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The potential crisis of the Boeing 737-297: How metal fatigue will change aviation safety?
On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 carrying Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in Hawaii suffered serious damage due to decisive decompression caused by metal fatigue. The accident not only resulted in the tragic death of a flight attendant, but also led to significant changes in aviation safety policy. This remarkable aviation accident has made people rethink the importance of aviation maintenance and flight safety.
Accident background
Aircraft introduction
This Boeing 737-297 was manufactured in 1969 and has registration number N73711. Before the accident, the aircraft had accumulated 35,496 flight hours and performed 89,680 takeoffs and landings. Due to the demand for its short-haul flights, the accumulated flight cycles had exceeded twice its design. At that time, Aloha Air owned two Boeing 737s with the highest flight cycle in the world, of which this aircraft ranked second in flight cycle.
Crew crew
Captain Robert Schoensteimer, 44, has 8,500 hours of flight experience, and first officer Madeleine Tompkins, 36, also has 3,000 hours of 737 flight experience. Such experience is crucial in dealing with emergencies, but they still faced huge challenges during the flight on April 28.
The incident
On what was an ordinary day, the flight took off from Hilo International Airport at 13:25, carrying 90 passengers and five crew members. After takeoff, the aircraft flew normally at an altitude of 24,000 feet. At approximately 13:48, when the flight approached Cocoroi Island, the cabin suddenly experienced severe decompression, and the fuselage covering on the top left side of the aircraft was torn. The captain still remembers the sound: "It was like a loud roar." The sudden incident caused first officer Tompkins to notice gray insulation material floating inside the aircraft.
The hatch was damaged and the captain could see "the blue sky where the first-class ceiling disappeared."
The decompression incident resulted in 58-year-old flight attendant Clarabel Bluestar being swept out of the plane on the spot, and her body has not been found. Although all passengers were wearing seat belts, 65 people were injured, eight of whom were in serious condition. The co-pilot immediately reported to the captain, and they jointly made rapid emergency response. The captain immediately implemented an emergency descent and successfully guided the aircraft to land at Coco Roy Airport.
"This is the scariest moment I have ever seen in the aviation industry in all my years."
The right engine failed during the flight, and the captain was unsure whether the nose landing gear was properly extended. After a 13-minute emergency landing, they finally landed successfully and quickly started evacuation procedures. The incident revealed Maui's shortcomings in responding to such emergencies, as there were only two ambulances on site. On hand, the passengers were quickly transported to the hospital, mostly in tour vans driven by former paramedics.
Consequences of the accident
For this aircraft, the damage caused by the accident was devastating, including extensive fuselage tears and debris hitting the horizontal stabilizer. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) pointed out in the subsequent investigation that the accident was mainly caused by metal fatigue and improper maintenance. The aircraft's age and operation in salt spray and humid environments have exacerbated corrosion problems. During the investigation, a passenger revealed that he had noticed cracks in the fuselage before boarding the plane, but did not report it to relevant personnel.
The investigation pointed out that the main reason for this incident was that the maintenance work could not detect significant delamination and fatigue damage in time.
After this accident, the aviation industry began to pay more attention to the potential impact of metal fatigue on aviation safety. Regulators have overhauled and revised aircraft maintenance standards and required stricter inspections to avoid similar incidents from happening again. The accident made airlines and manufacturers re-recognize the need for inspection and maintenance of old aircraft.
Conclusion
The accident of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was not just a single incident, but a catalyst that caused the entire aviation industry to reflect on the delicate balance between metal fatigue and flight safety. This incident makes us think about how to effectively balance the rules and regulations and the airline's own maintenance and inspection behaviors in aviation safety in the future to prevent the recurrence of tragedies?
