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Memorial dedicated on anniversary of Alaska Airlines crash
Friday January 31, 2003
PORT 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.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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