, if it wasn't for the fact that I got really sick I wouldn't be here today.

[sbnsbaker]

I knew 2 of the passengers of this flight, Joe and Linda Knight of Monroe. We were all in shock!!! The pilot is a HERO for trying to save the doomed aircraft!!!

[lauraw]

Those pilots fought like hell. Such an unnecessary loss of life.

[michellebiel]

Omg I remember that flight. Right off Ventura CA. That pilot tried so desperately to save those lives. RIP

[jasonlohman]

I was a ramp employee that was supposed to work that flight that night. Flight 261 was delayed arriving and my crew was wondering what the delay was about until an Alaska airline mechanic told us that 261 was not coming due to the crash. Rip to everyone on that flight.

[gordoakley]

Man I'm at a loss for words that pilot is a hero he fought right up until the end God bless everyone on board and family members ❤

[JAWS-]

You can hear the fear in his voice but the pilots did a hell of a job considering what they were going through. God bless those pilots and their families.

[mjschu]

My dad used to have coffee with one of the pilots who lived nearby. There is a small monument to him and the crew & passengers in a park in Redlands, CA.

[seangarrant]

Wow, I have thought about this crash many times for the past 23 yrs. My Dr. Was on this flight with his wife and two sets of twins, He worked so hard to save my life just the day before he left for the trip he was returning from.

[Scorpio]

Oh no. This pilot and the co-pilot did so well to remain in control till the end. I am so sorry that you lost your lives. Brave men ♥️♥️

[TKing-phbq]

To be that calm while in a dive AND inverted is remarkable. Imagine being upside down basically and in a dive watching the water get closer and closer. It takes a special type of person. The type of person that can see death coming and remain calm and never stop trying to save the aircraft. RIP brave heros.

[krisstromgren]

Oh so very, very sad. How did they stay so calm? Just trying to find a way to save the plane. Rest in peace all of you on that plane.

[Bstn]

they fought so hard knowing it was the end 😔🙏❤️