U.S. Attorney reopens investigation into Alaska Airlines crash that killed 88

SEATTLE (AP) — Federal authorities have reopened a criminal investigation into the January 2000 crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, the airline's parent company disclosed Wednesday.

Alaska Air Group, based in Seattle, made the disclosure in its annual 10-K financial report, filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Officials at the U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Flight 261 was headed to San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2000, when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Port Hueneme, Calif., killing all 88 passengers and crew members.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco began investigating maintenance practices at the company's Oakland, Calif., base after the crash, but that investigation was put on hold while the National Transportation Safety Board conducted a federal investigation.

Almost from the beginning, investigators focused on a lack of grease on the jet's jackscrew, a tail component that helps move the plane's stabilizer and sets the angle of flight.

In December, the NTSB ruled that shoddy maintenance was the reason for a lack of grease, excessive wear and the eventual failure of the jackscrew.

Following that ruling, the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco reactivated its investigation "in order to review it in light of the final NTSB report," the company said in its SEC filing.

Alaska Airlines spokesman Jack Walsh declined to comment Wednesday on the reopening of the inquiry.

The SEC requires companies to mention legal proceedings that could potentially affect the company's finances. The company is being sued by families of the crash victims. Alaska Air Group said it did not expect the legal proceedings to "materially affect" the company's financial position.

Flight 261, an MD-80, had taken off from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with scheduled stops in San Francisco and Seattle.

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