Aloha Airlines Flight 243 / Documentary / A True Story 1988

On April 28, 1988, the skies above Hawaii bore witness to one of the most extraordinary aviation survival stories in history — Aloha Airlines Flight 243. What began as a routine 35-minute inter-island flight from Hilo to Honolulu turned into a terrifying mid-air crisis that tested the limits of human endurance, engineering, and courage. This documentary revisits that fateful day when the top of a Boeing 737 literally tore away at 24,000 feet, exposing passengers and crew to the open sky.

Flight 243 carried 89 people on board, most of them local islanders and frequent commuters. Just 23 minutes after takeoff, as the aircraft cruised over Maui, a loud bang shattered the calm. In an instant, a section of the fuselage — almost one-third of the roof — was ripped away due to explosive decompression. The tranquil Hawaiian morning turned into chaos. Oxygen masks dropped, debris flew, and hurricane-force winds roared through the cabin. Passengers found themselves staring at blue sky where the ceiling should have been.

Amid the devastation, Captain Robert Schornstheimer and First Officer Mimi Tompkins displayed remarkable skill and composure. Despite the deafening wind and loss of key instruments, they fought to regain control of the crippled plane. Communication with air traffic control was nearly impossible, yet the crew managed to declare an emergency and set course for Kahului Airport on Maui.

Tragically, flight attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing, a 37-year veteran of Aloha Airlines, was instantly sucked out of the aircraft when the fuselage ruptured. Her loss was deeply felt across Hawaii, but her colleagues continued their duty with astonishing bravery. The remaining two flight attendants crawled through the wrecked cabin, holding onto seats and passengers, ensuring that everyone stayed secure and calm. Their heroism under unimaginable conditions became one of the defining images of aviation professionalism.

As the plane approached Maui, witnesses on the ground saw a mangled aircraft missing its roof — a sight that defied belief. Against all odds, Captain Schornstheimer executed an emergency landing. Tires blew out upon touchdown, but the aircraft came to a stop safely. Incredibly, every remaining passenger and crew member survived.

The aftermath of Flight 243 reshaped aviation safety forever. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) discovered that long-term metal fatigue, worsened by the high frequency of short flights in a tropical, salty environment, had caused the catastrophic failure. Their findings led to stricter inspection standards for aging aircraft, transforming how airlines maintain older fleets.

This documentary combines gripping survivor accounts, expert analysis, and archival footage to recreate the terrifying moments aboard Aloha Airlines Flight 243. It honors the quick thinking of the crew, the resilience of the passengers, and the lessons learned that continue to save lives today.

Aloha Airlines Flight 243 remains a testament to the power of training, teamwork, and human will — a true miracle in the sky that turned tragedy into triumph.