Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Alaska Flight 261 Memorial

Alaska Flight 261 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, January 31, 2020

1. Alaska Flight 261 Marker

Inscription. January 31, 2000 at 4:22 PM, Alaska flight 261 ended off Anacapa Island. The flight was en route from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco and Seattle. This monument honors and remembers for all time the eighty-eight passengers and crew members who lost their lives.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is January 31, 2000.

Location. 34° 8.473′ N, 119° 11.519′ W. Marker is in Port Hueneme, California, in Ventura County. Marker can be reached from Ocean View Drive south of Surfside Drive, on the right when traveling south. Located near Hueneme Beach Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Hueneme CA 93041, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hueneme Slough (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bank of Hueneme (approx. 0.6 miles away); Women’s Improvement Club (approx. 0.6 miles away); Gerberding / Moranda House (approx. ¾ mile away); Point Hueneme Lighthouse (approx. 1.1 miles away); Bard Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Bard Mansion (approx. 1.2 miles away); La Jenelle (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Hueneme.

Regarding Alaska Flight 261 Memorial. The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 crashed into the ocean about

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3 miles north of Anacapa Island, 8 miles off the California coast, after a loss of pitch control with the failure of the horizontal stabilizer trim jackscrew due to excessive wear. The primary cause was found to be inadequate maintenance.

The dolphins on the memorial represent the dozens of dolphins seen circling the crash site on January 31. They continued circling throughout the salvage operations and were a source of comfort when victim’s families were brought to the site.

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 1, 2019

2. Alaska Flight 261 Marker

Alaska Flight 261 Memorial and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, July 1, 2019

3. Alaska Flight 261 Memorial and Marker

20th Anniversary Ceremony image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Baker, January 31, 2020

4. 20th Anniversary Ceremony

Anacapa Island is visible beyond the end of the pier.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 1,084 times since then and 151 times this year. Last updated on February 1, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos: 1. submitted on February 1, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 2, 3. submitted on July 5, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 4. submitted on January 31, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.