PB89-910404 i SAPANSA, NATIONAL “tery go TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C, 20594 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT ALOHA AIRLINES, FLIGHT 243 BOEING 737-200, N73711,~- NEAR MAUI, HAWAII APRIL 28, 1988 NTSB/AAR-89/03 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT“___TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE [1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No, NTSB/AAR-89/03 PB89-910404 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 4. Title and Subtitle Aircraft Accident Report--Aloha Airlines, Flight 243, Boeing 737-200, N73711, near Maui, 5. Report Date June 14, 1989 ii, April 28, Hawaii, April 28, 1988 a Code ing Organization 7. Authors) |. 8. Performing Organization Report No. 10. Work Unit No 4886 [9. Performing Organization Name and Address National Transportation Safety Board Bureau of Accident Investigation Washington, D.C. 20594 11, Contract or Grant No, 13, Type of Report and Period Covered Aircraft Accident Report 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address | Ps Jolene April 28, 1988 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD. Washington, D.C. 20594 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract: On April 28, 1988, at 1346, a Boeing 737-200, N73711, operated by Aloha Airlines Inc., 2$ flight 243, experienced an explosive decompression and structural failure at 24,000 feet, while en route from Hilo, to Honolulu, Hawaii. Approximately 18 feet of the cabin skin and structure aft of the cabin entrance door and above the passenger floorline separated from the airplane during flight. There were 89 passengers and 6 crewmembers on board. One flight attendant was swept overboard during the decompression and is presumed to have been fatally injured; 7 passengers and | flight attendant received serious injuries. The flightcrew performed an emergency descent and landing at Kahului Airport on the Island of Maui The safety issues raised in this report include: the quality of air carrier maintenance programs and the FAA surveillance of those programs, the engineering airworthiness of the B-737 ‘with particular emphasis on multiple site fatigue cracking of the fuselage lap joints, the human factors aspects of air carrier maintenance and inspection for the continuing airworthiness of transport category airplanes, to include repair procedures and the training, certification and qualification of mechanics and inspectors. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement 2 This document is available to decompression; disbonding; fatigue cracking; corrosion; the public through the National multiple site damage (MSD); FAA surveillance; maintenance _| Technical Information Service, program; nondestructive inspection Springfield, Virginia 22161 19. Security Classification 20. Security Classification 21. No. of Pages 122. Price (of this report) (of this page) UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED 262 NTSB Form 1765.2 (Rev. 5/88)——