Introduction
The safety of flights is the primary concern in the civil aviation sphere. The failure or defects in one of the system’s components might result in serious damage to the aircraft and numerous deaths. For this reason, much attention is devoted to regular inspection of planes, maintenance procedures, and checks of all parts to ensure they work correctly and there are no unexpected accidents. Unfortunately, regardless of significant efforts to minimize risks and protect passengers, accidents occur. Structural failure is one of the leading causes of the aircraft. For instance, Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was one of the accidents caused by a structural failure. Analyzing such events is necessary to understand how to avoid similar accidents in the future and improve safety.
Background
Thus, researching structural failure is pivotal to aviation and improving its safety. It can be defined as the collapse or poor functioning of a system or its components within the aircraft (“Structural failure,” n.d.). These accidents contribute to the emergence of safety hazards, which compromise the integrity of aircraft and might hurt passengers and the crew (“Structural failure,” n.d.). The causes of structural failure differ and might include poor maintenance, material fatigue, flaws in the design, defects during the manufacturing process, and extreme operating conditions (“Structural failure,” n.d.). The impact of one of these factors might create conditions leading to the plane’s collapse, the same as in Aloha Airlines Flight 243.
The investigation of the discussed accident discovered several essential factors. Thus, the plane experienced explosive decompression and structural failure when reaching a height of 24,000 feet (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The analysis showed that around 18 feet from the cabin skin and the entrance door’s structure aft separated from the plane (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989).
As a result, the passengers and the crew suffered from decompression, while one flight attendant was swept overboard (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The body was not found, while seven other passengers were injured (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The accident demonstrated the consequences of structural failure as it created a critical threat to all passengers on board and could have resulted in numerous deaths and the complete collapse of the plane.
Central Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted an in-depth investigation of the accident to identify the leading causes and ensure appropriate measures are put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future. Thus, the board concluded that significant disbanding and fatigue damage to joints were the main reasons for separating the cabin skin and other structures (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The failure of the lap joint at S-10L and the damage to the fuselage upper lobe were caused by the given defects and the inability to detect them in time (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). In this way, the leading cause is structural failure, indicating fatigue of the main structures necessary for safe flight. However, the investigation also revealed some contributing factors that should be considered.
Contributing Factors
Inappropriate maintenance was one of the main contributing factors. The NTSB determined that Aloha Airlines was not able to detect the presence of the defect, disbanding, and metal corrosion that emerged in the plane (1989). Thus, as in other accidents, maintenance errors, inattention, and failure to identify vulnerable parts requiring replacement were leading contributors to the failure. Aloha Airlines’ maintenance program was ineffective at identifying the problematic issues and introducing appropriate measures to address them (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). It means that the quality of planes’ inspection and maintenance programs and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surveillance of these programs were inappropriate and required improvement (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). It means that more attention to inspection and to the determination of structural failures was needed.
Furthermore, the lack of professionalism and expertise among the maintenance force was another possible factor. The NTSB concluded that Aloha Airlines devoted little attention to supervising its maintenance force and controlling the quality of inspection procedures (1989). It rendered it impossible to detect serious structural failures in the plane and respond appropriately. The company had some quality control deficiencies that could be considered contributing factors to the accident (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The absence of an appropriate response to part fatigue and the failure to replace components with defects established the basis for the undesired event.
Finally, the investigation revealed the importance of human factors and the airworthiness issues associated with aging aircraft. The maintenance specialists’ inability to detect metal fatigue resulted from insufficient attention or inappropriate investigation procedures (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). However, the plane was 19 years old and was used in a coastal environment characterized by exposure to salt and high humidity levels (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). For this reason, the speed of crevice corrosion increased significantly (National Transportation Safety Board, 1989). The personnel did not consider this factor and failed to account for the aircraft’s age and airworthiness in an aggressive climate.
Conclusion
Altogether, structural failure became a central cause of the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 accident. Metal fatigue led to the separation of the plane’s parts and to damage to passengers and crew. The contributing factors included poor maintenance, disregard for parts that required replacement, and insufficient training for personnel. The incident also raised questions about the airworthiness of aging carriers and the need for specialized maintenance procedures to ensure high safety standards. The crash shows that structural failures can have diverse consequences and require specific measures and procedures to prevent similar accidents.
References
National Transportation Safety Board. (1989). Aircraft accident report: Aloha Airlines, Flight 243 Boeing 737-200, N73711, near Maui, Hawaii, April 29, 1988.
Structural failure. (n.d.). Airport List.