Originally Posted by
MechEngr
There was a real life crash of an Alaska Air flight that "Flight" was modeled on.
The pilots of AS 261 were able to roll the aircraft inverted, but not to keep the nose up.The threads on the jackscrew had been excessively damaged by lack of lubrication, the nut separated from the screw, and the trim wasn't operable.
From the accident report findings: "
46. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not fulfill its responsibility to properly oversee the maintenance operations at Alaska Airlines, and at the time of the Alaska Airlines flight 261 accident, FAA surveillance of Alaska Airlines had been deficient for at least several years."
No doubt they don't want to see a similar statement any time soon.