Our Airplanes Are Aging

The event perhaps most demonstrative of what can happen as an aircraft ages occurred on April 28, 1988, over Hawaii. Thats when an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737-200 operating in scheduled passenger service as Flight 243 between Hilo and Honolulu lost part of its cabin roof while in cruise at FL240. The crew successfully landed the airplane after diverting to Maui. Of the 89 passengers and six crewmembers aboard, there was one fatality-a flight attendant who was swept overboard during the decompression event.

stevel

Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Expectation bias is the belief that you know what is going to happen without preparing for changes that might occur. dani3315/Shutterstock

Key Takeaways:

Aging aircraft, particularly those exposed to harsh environments or high operational stress, are susceptible to structural failures from corrosion, cracking, and metal fatigue.
Multiple incidents, from Aloha Airlines Flight 243 to recent general aviation accidents, demonstrate common failure points in fuselage skins, wing spars, and control cable turnbuckles.
These failures are often exacerbated by design issues, inadequate maintenance practices, and environmental factors like salt air or trapped moisture.
Ensuring safety for aging fleets requires increased inspection frequency, proactive corrosion control, detailed examination of critical components, proper storage, and mindful operational practices.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The event perhaps most demonstrative of what can happen as an aircraft ages occurred on April 28, 1988, over Hawaii. That’s when an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737-200 operating in scheduled passenger service as Flight 243 between Hilo and Honolulu lost part of its cabin roof while in cruise at FL240. The crew successfully landed the airplane after diverting to Maui. Of the 89 passengers and six crewmembers aboard, there was one fatality—a flight attendant who was swept overboard during the decompression event.

Seven passengers and another flight attendant sustained serious injuries. The photo below, taken shortly after the 737 landed in Maui, shows the damage to the airplane and the passengers’ exposure. According to the NTSB, “Approximately 18 feet from the cabin skin and structure aft of the cabin entrance door and above the passenger floor line separated from the airplane during flight.”