On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737-297, was a scheduled passenger flight that encountered a catastrophic in-flight accident.

The flight, which was traveling from Hilo to Honolulu, Hawaii, had 59 passengers and 5 crew members on board.

After taking off from Hilo and reaching cruising altitude in clear weather without any issues, the aircraft suddenly experienced structural vibrations.

Approximately 19 minutes into the flight, at around 24,000 feet, the plane suffered a sudden decompression when a large section of the fuselage—about 19 feet long—tore away.

This incident was attributed to severe metal fatigue and corrosion that had compromised the airframe over time.

Captain Richard A. M. "Rick" K. K. Kondo and First Officer Madeline "Mimi" M. M. K. M. Lee demonstrated remarkable composure and skill in managing the emergency. They quickly initiated a descent to regain control and communicated with air traffic control.

Despite the extensive damage, the crew successfully landed the aircraft at Kahului Airport on Maui, approximately 12 minutes after the incident began.


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