Aloha Airlines Flight 243

Aloha Airlines Flight 243
Fuselage remains after the emergency landing
Accident
DateApril 28, 1988
SummaryEmergency landing following in-flight structural failure and explosive decompression[1][2]
Sitenear Kahului, Hawaii, United States
20°32′24″N 156°16′48″W / 20.54000°N 156.28000°W / 20.54000; -156.28000
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 737-297
Aircraft nameQueen Liliuokalani
OperatorAloha Airlines
RegistrationN73711
Flight originHilo International Airport
DestinationHonolulu Int'l Airport (Now Daniel K. Inouye Int'l Airport)
Occupants95
Passengers90
Crew5
Fatalities1
Injuries65
Survivors94

Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (IATA: AQ243, ICAO: AAH243) was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, caused by part of the fuselage breaking due to poor maintenance and metal fatigue. The plane was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui. The one fatality, flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, was ejected from the airplane. Another 65 passengers and crew were injured. The substantial damage inflicted by the decompression, the loss of one cabin crew member, and the safe landing of the aircraft established the accident as a significant event in the history of aviation, with far-reaching effects on aviation safety policies and procedures.[3]

  1. ^ "Aloha Airlines Flight 243, April 28, 1988". Star-Advertiser. April 27, 2018. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  2. ^ Hurley, Timothy (April 28, 2018). "Remembering Aloha Airlines Flight 243". Star-Advertiser. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  3. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, Boeing 737-100, N73711, Near Maui, Hawaii, April 28, 1998" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. June 14, 1989. NTSB/AAR-89/03. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2016. - Copy at Archived January 3, 2024, at the Wayback Machine Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.