Description

On 28 April 1988, a Boeing 737-200, being operated by Aloha Airlines experienced sudden structural failure of the fuselage and a consequent explosive depressurisation whilst en route at FL240. Approximately 5.5 metres (or 18 feet) of cabin skin and structure was lost from the aircraft an one of the cabin crew was fatally injured. The flight crew carried out an emergency descent and made a landing at Kahului Airport on the Island of Maui, Hawaii.

Synopsis

This is an extract from the official accident Report AAR/89/03 by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):

As the airplane leveled at 24,000 feet, both pilots heard a loud “clap” or “whooshing” sound followed by a wind noise behind them. The first officer […] stated that debris, including pieces of grey insulation, was floating in the cockpit. The captain observed that the cockpit entry door was missing and that “there was blue sky where the first class ceiling had been.” [Figure 1] The captain immediately took over the controls of the airplane. He described the airplane attitude as rolling slightly left and right and that the flight controls felt “loose”.