A Boeing 737-29 flying AQ 243 to Honolulu began to fall apart right in the air. The chances of survival in such a situation for the crew and passengers were one in a million, no more.
1988-28-04, 13:58, Kahului airport. Maui, Hawaii
Several airport employees, shielding their eyes from the sun with their hands, looked at the approaching Boeing. This plane was not on the schedule. “It’s somehow strange to land, and falls down on the left wing,” said one. “And for some reason he doesn’t reduce the speed - is he crazy, to sit down at that speed?” The second answered him.
"Lord Jesus!" - Someone whispered: the descending plane was missing part of the fuselage! It was like a giant monster grabbed the Boeing's body with its teeth and pulled out a significant part of it with meat. Over the flight, a heart-rending female scream was heard.
Boeing 737-297 of Aloha Airlines
The Boeing with registration number N73711 was the oldest aircraft at Aloha Airlines. Released in 1969, it changed the airline owner several times and changed its name several times. It was now called Queen Liliuokalani and worked as a "regular bus", flying between the islands of the archipelago. Every day he made 8-10 flights, each lasting no more than 30-40 minutes.
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On April 28, the board was supposed to fly along the route about. Hawaii-Honolulu. Flight time is 35 minutes. Crew Commander - Robert Shornsteimer (10 years of experience, 8,500 flight hours), co-pilot - Madeline L. Tompkins (8 years of experience, 8,000 flight hours) and three flight attendants. Boeing has passed pre-flight inspection (everything is fine, the plane is ready for flight). At 13:25 Queen Liliuokalani, with 95 people on board, took off the runway and headed for Honolulu.
Meanwhile …
Meanwhile, by April 1988, Boeing had flown more than 35,400 hours, most of which fell on short routes between the airports of Hawaii. The most difficult and crucial part of every flight is take-off and landing, when the plane is under extreme stress. Each takeoff and each landing is a powerful blow to the entire car, a "micro-heart attack" that never goes unnoticed.
Boeing Queen Liliuokalani, flying on domestic flights, suffered 15-20 such "micro-heart attacks" daily. For 19 years, he "jumped" over the Hawaiian Islands for almost 90,000 take-off and landing cycles - an absolute record at that time for a machine of this class. The salty sea air did not contribute to the health of the aircraft - it was severely damaged. It was high time for the car to retire, but a new day dawned, and Queen Liliuokalani again took to the air.
Accident at an altitude of 7.500 meters
At 13:48 the Boeing reached FL240 (7.500m). At this altitude, the pressure difference inside the aircraft and outside is threefold. The slightest microcrack is enough for a catastrophe to become inevitable. At 1:48 pm, a crack snake ran straight across the ceiling of the first class cabin and, under pressure from within, the plane began to open like a tin can.
In a split second, 35 sq. m. fuselage with wiring, thermal insulation and overhead bins. Passengers found themselves in the open air at an altitude of 7.500m, with an oncoming stream speed of 500 km / h and a temperature of minus 45 degrees.
A natural hurricane was raging in the cabin. There was not enough air. The passengers could not put on oxygen masks - they simply were not there. Stewardess Michelle Honda was alone in this situation - her partner Jane was injured and lay unconscious, Clara-Belle did not respond. Michelle didn’t even know if the pilots were still alive, but she showed courage, acted quickly, decisively - she grouped the passengers, did not allow panic.
In the cockpit
- Commander, what are we going to do?
- Sit down, and as soon as possible.
- The nearest airport is Kahului on the island. Maui
- We are deploying to Kahului. Now all that remains is to pray that the Boeing doesn't fall apart before we land.
The plane began to reduce speed and altitude, Fr. Maui.
- Commander, when the speed drops below 315 km / h, the plane loses control.
- Do not slow down, we will sit down at a higher speed. We release the chassis.
- Commander, there is no forward landing gear exit indication signal.
- Kahului, what about our front landing gear?
- Visually observe: the chassis is released.
But is it fixed in the working position? The pilots did not know this. If not, the plane will have to land on its belly.
Extreme landing
Usually, before an extreme landing, the plane flies for several hours, burning fuel to the last liter. If the fuel explodes during landing, none of those on board will have a single chance to survive. But how long will the falling apart Boeing hold out in the air? Hour? Or a few minutes? Therefore, Schornsteimer decided to sit down with full tanks.
- Commander, we are going down. The left motor stalled.
- Do not extend the flaps.
- And how are we going to slow down?
- Chassis and engine reverse.
- Clear. Our Father who art in heaven …
At 13:58, the Boeing landing gear touched the runway. Fire and ambulance cars were screaming towards him.
When the pilots got out, they saw that the nose of the plane was dangling from several beams.
Thanks to the actions of the pilots, all passengers survived, having escaped with injuries of varying severity. The flight attendant Clara-Belle Lansing went missing - at the time of the accident, she was thrown outside by a stream of air. Her body was never found, but hardly anyone doubts that she died.
Author Klim Podkova