On January 31, 2000, the American aviation sector, and indeed the world, was shocked by the fateful crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 into the Pacific Ocean as it attempted to land in Los Angeles. This was after the MD-80 jet carrying 83 passengers developed mechanical issues shortly after take-off from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. What the pilots flying the plane soon realized was that their aircraft had a jammed jackscrew, and they could no longer control the plane’s pitch. Despite repeated attempts to troubleshoot the problem, the pilots could not get the jackscrew to respond as required. Within no time, the airplane began going into an uncontrolled nosedive, which the experienced pilots managed to wriggle out of. All this while,