Aloha Airlines Flight 243: Airplane Lost its Roof at 24,000 ft

The Roof Of a Hawaii Aloha Airlines Flight Was Blown Off.

Discover the harrowing events of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, where an explosion led to chaos and desperation among passengers and crew. The aviation industry, while generally safe, has seen its share of emergencies that test the limits of both technology and human resilience. One such incident was the Air India emergency landing. An event reminiscent of the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 disaster in 1988. In both cases, passengers and crew were thrust into intense situations where quick thinking and preparedness were essential for survival. This document recounts the details of these two emergencies, exploring the technical failures. The response actions taken, and the critical lessons learned from these harrowing experiences.

On 28 April 1988 around 1 p.m. in Hawaii Aloha Airlines flight 243 was about to take off. It was a beautiful sunny day and most of the passengers were there to enjoy their holidays. In case you don’t know about Hawaii then let us tell you that it is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. IT is a part of America. They are a beautiful island and their capital is Honolulu. This flight was travelling from Hilo to Honolulu.

 Hilo is the southernmost island of Hawaii. And it only takes about 35 minutes to travel the distance between these 2 destinations.

Aloha Airlines Flight 243: The Mid-Air Tragedy That Shook Aviation History

 Aloha Airlines is a local Hawaiian airline which on a routine basis takes off the plane to connect the various islands. And as the distance was shot this specific plane had already planned a time since morning. It had gone on three different round trips. But this was not unusual; it’s normal for such planes. Everything was going as it was supposed to be. Passengers boarded, the doors were closed and at exactly 1:25 p.m. the flight took off.

But there was one unusual thing though. When one of the passengers was boarding the plane, before entering the door she saw that the (revetted sheets that make the body of the plane) had a little crack on one of those sheets. However, the passenger did not inform anyone about the problem to anyone thinking that it would make a difference since it was a reputable airline in the plane used to regularly fly. Assuming that it was regularly inspected. And even if there would have been any problem it would have been noticed by the staff of the Airlines hence she thought that it was inconsequential.

But it was inconceivable how devastating this was going to be. Only after 10 to 15 minutes after the Plane took off the air hostess bought in the trolleys and started serving drinks to the passengers. The seat belt sign was not turned off yet because it is usually turned off only when the plane reaches cruising altitude for this plane. The cruising altitude was 24000 feet. There were 3 air hostesses on the flight serving drinks to the passengers. And just  20 minutes after the take off the flight reached its cruising altitude of 24000 feet. And as soon as it reached this height there was a big blast.

A Routine Flight Turns into a Nightmare as 35m² of Fuselage Disintegrates Mid-Flight, Leading to a Heroic Landing

All the passengers had allowed a Bang and sudden Rapid decompression held. People started to have trouble breathing. Things went flying all around. There was Total Chaos and terrible confusion. No one was able to understand what was happening. Some passages looked around and saw that the Planes roof and surrounding walls went missing. They could see the sky above them. About 35m2 of the front of the plane’s body was disintegrated and blown away.

This was the case which was held in 1988. Usually, the air is always pressurised in cabins in a plane so that an individual can breathe normally. Because at a height of 24000 feet, the atmospheric pressure is very low. The air is so thin that an individual has trouble breathing. That is why aeroplanes have their pressurisation system which regulates the air by pumping in it. If for some reason this system breaks down and the aeroplane keeps flying at the same altitude then in case of this emergency those oxygen masks will drop down to protect a passenger in the event of loss of cabin pressure because these oxygen masks hold the capacity of providing the oxygen to a passenger for about 15-20 minutes. During that time the pilot gets the plane to descend to an altitude where people can breathe normally (around 10,000 feet).

Prudence of pilots that saved the lives of passengers

But the turning point of this story was when the plane was dilapidated. The oxygen masks did drop but they were not working. Due to the blowing of the plane roof, the oxygen mask system was destroyed. People are concerned about hypoxia ( it is a condition in which if your body does not get sufficient oxygen you can get unconscious and eventually lose your life) with the wind blowing at the speed of 500 mph and temperature dropping to -45° C.

But all the people in the plane landed safely with the presence of mind and prudence of the pilots (Captain Robert Schomstheimer – 44 years old & First Officer Mimi Tompkins – 36 years old) flying the plane and the air hostess present in the plane.

Do you think it was a miracle that they survived?

Well, the credit goes to the most important technical equipment Seat Belt. It held most of the people to their place and hence kept them alive in this tragic situation.

A similar case happened recently, A flight from Air India took off at 5:40 p.m. from Trichy Airport to Sharjah (UAE). But shortly after take-off, the hydraulic system of that flight jammed and then the plane kept revolving around Trichy City for about 3 hours continuously.

Another alarming report emerges of a bomb threat aboard an Air India flight, sparking immediate concern and security measures

An Indian Airline flight lands in an emergency in Canada after getting bomb threats.

The aircraft and passengers were being re-screened as per the laid down security protocol. Air India activated agencies at the airport to assist the Passengers until such time that their journey can resume,” the airline said. Flight Rerouted Following Bomb Threat Warning.

Air India flight emergency landing at Trichy Airport

An incident occurred recently with an Air India flight. It took off at 5:40 p.m. from Trichy Airport to Sharjah (UAE). But shortly after take-off, the hydraulic system of that flight jammed. The plane kept revolving around Trichy City for about 3 hours continuously. Later around 8:15 p.m.,

The plane landed safely at Trichy Airport with 140 passengers. The landing was an emergency landing.

There was very chaos and confusion all around how the plane would land safely after having some technical fault in its hydraulic system with 140 passengers inside the plane.

When this plane was revolving in the sky, at that time many people felt that this plane was not under control and due to the fault in the hydraulic system, the plane could crash or it might not land properly even though there was no such thing. In reality, when the Pilots of the plane got to know about the hydraulic system failure the first step day took was to empty the fuel of the plane, that was why the plane was continuously revolving and moving in the same direction in the sky to prevent any mishappening like fire breakout in the plane along with that the weight of the plane remained balanced.

Conclusion:

In aviation, emergencies like the ones faced by Aloha Airlines and Air India are stark reminders of the importance of safety protocols and the resilience of both crew and passengers. These events highlight the crucial role of training, equipment, and decision-making under pressure. While incidents of this nature are rare, they offer valuable lessons that continue to drive improvements in aviation safety. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of pilots, crew members, and ground staff. Even the most challenging situations can be navigated to a safe conclusion, reinforcing the faith passengers place in air travel.