Captain Robert Schornstheimer in the cockpit of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737. The flight crew enacted appropriate contingency procedures and was able to safely land the aircraft at Kahului Airport in Maui. Lansing became wedged in the vent instead of being immediately thrown clear of the aircraft. *You can also browse our support articles here >, https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/maintenance_hf/library/documents/media/human_factors_maintenance/aircraft_accident_report–aloha_airlines.flight_243.boeing_737-200.n73711.near_maui.hawaii.april_28.1988.pdf, https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/metal-fatigue-0, https://livingsafelywithhumanerror.wordpress.com/2016/04/29/lessons-learned-from-aloha-flight-243-aircraft-registration-n73711/, Federal Aviation Authority, (n.d.). A global provider of aviation staffing solutions. Ultimately the National Transportation Safety Board determine the probable cause was the failure of Aloha Airlines maintenance program to detect disbonding and fatigue damage which led to failure of the lap joint at S-10L. After pointing out to investigator the area on the other aircraft and it was found to be at the upper row of rivets along the S-10L joint. 28/10/17: American Airlines flight 191. This aircraft lost a major portion of the upper fuselage in full flight … First Officer Tompkins handled all communications as well as assisting the captain flying the airplane. The -200 first flew 8 August 1967. Digging Deeper. History of Aloha airline flight 243 2. Details of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 Incident. Metal Fatigue. Prior to the flight from Hilo for Honolulu, the Boeing 737-200 aircraft underwent a normal walkaround pre-flight inspection by the first officer who did not find anything unusual. well Rudy Got us was people trapped in the seats um not moving. ... AeroTime Hub is the digital gateway to people of aviation. At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated 35,496 hours (TTAF) with 89,680 cycles. On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737-297 airliner, FAA registration N73711, named Queen Liliuokalani, was enroute from Hilo International Airport (IPO) to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) with a crew of 5 and 89 passengers. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Cape Corwin coordinated a three-day search along with Coast Guard and Marine Corps helicopters, airplanes and other ships. Factors contributing to Aloha Airlines’ 2008 failure: 1. The flight deck door blew away and Captain Schornstheimer could see “blue sky where the first-class ceiling had been.” The captain took the controls, deployed the speed brakes and began an immediate descent at 280–290 knots (322–334 miles per hour/519–537 kilometers per hour), with a rate of descent as high as 4,100 feet per minute (20.83 meters per second). Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? She was awarded the Air Line Pilots Association 2010 Pilot Assistance Award for her exceptional leadership in supporting airline pilots who experience serious psychological trauma. Info: 1450 words (6 pages) Essay Upon initial interviews the pilots reported the aircraft was in good condition and they saw no defects during the initial walk around on the first flight of the day. This great AeroTime author has not written anything about himself yet. The structural failure on April 28, 1988 of a 19 year old Boeing 737, operated by Aloha airlines, was a defining event in creating awareness of aging aircraft in both the public domain and in the aviation community. She had flown 8,000 hours with 3,500 in the B-737. Aloha Airlines Flight 243 makes an emergency landing at Kahului Airport on Maui. VAT Registration No: 842417633. The paper explores Aloha Airlines Flight 243 Aircraft accident which was caused by the multiple site fatigue and as a result, the structural damage which primarily was due to the failure and negligence of the operator maintenance program which is … 7/10/17: Turkish Airlines flight 981. All work is written to order. So keep those in mind as we go through this failure. Retrieved from. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: ALOHA AIRLINES FLIGHT 243 2 Introduction & Cause(s) of Accident On 28th of April 1988, Aloha Airline Flight 243, Boeing 737, departed from Hilo and it was scheduled to land in Honolulu located in Hawaii. During the flight, the aircraft suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression at … During the NTSB investigation, a passenger reported having seen a crack in the fuselage when boarding the flight, but did not say anything about it to the crew. She was taken to another like aircraft by the investigators so she could show them the location of the crack. Unfortunately, a flight … A Failure Study of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (Boeing 737) - Free download as Powerpoint Presentation (.ppt / .pptx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or view presentation slides online. Madeline Lynn Tompkins also stayed with Aloha and rose to the rank of captain. Upon further inspections by investigators of the Aloha Airlines B-737 fleet several other aircraft were showing the same kinds of stress cracking, corrosion, swelling and bulging of the skin, popped rivets and metal fatigue along the lap joints (Wrigley, 2018). We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. The green light did not come on, but neither did the red light. Since the upper section of the fuselage was never recovered it was difficult for investigators to determine what had caused the upper section of the first-class cabin to rip off. This case study shows how insufficient testing, lack of good maintenance practices and the carelessness of the govern authority to properly act. On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737-297 airliner , FAA registration N73711, named Queen Liliuokalani, was enroute from Hilo International Airport (IPO) to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) with a crew of 5 and 89 passengers. Abstract On 28 April 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 experienced structural failure and consequent explosive decompression at 24,000 ft. over the Pacific Ocean while en route from Hilo to Honolulu, HI. With everything that happened this aircraft should have crashed many more would have been killed if not for the actions of the flight crew. It was the ninth flight of the day with the exact same B737. The cause of the fuselage failure was fatigue cracking around rivets as a result of the vast number of pressurization/depressurization cycles it had experienced, as well as operation in a salty coastal environment. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Soon after the aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 24,000 feet 18 feet of the upper portion of the fuselage above first class section ripped off and later it was discovered the aircraft had an explosive decompression. According to (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989, p. 1), on April 28, 1988 a Boeing 737 from Hawaii based Aloha Airlines was scheduled for many interisland flights to different Hawaii destinations. No plagiarism, guaranteed! Twenty-nine years ago, on 28th of April 1988 the upper fuselage of Aloha Airlines 243 ripped off the aircraft at 24,000 feet, killing one crew member and injuring many more. The 19 year old Boeing 737, named Queen Liliuokalani was one of … (Stoller, 2001) Flight 243 experienced an explosive decompression and structure failure at flight level 240. Semoga bermanfaat. (Both engines were damaged from ingested debris.) The flight crew enacted appropriate contingency procedures and was able to safely land the aircraft at Kahului Airport in Maui. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. Please check your email and confirm subscription. No pre-flight inspection was done on the aircraft because there was no requirement to do so. At that moment, the roof flew out from the aircraft and the 58-year-old flight attendant, Clarabelle Lansing, who was in row 5, was ejected in… Looking for a flexible role? 4/11/17: LOT Polish Airlines flight 5055. Copyright © 2003 - 2021 - UKEssays is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. (Its maximum certificated takeoff weight was 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms). We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. This incident could have been prevented but the proper govern authorities failed to act. individual responsibilities in the design, production, certification, tracking maintenance and sur- veillance of all aircraft in the system. At 13:25, flight 243 departed for the capital that it would never reach on that day. The biggest aviation conference and awards in the region. SFTY 335 Case Study Analysis Activity Title: Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (Module 2) Name: Hei Shun, Ma (Kyle) Date: 01-21-2015 Cause(s) of Accident Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was a scheduled flight by Aloha Airlines between Hilo and Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! The problem with these tests is they were performed on normal aircraft and Boeing never took into consideration what would happen if a crack had developed on an aging aircraft (Wrigley, 2018). Her body was never recovered. The number one engine had failed. Registered office: Venture House, Cross Street, Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 7PJ. Captain Madeline Lynn Tompkins, Hawaiian Airlines, was the first officer aboard Aloha Flight 243. Captain Schornstheimer remained with Aloha Airlines until he retired in 2005. As the cabin air escaped at over 700 mph, flight attendant C.B. Cadet training programs for type and non-type rated pilots. Queen Liliuokalani, Aloha Airlines’ Boeing 737-297 N73711, at Kahalui Airport (OGG), Maui, Hawaii. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! 21/10/17: Air New Zealand flight 901. The accident aircraft was also part of the aging fleet program and it was surveyed. 14/10/17: Air France flight 4590. (Stoller, 2001) Flight 243 experienced an explosive decompression and structure failure at flight level 240. Pressure vessel engineer Matt Austin has proposed an alternative hypothesis to explain the disintegration of the fuselage of Flight 243.This explanation postulates that initially the fuselage failed as intended and opened a ten-inch square vent. Click here for previous History Hour Installments. Catastrophic failure of the Aloha Airlines aircraft. Retrieved from, The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, (2008). Because of the number of take-offs, the repeated pressurization and depressurization of the aircraft which caused high stress on the fuselage, the salt water environment and humid climate all cause the aircraft to suffer high than normal metal fatigue on the lap joints. Registered Data Controller No: Z1821391. Another contributing factor to this incident was the way the aircraft was being used hopping from island to island. The thrust reverser of the number two engine was used to slow the airplane and when it rolled to a stop, the emergency evacuation was begun. Aloha flight 243 was a Boeing 737 that had suffered from metal fatigue and flown well over the intended takeoff-landing hours. Flight 243 departed with six crew members and 89 passengers on board, bound for Honolulu. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-200, N73711, operated by Aloha Airlines Inc., as flight 243, experienced an explosive decompression and structural failure at 24,000 feet, while en route from Hilo to Honolulu, Hawaii. Summary. After this incident aviation maintenance and regulations concerning metal fatigue were changed forever. There were many reports on the lap joints dealing with metal fatigue and corrosion, but the Federal Aviation Authority failed to react to a Boeing Service Bulletin 737-53A1039 that alerted users that fatigue cracks had been detected on several different lap joints. On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane. ALOHA AIRLINES, FLIGHT 243 BOEING 737-200, N7371I, NEAR MAUI, HAWAII APRIL 28, 1988 History of the Flight On April 28, 1988, an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737, N73711, based at the Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii, was scheduled for a series of Interisland flights to be conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121. Company Registration No: 4964706. Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (IATA: AQ243, ICAO: AAH243) was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. The service ceiling was 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). Aloha Airlines’ Boeing 737-297, N73711. Captain Schornstheimer described the flight controls as loose and sluggish. When Aloha Airlines ceased operations in 2008 she went to Hawaiian Airlines. The morning prior to the flight the first officer performs the external inspection of the aircraft and accepted it for flight. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, but was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui. Cause of Accident. She was thrown out of the airplane and fell to the ocean, 24,000 feet (7,315 meters) below. Thankfully the pilots did a miraculous job and was able to land the aircraft safely. Boeing 737-297 N73711 was damaged beyond repair.