Memorial dedicated on anniversary of Alaska Airlines crash
Friday January 31, 2003PORT HUENEME, Calif. (AP) Families of the 88 people killed when an Alaska Airlines flight spiraled out of control and into the ocean three years ago gathered on a Southern California beach Friday to dedicate a bronze memorial to the memory of their loved ones.
The giant bronze sundial sculpture with leaping dolphins at its base and 88 plaques bearing the victims' names was dedicated three years to the day Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed 10 miles off shore, killing everyone aboard.
``What then can we the living learn from this tragedy?'' said sculptor James ``Bud'' Bottoms. ``That life is short, and we never know when it will end. So we celebrate our lives today and the lives of those who have passed on but will remain in our hearts and we move toward peace and reconciliation.''
Names of victims were read, a bell sounding with each, and relatives placed flowers by the plaques. Just offshore, U.S Coast Guard cutters and their crews stood at attention as the names were read.
The mourners then walked to the shore where they placed white roses in the water and watched the surf sweep them away.
``There is a lot of love here,'' said Earlene Shaw, who lost her husband, Don, in the crash. ``A lot of broken hearts here, too.''
The MD-80 went down near the Channel Islands northwest of Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2000, while en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to San Francisco and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the crash was caused by the failure of a jackscrew in the plane's horizontal stabilizer trim system, a part of the plane's tail section that helps control pitch.
``The thread failure was caused by excessive wear resulting from Alaska Airlines' insufficient lubrication of the jackscrew assembly,'' the NTSB said in the executive summary of its final report on the crash.
The sundial monument cost $350,000, which was raised through donations from the community, family members and Alaska Airlines.
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