This Airplane Lost its Roof at 24,000 ft: What Happened Next?
On April 28, 1988, at about 1 pm, a flight in Hawaii called Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was preparing for takeoff. It was a sunny day, and many passengers were on holiday. Hawaii is a beautiful group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of the United States. The flight was a short, routine 35-minute trip from Hilo to Honolulu.
This plane had already made several flights that day, which was common for local airlines. Everything seemed normal as the passengers boarded, and the plane took off at 1:25 pm. However, one passenger noticed a small crack on the side of the plane but didn’t report it, thinking it wasn’t important.
Around 20 minutes after takeoff, when the plane reached 24,000 feet, a sudden explosion occurred. The passengers heard a loud bang, and soon there was a problem with breathing as the cabin lost pressure. The roof of the plane and part of the walls were blown off, exposing the open sky above.
In normal situations, oxygen masks would drop to help passengers breathe, but the explosion had damaged the system. Without enough oxygen, passengers risked hypoxia, which can make people lose consciousness in just a couple of minutes. The situation quickly became chaotic. One air hostess, Michelle, tried to contact the cockpit but received no response. Another flight attendant, C.B. Lansing, was thrown out of the plane. Her colleague, Jane, was hit by luggage and knocked unconscious.
Michelle, still conscious, started asking passengers if anyone knew how to fly the plane, increasing their fear. She eventually reached the cockpit and found the pilots alive and working hard to save the flight. The pilots quickly descended the plane to a safer altitude where breathing was easier.
However, there was another problem: the front of the plane had dropped about a meter, and the two parts of the plane were barely holding together. The pilots decided to attempt an emergency landing in Maui. They contacted the control tower, and all emergency teams on the ground prepared for the worst.
As the plane descended, they had to avoid a large mountain. The left engine failed, and there was concern about whether the front landing gear would come down. Fortunately, the nose gear eventually lowered, avoiding a belly landing. The pilots successfully landed the plane at 1:58 pm, just 13 minutes after the explosion.
Although most passengers survived, there were injuries. The air hostess, C.B. Lansing, was the only person who died, disappearing into the sea. The rest of the 94 passengers were extremely grateful to be alive. This incident highlighted the importance of seat belts, as those who were wearing them survived the explosion.
Later investigations found that the plane’s body, which had been in use for many years, had weakened due to corrosion and wear. The metal of the plane had expanded and contracted with each flight, leading to cracks. Despite warnings from Boeing, the airline hadn’t properly maintained the plane, and the cracks had grown, causing the explosion.
The incident raised concerns about how airlines maintain their planes and led to improvements in safety standards.
