An Alaska Airlines jet en route to San Francisco from Mexico crashed Monday in the Pacific Ocean after reporting mechanical difficulties.

Flight 261 from Puerto Vallarta was reported down 20 miles northwest of the Los Angeles airport about 3:45 p.m., said Mitch Barker, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

It was unclear how many people were on the plane, which Barker said was a Boeing 737. The capacity of a 737, depending on the model, ranges from 108 to 189 seats.

The jet's crew had reported mechanical difficulties and asked to land at Los Angeles, said Ron Wilson, a spokesman for the San Francisco airport.

A Coast Guard helicopter and small boats scoured a large debris field off Point Mugu as the sun began to set. There were no immediate signs of survivors.

Sunday, a Kenya Airways flight crashed. The Airbus 310 carried 10 crew members and 169 passengers. At least 10 people survived. Last Oct. 31, EgyptAir Flight 990 plummeted into the ocean 60 miles south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. All 217 people aboard the Boeing 767 were killed.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP-Crash-Scene.html

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP...nes-Crash.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP...ash-MD-80.html

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-31-2000).]
[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-31-2000).]
[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-31-2000).]

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-31-2000).]