Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. By requesting any altitude between 20,000 and 25,000 feet, the crew of flight 261 could ensure that if they nosedived again, nearby planes wouldnt be in danger. The Gulf of California stretched out below them, bright and blue. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. For the next few minutes, they calculated landing weights and center of gravity and other values while controllers in Los Angeles prepared to accommodate them. You heard it in the back? Tansky asked. Deborah Penna, 27, SeattleA fourth-year art student at Cornish College of the Arts, Ms. Penna was a multimedia artist known for her abstract paintings. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Michael Bernard, 30, SeattleA music lover, Mr. Bernard owned four guitars and cut a compact disc of original rock songs for his parents, Paul and Irene Bernard of Kirkland. Charles Russell, 65, Scotts Valley, Calif.Mr. Shortly after the accident, Liotine discovered that the jackscrew nut he had inspected in 1997 was not in fact replaced and had actually gone on to cause the crash. Friends described her as a culture bearer who mastered all she attempted. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Were going to LAX, Thompson told the dispatcher. I went tab down, right, and it should have come back. But airline dispatchers in Seattle were less keen on this idea and preferred that flight 261 continue to San Francisco as scheduled. The stabilizer on the MD-80 series rests on top of the tail, and like all airliners, it can move up and down to adjust the pitch angle at which the plane is stable. Web3.3M views 1 year ago Air Alaska Flight 261 dives into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing the 88 passengers and crew on board. The couple was considering starting their own insurance agency. It was no wonder, given these findings, why Alaska Airlines mechanics didnt know how to grease the jackscrew, and why nobody held them accountable for not doing so properly. Her husband, Lee, 41, and children, 5-year-old Barbara and 11-year-old Daniel, stayed behind in Mexico. Kristin Mills, 26, Las VegasShe lived in Las Vegas with her husband of three years, Dave, but kept a home in Seattle so she could work at her dream job as a flight attendant with Alaska Airlines. But this very success may have planted the seeds of the disaster which followed. Thankfully, Mr. Arntson was never involved in an accident, but his conduct could have resulted in tragic consequences.. WebAlaska Flight 261 Pilots Awarded ALPA Gold Medal Air Line Pilot, March 2001, p. 22 By Chris Dodd, Staff Writer Two Alaska Airlines pilots who fought until their last moments to regain control of their MD-80 despite an inoperative horizontal stabilizer have been honored with ALPAs Gold Medal for Heroism in a special ceremony in Seattle. Ryan, who owned a commercial printing business, Copy Cat in Redmond, was an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. Four minutes later, a warning light illuminated to inform the crew that the autopilot was unable to move the stabilizer. Push and roll! Thompson shouted, trying to coordinate with Tansky to roll the plane right-side-up. Web3.3M views 1 year ago Air Alaska Flight 261 dives into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing the 88 passengers and crew on board. Stasinos was a longtime Seattle insurance agent and an active member of the Seattle-area Greek community. When the jackscrew was hauled to the surface, investigators could not find any trace of grease on it, except for some old, dried out leftovers outside the normal working area of the screw. By torqueing the screw up and down without turning it, and measuring the amount of play in the system, it was possible to roughly determine the depth of the wear on the nut threads, which the manufacturers guidelines stated must be less than one millimeter. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The pilot of an airplane in a fatal Alaska crash had six times the legal limit of alcohol in his system for flying, according to federal investigators. Its on the stop now, its on the stop, Thompson said. You did try the suitcase handles and the pickle switches, right? the maintenance technician asked. Thompson continued to think about ways to unjam the stabilizer. WebOn Flight 261, the nut portion of the jackscrew (located on the horizontal stabilizer) screwed itself off the jackscew. And at the same time, the increased inspection interval meant that it was now possible for a jackscrew nut to pass an inspection, later receive inadequate lubrication, and then wear down to the point of failure, all before the next inspection came around. According to court documents, Arntson piloted two Alaska Airlines flights on June 20, 2014. Mr. Sparks was a guard on his schools varsity basketball team, and is remembered as a champion of the underdog who stood up for less-popular classmates. In 2014, Arntson flew two Alaska Airlines flights, the first leg from San Diego to Portland, Oregon, followed by a second trip from Portland to Orange County, California, according to the criminal complaint. Lets do that. Thompson attempted to move the stabilizer trim using either the electrical switches, the trim handles, or both, in an effort to clear the jam. One of six children born to Jovanna Luque of Olympia, Mr. Luque is the second child she has lost. The crew scrambled to react to the massive upset. Video of the flight as well as the cockpit voice recorder confirm this. Naomi Laigo, 53, Fairfield, Calif.A devoted mother of three sons who was a nurse at a clinic in San Leandro, Calif., she grew roses in her spare time. Born in Hawaii, Mr. Ing grew up on Mercer Island, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1990. What caused Alaska Airlines 261 to crash? Prosecutors said that Arnston was an alcoholic during at least a substantial portion" of his career, and concealed the fact from both the carrier and FAA. David Hans Arntson, 60, was arrested Wednesday morning and arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles, according to a Department of Justice news release. He was the grandson of O.B. But neither of the applicable checklists said anything about landing at the nearest available airport, and by the time they finished the checklists and leveled off at 31,000 feet, minimal effort was required to keep the plane flying level. January 21, 2016 / 9:24 PM Join the discussion of this article on Reddit! As far as the pilots were concerned, the electric motors had probably seized and they could fly on to San Francisco without trimming the stabilizer. Charlene Sipe, 53, BrierTraveling with Harry Stasinos, Ms. Sipe was also a longtime insurance agent. 2023 Cable News Network. The last minutes of those on board the doomed MD-83 would have been sheer hell, as the plane went inverted, corkscrewed, pirouetted, and spun like a top during its final dive. LOS ANGELES -- Federal authorities have arrested a former Alaska Airlines captain on federal charges of piloting a plane while intoxicated. The problem, again, was a lack of redundancy: if the threads on the nut failed, there was no other structure that could absorb the load, and the catastrophic failure of the trim system leading to the loss of the airplane was inevitable. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content A former Alaska Airlines captain faces jail time for piloting a plane carrying passengers while under the influence of alcohol, over four years after the incident took place. Numerous people saw the plane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it turned and descended. On board the stricken MD-83, the pilots managed to slow the dive somewhat, pulling up from 70 degrees nose down to 28 degrees, but the plane remained inverted, falling upside down toward the rapidly approaching ocean at a high rate of speed. Alaska two sixty one, say again sir, said the controller. Okay, we are inverted, and now we gotta get it. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. The pilots were able to stabilize the plane, inverted, for less than a minute (with a 9pitch towards the ocean). And more than 21 years after the crash of flight 261, it is far from clear that the FAA is any less understaffed than it was when it let safety at Alaska Airlines fall to pieces at the cost of 88 lives. WebAlaska Flight 261 Pilots Awarded ALPA Gold Medal Air Line Pilot, March 2001, p. 22 By Chris Dodd, Staff Writer Two Alaska Airlines pilots who fought until their last moments to regain control of their MD-80 despite an inoperative horizontal stabilizer have been honored with ALPAs Gold Medal for Heroism in a special ceremony in Seattle. The night shift subsequently performed the test five more times and measured a wear depth of approximately 0.84mm on each attempt. Glenn Hatleberg, 65, Eugene, Ore.The husband of Barbara Hatleberg, retired father of three grown children and grandfather of two small girls, Mr. Hatleberg was beloved at his Lutheran church in Eugene, where he served as an usher during services. You got it?. The pilots didnt want to discover on final approach that the plane was uncontrollable at low speeds. As flight 261 climbed through 23,400 feet at approximately 13:49 that day, the badly worn threads started to tear away from the nut, wrapping themselves around the jackscrew and causing the stabilizer to jam. AMERICAN AIRLINES PASSENGER BITTEN BY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER ON PLANE, LAWSUIT CLAIMS. As Fred Miller, father of crash victim Abby Miller-Busche, put it in a 2003 interview, It seems like such an unholy type of loss. Over the next couple minutes, the pilots found the plane to be reasonably stable at lower speeds. Blake Clemetson, 7, SeattleBlake was Corianders younger sister, the daughter of Dr. David Clemetson and his first wife, Dr. Claire Barnett. Did maintenance errors cause the tragic crash? We went to full nose down and Im afraid to try it again to see if we can get it to go in the other direction.. Who is the man on the tail of Alaska Airlines planes? The Safety Board found that this unsafe inspection interval was only approved indirectly by the FAA. Mr. Marquez was flying home alone while Mr. Rettinger stayed behind for a longer vacation. He moved to San Francisco last year. Investigators also found that the planes gross weight at the time of the accident was about 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms) over the approved maximum. Said the friend: Monte will always be an inspiration to stop myself from jumping in the rat race, to take the moment, to take it all in.. Less than one second later, Alaska Airlines flight 261 slammed into the Pacific Ocean, obliterating the aircraft and instantly killing all 88 people on board. As Thompson fought with all his might to regain control, Tansky shouted Mayday! but forgot to key his mic. An airliner cannot truly fly upside down maintaining level flight in such a condition is essentially impossible, and the engines will quickly die but if anyone ever came close, it was Captain Thompson and First Officer Tansky as they heroically tried to save their stricken aircraft, even after all hope was lost. Yeah, we got it back under control here.. Mrs. Busche grew up near Bow, Skagit County, near Mount Vernon. The NTSB report did not identify a probable cause of the crash. I think its at the stop, full stop, said Thompson. The rows jump straight from 12 to 14. Ballet lessons and cooperative day care were part of her life. Anything more than that and the nut would need to be replaced. It disappeared from view and witnesses saw a plume of black smoke. CNN A former Alaska Airlines pilot plans to plead guilty in California to flying with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for pilots. She was traveling with her former college classmates. Thus the fundamental principle of redundancy was violated. Tragically, they didnt. According to the official maintenance manual, greasing the jackscrew involved three main steps. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorneys Office in central California announced that former Alaska Airlines captain David Hans Arnston had been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for piloting an aircraft with over 80 passengers aboard, CBS News reports. On June 20, 2014, Arnston piloted two flights from San Diego, Calif., to Portland, Ore., with 160 passengers on board; and then returned to San Diego piloting a second Alaska Airlines flight carrying 80 passengers. (Alaska specifically did this every 30 months, or 9,550 flight hours.) This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Market data provided by Factset. Salvage vessels had to be brought in to raise the rest of the plane from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. A ground-service agent for Horizon Air, she was outgoing and athletic, an avid volleyball player who hoped to become a personal trainer. At 16:09, he said, Im gonna click it off. Ileana Ost, 30, San Bruno, Calif.She had just returned to work at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter in San Francisco after four months of maternity leave following the birth of her first child, Emily. The two worked together several years at the Roy Potter Insurance Agency. Flight 261 immediately plunged into a near-vertical dive, hurtling downward toward the Pacific Ocean. The FAAs special inspection report noted that the position of Director of Maintenance had gone unfilled since 1998; the Director of Operations position was empty; the Director of Safety was also the Director of Quality Control and the Director of Training and didnt report to high-level management; there was no maintenance training curriculum; on-the-job training was completely unstructured; the procedures in use didnt match those outlined in the maintenance manual; planes had been released from C-checks with paperwork incomplete; perishable and consumable materials had expired; shift turnover paperwork was missing, unsigned, or incomplete; work cards were not filled out properly; and more the list went on and on. As any good crew should do, Thompson and Tansky then pulled out the checklists for a runaway or inoperative stabilizer. He was a favored friend in the neighborhood where he lived with his wife, Marilyn. Watching the death throes of flight 261, the SkyWest pilot told controllers, Yeah, hes inverted., Okay, said the controller, apprehension evident in his voice. That was the how but the bigger question was why. Were gonna stay up here and burn a little more gas, get all our ducks in a row, and then well be talking to LAX when we start down to go in there. The plan was to stay on course a little longer, burning fuel to reduce their landing weight and test out the planes handling capabilities, before turning around and heading into Los Angeles. Representatives for Alaska Airlines not immediately return Fox News request for comment. Had it been inspected after 7,200 flight hours instead of 9,550, the excessive wear would have been discovered before the crash. Permanent License Revocation If the investigators conclude that the pilot was intoxicated prior to a flight, the FAA will typically revoke the pilots license permanently. Video Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk - ABC News Jimmy Carter Kellie Pickler's husband dies Georgia shooting Escaped NYC zoo owl Tesla union launch Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused of Flying Drunk Authorities say 60-year-old David Hans Arnston flew drunk twice in one day. The outcomes of wrongful death suits against Alaska filed by the victims families are unknown, but it has been reported that the airline eventually settled with the families out of court for a total of at least $300 million, all of which was covered by insurance. The criminal investigation also proved to be a disappointment. He was working in Microsofts games group as a temporary employee for ArtSource. The stabilizer is attached to a giant threaded screw, called the jackscrew, which feeds through a nut attached to the aircraft structure inside the tail. Ellen Masland Salyer, 51, Sebastopol, Calif.She was an active community volunteer who was dedicated to various organizations, including the Boy Scouts. Discovery Company. The whole episode must have left him a bitter man although unlike most whistleblowers, he did manage to restart his career in the industry. No survivors Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. Bradford Patrick Ryan, 33, RedmondThe trip to Mexico with his parents, Terry and Barbara Ryan, was meant in part to celebrate his graduation from Washington State University with a civil-engineering degree. Nina Voronoff, 32, San FranciscoA nurse at the pediatric cancer unit at the University of California, San Francisco, she had gone to Mexico for a yoga retreat and was met by her boyfriend, Larry Baldridge Jr. Renato Bermudez, 39, San FranciscoMr. I cant reach it! said Tansky. At that moment they effectively were dead. A year after the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, lawyers representing families of the victims contend the jet's pilots erred by failing to quickly land the MD-80 when problems first surfaced minutes into the flight. Jacquelyn Choate, 17, Santa Cruz, Calif.She was returning from a vacation with her father, Toni Choate. Related: Has my pilot had too much to drink? He came to America from Fiji when he was 17 months old. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. In September 2000, he filed a $20 million libel lawsuit against Alaska Airlines, arguing that he had been right all along and that Alaska had maliciously harmed his reputation. Harry Stasinos, 54, BrierMr. The first flight was from San Diego International Airport to Portland, Oregon. Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. When greased regularly, the nut on the MD-80 series is designed to last for 30,000 flight hours before requiring replacement long enough that most planes will see only two or three different jackscrew nuts during their entire time in service. But the mechanism by which Alaska Airlines fell to such a dismal level of safety is not entirely gone. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. A former Alaska Airlines captain faces jail time for piloting a plane carrying passengers while under the influence of alcohol, over four years after the incident took place. I dont anticipate any big problems once we get a couple of sub systems on the line. I dont think we should, if it can fly, its like . Yeah, we tried everything together, said Thompson. The effect was immediate and catastrophic, as his inputs ripped out whatever threads remained on the jackscrew nut. No survivors from Flight 261 have been found. His mother said he was a sweet, handsome man who loved his job and loved people. Sheri Christensen, 25, Federal WayShe grew up in Yakima, one of four children of Bob and Pat Stookey, and moved to the Seattle area with her husband, Jeff Christensen. The single mother of a daughter, Hailey, and an avid fitness buff, she was an attendant with the crew of Flight 261.Looo. Average Alaska Airlines Pilot yearly pay in the United States is approximately $186,628, which is 234% above the national average. Fox News Alexandra Deabler contributed to this report. But mostly he loved his wife, his grown son, golf and travel. When he measured the wear on the jackscrew nut and found it to be exactly one millimeter (0.040in), he concluded that the nut had reached the end of its service life and issued a work card ordering its replacement. The actual protocol at Alaska Airlines was to inspect the jackscrew for wear at every second C-check, a comprehensive multi-day inspection that every airplane undergoes approximately once a year. Malcolm Branson, 39, Seward, AlaskaAn oiler for the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, Mr. Branson was vacationing with his fiancee, Janice Stokes. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. An avid outdoorsman and Spanish language graduate of Western Washington University, he was traveling with his parents and with long-time friends, Michael Bernard, Ryan and Abigail Busche, Russel Ing and Deborah Penna. Linda Knight, 51, MonroeLinda Knight, co-pastor and missionary with her husband, Joe Knight, overcame her fear of public speaking by practicing while standing on a stump in her yard. He is also survived by a grown son, Fred. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. The anger he must have felt is difficult to fathom. Web19K views 2 years ago. Avinesh Amit Deo, 23, BurienThe Highline High School alumnus had just graduated from ITT Technical Institute and was to have started his career at the time of the crash. Some did still less, failing even to ensure that grease totally filled the inside of the nut. Nevertheless, investigators praised the pilots for their heroic last-ditch efforts to save their aircraft, even attempting to fly upside down when they found they could not level the plane. Luque had worked at Taste Catering in San Francisco since 1994. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. He opened the mic for the public address system but never managed to get any words out. A member of Ski Patrol, he was known to friends as Pat. Erickson indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, investigator Brice Banning wrote. What temperature outside is unsafe for babies? Thompson was an Air Force veteran who had flown for Alaska Airlines for more than 17 years. Larry Baldridge Jr., 34, Novato, Calif.A businessman with a knack for the Internet, he was working to set up venture-capital business with Michael Schwab, the son of legendary brokerage leader Charles Schwab. The flight departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and arrives in Haines, Skip to content David Hans Arntson's deal includes a year in federal prison, He'll also get three years of supervised release. Both were Alaskan natives. Williams, traveling with her husband, Bob Williams, would have celebrated her 64th birthday on Feb. 8, 2000. Who is the girl in the opening scene of flight? Do you poke holes in potatoes when boiling? KTLA 5 adds that Arnston will also have to pay a $10,000 fine, in addition. WebAnswer (1 of 11): If the pilots of Alaska Airlines 261 had known exactly what was wrong, is there anyway they could have salvaged the situation? For comparison, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles, it is illegal for adults to operate motor vehicles with blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08 percent or higher in the state of California; that percentage drops to 0.04 percent for those operating commercial vehicles. After the June 2014 incident, Arntson retired from Alaska Airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilots license, the US Attorneys Office said. She was a first-grader at Hay Elementary. The report noted that the crash could have been avoided if they had immediately returned to Puerto Vallarta when they encountered the jammed stabilizer. Clemetson was traveling with her husband, Dr. David Clemetson and their family. A technician for Alaska Airlines performed two breathalyzer tests that showed Arntson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134% and 0.142% well above the federal limit of 0.04% for pilots. On board flight 261, Captain Thompson vented to First Officer Tansky: Drives me nuts, he said. Two electric motors spin the jackscrew within the nut, causing the stabilizer to move up or down. William Knudson, 53, SacramentoCo-founder of Inland Business Systems in Sacramento, Mr. Knudson was known for his love of boating and restoring old cars with his partner, Bradley Long. William Bryant, 45, San FranciscoMr. You have the airplane. Capt. appreciated. Well see you at the gate. This would be the last transmission between flight 261 and Alaska Airlines maintenance. Instead it went the other way., What do you think. Flight 261 was traveling from Puerto Vallarta to San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2000 when a mechanical malfunction inverted the jet and sent it downward off the Ventura County coast. She was a food-and-beverage agent for Alaskas sister airline, Horizon Air. Bob Williams, 65, Poulsbo, Kitsap CountyHe was a builder who served on the Poulsbo city Planning Commission. The main character Whip Whitaker (played by Denzel Washington) has been through a divorce and the estrangement from his son. What a hard way to die: so an airline can make more money., ________________________________________________________________. He was coming home with his wife, Carol. In 1987, Alaska Airlines greased the stabilizer jackscrews on its MD-80s every 500 flight hours, the value recommended by the manufacturer. The FAA approved the extension without assessing the effect this would have on individual inspection tasks that were tied to the C-check interval. Federal regulations limit alcohol levels to 0.04 for airplane crew members. Even though the pilots fought for control for a short period, an MD-80 will not Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much He had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134 percent and 0.142 percent, according to the DOJ. PLANE CRASH, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, Pacific Ocean Other Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list more. Hard-working, compassionate and caring, the Pulancos shared their Beacon Hill home with two dogs and a cat. Holy shit, said Thompson, pulling back hard on the controls. He lived with his mother in Oakland and spent much of his time caring for exotic birds, his koi pond and a garden. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. SkyWest 5154, the MD-80 is one becoming two oclock about ten miles now. On every level, it was a tragedy that did not need to happen and to this day, it serves as a grim example of the depths to which an airline may fall when oversight becomes too thinly stretched. She was also accompanied by her longtime companion, Charles Russell. Robert Ost, 39, San Bruno, Calif.A veteran San Francisco firefighter and avid mountain climber, he considered risk part of his job and his life. Barbara Ryan, 54, RedmondBorn in Alabama, Mrs. Ryan worked in marketing for SmithKline Beecham Cinical Laboratories. The maintenance technician, having received all the information he could get, said, Okay, thank you sir, see you there., Meanwhile, the conversation had apparently encouraged Captain Thompson to try moving the stabilizer again. With Tom Church, he opened Six Degrees, which he hoped to turn into a chain of high-end neighborhood restaurants. Analyzer of plane crashes. School counselors said she and her friend, Rachel Janosik, were funny, enjoyable, mature young women. He was traveling with several college friends. (David Arnston Google+). Who was the pilot of Alaska Airlines Flight 261? WebAlaska Airlines Flight 261 was a flight from Licenciado Gustavo Daz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, to SeattleTacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington, United States, with an intermediate stop at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California. Legal Statement. Toxicology results showed that Weimers blood-alcohol was 0.238. This may seem strange to make such a change in the cabin based on a superstitious belief. I dont know, my adrenalines going, said Thompson. By this point the amount of force he needed to apply to the control column to keep the nose level was pushing him to the limit of his physical ability. Less than one second later, Alaska Airlines flight 261 slammed into the Pacific Ocean, obliterating the aircraft and instantly killing all 88 people on board. That plane just started to do a big, huge plunge, said one pilot. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! There is a long-held belief in many cultures that the number 13 is unlucky. Terry Ryan, 55, RedmondMr. He will be sentenced this spring in US District Court in Santa Ana, California, according to the attorney. The revelations were in a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Anchorage Daily News reported. It looks like hes turning hes turning over in front of you now, said the controller. Okay, we had a big bang back there, said the flight attendant. It stars Denzel Washington as William Whip Whitaker Sr., an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. Im sorry, this airplane isnt gonna go anywhere for a while.. She had treated herself to a weekend getaway in Puerto Vallarta and was scheduled to go on the air two hours after the flight was expected to land in San Francisco. It might be mechanical damage too. It began life as a regional airline in Alaska, and by the time deregulation arrived in the late 1970s, it only had one destination in the lower 48 states. Did you encounter any technical issues? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Toni Choate, 48, San FranciscoHe had been a general contractor and cabinet finisher in Visalia, Calif., then bought a bar in Santa Clara, Calif. FAA employees charged with overseeing safety compliance at Alaska before the crash complained that they did not have sufficient staff to closely track its operations, which doubtlessly contributed to the airlines ability to keep woefully deficient maintenance practices under the radar of the federal government.