Accident Research Alaska Airlines Flight 261

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University *

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Aerospace Engineering

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Apr 3, 2024

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1 Case Study Analysis: Accident Research Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Mae Murch Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University BSAS 335 Mark Scharf October 1, 2023
2 Case Study Analysis: Accident Research Alaska Airlines Flight 261 On January 31, 2000, the Alaska Airlines Flight 261, scheduled to fly from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to Seattle Washington, crashed into the Pacific Ocean only 2.7 miles north of Anacapa Island California (Federal Aviation Administration, n.d.). None of the 88 people on board survived. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified the primary causal factor of the accident as a loss of airplane pitch control due to the in-flight failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim system jackscrew assembly's Acme nut threads. This thread failure was attributed to excessive wear resulting from insufficient lubrication by the Alaska Airlines Maintenance department. Essentially, the inadequate maintenance and lubrication of this crucial component led to a catastrophic failure that resulted in the crash. Some of the contributing factors to the accident were maintenance oversight. The failure to adequately maintain and lubricate the jackscrew assembly allowed for excessive wear to develop, which lead to the failure of the assembly.
3 https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/the-price-of-an-hour-the-crash-of-alaska-airlines-flight- 261-c797a7c3d90d The airline's organizational culture and practices may have played a role in the maintenance oversight. Performing maintenance on a less frequent basis saves on labor cost and can keep the airplanes in the air longer. This increases overall revenue. Therefore, the interval between the jackscrew lubrication was increased from every 500 flight hours to approximately every eight months, which equated to about 2250 flight hours at the time. Theocratically the interval term would have been enough; however, this would only work if enough grease was applied in the correct way, every single time (Cloudberg, 2021). Some regulatory oversight was also at play. The NTSB investigation raised questions about the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of Alaska Airlines' maintenance practices. The FAA's failure to identify and address maintenance deficiencies could be seen as a contributing factor. Another factor was the crew’s response. Once the aircraft was in a stable landing configuration, an emergency landing at LAX should have been made. However, the crew decided to use the autopilot and trim motors to troubleshoot the issue instead (Federal Aviation Administration, n.d.). The key structural and mechanical factor in this accident was the jackscrew assembly's Acme nut threads, which were subject to excessive wear due to insufficient lubrication. This component was critical for maintaining pitch control of the MD-83 aircraft. The insufficient lubrication and wear on these threads ultimately led to their failure, causing the loss of pitch control and the subsequent crash. The accident raised several questions about the safety culture within Alaska Airlines and whether it prioritized maintenance and safety over operational considerations (Cloudberg, 2021).
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