Draft report: Too little grease.

Byline: From Register-Guard and news service reports

WASHINGTON - Federal investigators blame Alaska Airlines' failure to grease a tail component for the crash of Flight 261 nearly three years ago, but safety officials also are considering whether a design flaw contributed to the accident that killed all 88 aboard.

A draft report to be considered today by the National Transportation Safety Board blames insufficient lubrication for excessive wear and eventual failure of the MD-80's jackscrew, which helps move the plane's stabilizer and sets the angle of flight.

The safety board also will discuss whether the MD-80 series of jets should have a back-up system to avoid a catastrophe resulting from a jackscrew failure.

MD-80 planes were built by McDonnell Douglas, which Boeing Co. bought in 1997.

Jeff Hatleberg of Eugene, whose parents, Glen and Barbara Hatleberg of Eugene, were on board the plane when it crashed, was in Washington attending the hearings this week.

"He wants to hear all of the details and do what he can to prevent this from happening again," his wife, Terri Hatleberg, said Monday.

A third Eugene resident, Jerri Lee Fosmire, 48, also died in the crash.

Officials at Seattle-based Alaska Airlines have not seen the draft report and declined to comment on specifics until after the hearing, spokesman Jack Evans said.

On its employee Web site, however, the airline said it expected the failure of the jackscrew assembly to be cited as the cause ``with emphasis on Alaska's maintenance practices at the time of the accident.''

The notice said the final report may include recommendations and that it's likely many, if not all, already have been implemented.

Flight 261 took off from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Jan. 31, 2000, and was scheduled to make stops in San Francisco and Seattle. The pilots reported problems with handling and were planning to make an emergency landing in Los Angeles when the stabilizer broke off.