Discovering A SERIOUS Problem On The Aircraft's Tail | Flying On Empty | Mayday: Air Disaster

Thompson, 53, and Tansky, 57, are among Alaska’s most experienced pilots. Shortly after takeoff, they discover a serious problem with the aircraft’s tail. The stabiliser, the horizontal surface on the tailplane, won’t move.

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From Season 1 Episode 6 "Flying On Empty": On January 21, 2000, Alaska Airlines Captain Ted Thompson and First Officer Bill Tansky prepare for a routine flight to San Francisco, unaware of a crucial weakness in the plane’s structure.

The stabiliser plays a vital part in controlling the angle of the plane in flight. The pilots struggle to keep the plane level. The stabiliser in the tail is jammed, pushing the aircraft toward the ground. To compensate, they have to pull back on the control column. The plane is unstable. The pilots request to divert from San Francisco to the nearer airport in Los Angeles. They try again to free up the jammed stabiliser. The plane shudders violently and dives 7000 feet in one minute at a 90-degree angle as the pilots fight hard at the controls.

After the terrifying plunge downward, Alaska 261 has a reprieve. But aware that they have a full emergency, the pilots request to be routed out over the ocean. If the worst happens, they don’t want to kill people on the ground as well as the plane. The plane plunges out of control again, upside-down and tumbling, the pilots continue to try to control the plane as it crashes into the ocean.

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