The Plane Crash"(1988)

On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a routine inter-island flight in Hawaii, departed Hilo International Airport bound for Honolulu. The Boeing 737-297, nicknamed *Queen Liliuokalani*, carried 90 passengers and 5 crew members. The aircraft, manufactured in 1969, had accumulated **35,496 flight hours** and **89,680 flight cycles** (takeoffs and landings), far exceeding its design limits due to frequent short-haul operations. This high cycle count, combined with Hawaii’s corrosive coastal environment, set the stage for catastrophic structural failure.

The crew included Captain Robert Schornstheimer, a seasoned pilot with 6,700 hours in 737s, and First Officer Madeline "Mimi" Tompkins, who had 3,500 hours in the same model. Flight attendants, led by veteran Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, prepared for the 35-minute flight.

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### **The Mid-Air Catastrophe**

At 13:48 HST, 23 nautical miles southeast of Maui, the aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 24,000 feet. Passengers heard a loud "whooshing" noise as an 18-foot section of the fuselage roof tore off, exposing rows 1–5 to open sky. Explosive decompression ejected Lansing, who was serving drinks near row 5, into the void. Her body was never recovered.

Chaos erupted as hurricane-force winds (300 mph) ripped through the cabin. Oxygen masks deployed, but passengers under the gaping hole had no access to them, leading to hypoxia. Debris struck the horizontal stabilizers and engines, causing the left engine to fail. The cockpit door blew off, and insulation碎片swirled into the cockpit. Captain Schornstheimer later recalled seeing "blue sky where the first-class ceiling had been".

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### **The Emergency Landing**

Despite severed controls and limited visibility, Schornstheimer took command, initiating an emergency descent. First Officer Tompkins communicated with air traffic control while struggling to manage the damaged systems. The crew diverted to Kahului Airport on Maui, unsure if the nose gear was functional.

Passengers described terror as wires dangled and metal碎片whipped through the cabin. William Flanigan, a passenger, recounted: *"I remember yelling, 'I'm being electrocuted!' I really thought I was being burned alive"*. The aircraft landed safely 13 minutes after decompression, but evacuation slides malfunctioned, forcing passengers to jump onto the tarmac. Sixty-five people were injured, eight critically.

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### **Investigation and Causes**

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) identified **metal fatigue** and **crevice corrosion** at the fuselage lap joints as the primary causes. The Boeing 737’s original design used a **cold-bonded lap joint** with epoxy-impregnated cloth, prone to disbonding over time. Inspections failed to detect cracks due to poor lighting during nighttime maintenance checks.

Key findings included:

1. **Fatigue Cracking**: Stress from repeated pressurization cycles weakened the fuselage.

2. **Maintenance Failures**: Aloha Airlines’ inspections overlooked disbonding and corrosion.

3. **Design Flaws**: Early 737 models lacked a reinforcing doubler plate at lap joints, added in later production lines.

The NTSB criticized Aloha Airlines for inadequate oversight and the FAA for not mandating broader inspections of aging aircraft.

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### **Legacy and Safety Reforms**

The crash spurred sweeping changes:

- **Aviation Research Act (1990)**: Enhanced FAA oversight and mandated stricter maintenance protocols for high-cycle aircraft.

- **Structural Reinforcements**: Boeing redesigned lap joints with additional skin layers to prevent fatigue.

- **Crew Training**: Pilots now receive specialized training for explosive decompression scenarios.

A memorial garden at Honolulu International Airport honors C.B. Lansing, whose death underscored the risks faced by cabin crews. The incident was dramatized in the TV movie *Miracle Landing* (1990) and featured in documentaries like *Air Disasters*.

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### **Conclusion**

Aloha Airlines Flight 243 remains a landmark case in aviation safety. While 94 survived, the tragedy exposed systemic flaws in aging aircraft maintenance and inspired reforms that save countless lives today. As investigator Greg Feith noted: *"No airplane has ever landed with this amount of damage. They were hanging by a thread"*. The courage of the crew and lessons learned continue to resonate in aviation history.

For further details, refer to the NTSB final report and archival footage from documentaries.