ALOHA AIRLINES FLIGHT 243
ALLIANCE
AIR FLIGHT 7412
On
a regularly scheduled flight from Hilo to Honolulu, Hawaii, Alhoa Airlines
flight 243 took off and climbed to a cruise altitude of 24,000 feet. It was at
that level when the ceiling area of the forward passenger cabin suddenly burst
open in an explosive decompression. The ceiling separated from the airplane,
leaving the passengers from the cockpit door to the front of the wing exposed
to the elements as though they were riding in a convertible car. Riding along
in terror, they could do nothing as the aircraft dove to an altitude level
(around 11,000 feet) where oxygen was not needed. There were two pilots aboard
that early afternoon, an observer in the cockpit jumpseat, three flight
attendants, and 89 passengers. We pick up the CVR just as the ceiling rips off.
Cabin:
[Sound of screams, sound of wind noise]
The CVR microphones in the cockpit could not pick up any
crew conversation for the next five minutes. However, the CVR recorded the
crew’s transmissions with the ground control through the crew’s oxygen mask
microphones.
Co-pilot:
Centre, Alhoa two forty three. We’re going down…request lower [altitude].
Centre, Alhoa forty three, Centre, Alhoa forty three. Maui Approach, Aloha two
forty three. Maui Tower, Alhoa two forty three. Maui tower, Alhoa two forty
three. We’re inbound for a landing. Maui Tower, Alhoa two forty three.
Tower:
[Flight] Callin’ Tower say again.
Co-pilot:
Maui tower, Aloha two forty three, we’re inbound for landing. We’re just, ah,
west of Makena, descending out of thirteen [13,000 feet], and we have rapid
depr - we are unpressurised. Declaring an emergency…
Tower:
Aloha two forty three, winds zero four zero at one five. Altimeter two niner
niner niner. Just to verify again. You’re breaking up. Your call sign is two
forty - four? Is that correct. Or two forty three?
Here the crew, having reached 11,000 feet takes off its
oxygen masks.
Co-pilot:
two forty three Aloha - forty three.
Tower:
Two forty - two the equipment is on the the roll. Plan [to approach] straight
thousand [ 11,000] feet. Request clearance into Maui for landing. Request the
[emergency] equipment.
Tower:
Okay, the equipment is on the field…Is on the way. Squawk zero three four
three, can you come up on [frequency] one niner one niner point five?
Co-
pilot: Two forty three. Can you hear us on one nineteen five two, forty three?
Maui Tower, two forty three. It looks like we’ve lost a door. We have a hole in
this, ah, left side of the aircraft.
Jumpseat
Passenger: I’m fine.
Co-pilot
to Captain: Want the [landing] gear?
Captain:
No.
Co-
pilot: Want the [landing gear]?
Captain:
No.
Co-pilot:
Do you want it [the gear] down?.
Captain:
Flaps fifteen [for] landing.
Co-pilot:
Okay.
Captain:
Here we go. We’ve picked up some of your airplane business right there. I think
they can hear you. They can’t hear me. Ah, tell him, ah, we’ll need assistance
to evacuate this airplane.
Co-pilot:
Right.
Captain:
We really can’ communicate with the flight attendants, but we’ll need trucks,
and we’ll need, ah, airstairs from Alhoa.
Co-pilot:
All right. [To tower] Maui Tower, two forty three, can you hear me on tower?
Tower:
Alhoa two forty three, I hear you loud and clear. Go ahead.
Co-pilot:
Ah, we’re gonna need assistance. We cannot communicate with the flight
attendants. Ah, we’ll need assistance for the passengers when we land.
Tower:
Okay, I understand you’re gonna need an ambulance. Is that correct?
Co-pilot:
Affirmative.
Captain
to co-pilot: It feels like manual reversion.
Co-pilot:
What?
Captain
to Co-pilot: Flight controls feel like manual reversion [like the autopilot has
switched off].
Co-pilot:
Can we maintain altitude ok?
Captain:
Let’s try flying…let’s try flying with the gear down here.
Co-pilot:
All right you got it.
Cockpit:
[Sound of landing gear being lowered]
Tower:
Alhoa two forty three, can you give me your souls on board and your fuel on
board?
Captain
to co-pilot: Do you have a passenger count for tower?
Co-pilot
to Tower: We, ah - eighty five, eight six, plus five crew members.
Tower:
Okay. And, ah, just to verify. You broke up initially. You do need an
ambulance. Is that correct?
Co-pilot:
Affirmative.
Tower:
Roger. How many do you think are injured?
Co-pilot:
We have no idea. We cannot communicate with our flight attendant.
Tower:
Okay. We’ll have an ambulance on the way.
Tower:
Alhoa two forty three, wind zero five. The [emergency] equipment is in place.
Co-pilot:
Okay, be advised. We have no nose gear. We are landing without nose gear.
Tower:
Okay if you need any other assistance, advise…
Co-pilot:
We’ll need all the [emergency] equipment you’ve got. [To Captain] Is it easier
to control with the flaps up?
Captain:
Yeah put em’ at five. Can you give me a vee speed for a flaps five landing?
Co-pilot:
Do you want the flaps down as we land?
Captain:
Yeah after we touch down
Co-pilot:
Okay.
Tower:
Alhoa two forty three, just for your information. The gear appears down. Gear
appears down.
Co-pilot
to Captain: Want me to go flaps forty…?
Captain:
No.
Co-pilot:
Okay.
Cockpit:
[Sound of touchdown on runway]
Co-pilot:
Thrust reverser.
Captain:
Okay. Okay. Shut it down.
Co-pilot:
Shut it down.
Captain:
Now left engine.
Co-pilot:
Flaps.
Tower:
Alhoa two forty three, just shut her down where you are. Everything [is] fine.
The gear did…The fire trucks are on the way.
Captain:
Okay
Cockpit:
[Sound of engines winding down]
Captain:
Okay, start the call for the emergency evacuation.
END
OF TAPE.
The
Boeing 737 of Alhoa Flight 243 was manufactured in 1969 and had accumulated
35,496 flying hours and 89,680 take - off - landing cycles. The cause of the
separation of the ceiling of the aircraft was attributed to static overstress
separations. The airplane was old, and the cycles of pressurisation and
depressurisation had weakened parts of the fuselage. One flight Attendant was
killed. All the passengers landed safely, though 65 of them were injured to
varying degrees, mostly
__________________________________________________________________
Alliance Air Flight 7412, aB737 with
registration VT-EGD, departed Calcutta (Kolkata) at 06:51 on July 17, 2000, for
a flight to Delhi, with stops at Patna and Lucknow. The crew had been cleared
to land at runway 25 at Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport at Patna when the pilots
requested a 360-degree orbit due to the flight being high on the approach.
Permission was granted and a left turn was initiated. During the left turn, the
aircraft stalled. The plane then grazed a few single-storied houses in a
government residential housing estate crashed in a government residential colony
behind Gardani Bagh Girls School at Anishabad, which is located about 2 km
southwest of the Patna Airport. The aircraft broke into four pieces.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER (CVR)
7412 = Radio transmission from 7412
APP = Approach
01:43:35
|
7412
|
Patna Allied 7412
|
01:43:38
|
APP
|
7412 Patna go ahead
|
01:43:44
|
7412
|
Namaskar
maintaining flight level 260, estimating arrival at 0206
|
01:43:53
|
APP
|
Request estimate Sarek.
|
01:43:57
|
7412
|
Say again
|
01:44:00
|
APP
|
Estimate Sarek
|
01:44:03
|
7412
|
We checked Sarek at 41
|
01:44:08
|
APP
|
Allied
7412, Roger, maintain flight level 260 in co-ordination with Calcutta Cleared
to PPT ILS DME ARC approach runway 25 transition level, flight level
55. Met. Report Patna 0120 wind calm, visibility 4000 meters, weather haze,
cloud broken 25000 feet , temperature 29, dew point 27, QNH 996 HPa, No sig.
|
01:44:37
|
7412
|
996 copied
|
01:44:40
|
APP
|
QNH correct
|
01:44:50
|
Intra
|
Lot of
moisture around
|
01:47:14
|
APP
|
Allied
7412 .
|
01:47:16
|
7412
|
Go
ahead.
|
01:47:19
|
APP
|
Report
for descent. Please check up descent traffic with Calcutta control.
|
01:47:23
|
7412
|
Calcutta
reported negative.
|
01:47:57
|
Intra
|
(Approach
briefing) DME ARC approach
|
01:48:02
|
Intra
|
Approach
briefing
|
01:48:46
|
7412
|
Calcutta
7412 requesting descent clearance
|
01:48:55
|
APP
|
Roger
7412, Patna confirm negative traffic with Calcutta
|
01:48:59
|
7412
|
Say
again
|
01:49:02
|
APP
|
Confirm
negative traffic with Calcutta
|
01:49:03
|
7412
|
Affirm
Sir
|
01:49:06
|
APP
|
Roger Sir, descent to flight
level 75. Report 25 miles.
|
01:49:09
|
7412
|
75, call you 25 miles.
|
01:49:31
|
Intra
|
Approach
briefing ---- pressurization set for landing at Patna--- etc. Go around
EPR set. Approach briefing completed --- Descend checks completed.
|
01:49:43
|
Intra
|
(Mike head set disturbance
sound)
|
01:49:48
|
Intra
|
Set (disturbance sound)
|
01:53:08
|
Intra
|
(Mike head set disturbance
sound)
|
01:53:36
|
Intra
|
News paper hai (in
Hindi)
|
01:53:39
|
Intra
|
Chahiye (in Hindi)
|
01:56:06
|
Intra
|
25 miles
|
01:56:09
|
7412
|
25 miles 7412
|
01:56:15
|
APP
|
---- 7412 Roger, descend to
4000 feet. QNH 996 HPa, transition level, flight level 55. Report 13 DME for
ILS-DME ARC approach runway 25.
|
01:56:23
|
7412
|
4000, 996 HPa. Call you
commencing the ARC.
|
01:56:54
|
APP
|
Allied 7412, latest QNH 997 Hpa
|
01:56:58
|
7412
|
997 copied
|
01:57:00
|
APP
|
QNH correct
|
01:57:41
|
Intra
|
(whistling) Passing 55, 997
|
01:57:44
|
Intra
|
Set
|
01:58:00
|
Intra
|
13 miles, joining the Arc
|
01:58:02
|
7412
|
Commencing the Arc 7412. Call
you established localiser
|
01:58:10
|
APP
|
Descend to 2000 feet QNH 997.
Report crossing lead radial 080 PPT
|
01:58:20
|
7412
|
Will do
|
01:58:49
|
Intra
|
Cabin crew
|
01:58:52
|
Intra
|
At your station please
|
01:59:40
|
Intra
|
Flaps 1
|
01:59:41
|
Intra
|
Speed good. Flaps 1 selected.
Moving
|
01:59:42
|
Intra
|
(Landing gear unsafe warning
horn)
|
01:59:57
|
Intra
|
Flaps 5
|
02:00:02
|
Intra
|
Gear down
|
02:00:34
|
Intra
|
Gear down
|
02:00:36
|
Intra
|
(Gear coming down sound)
|
02:00:38
|
Intra
|
Flaps 15
|
02:00:40
|
Intra
|
Landing checklist. Start
switches. Low ignition. Recall. Checked. Altimeter. Checked, 997 set. Speed
brakes. Armed green. Landing gear. Down three green. Flaps 15 on gauge.
|
02:01:26
|
7412
|
412 crossing lead radial and
coming up on localizer
|
02:01:31
|
APP
|
Descend to 1700 feet, QNH 997
HPa. Report establishing localizer.
|
02:01:38
|
7412
|
Will do
|
02:01:42
|
Intra
|
Flaps 40
|
02:02:24
|
Intra
|
Horn (altitude alert)
|
02:02:25
|
Intra
|
Left hand down ---
|
02:02:26
|
7412
|
Patna Allied 7412
|
02:02:27
|
APP
|
Flight 7412 Patna
|
02:02:30
|
7412
|
I would like to do one 360 due
to high on approach Sir
|
02:02:36
|
APP
|
Confirm aerodrome in sight.
|
02:02:38
|
7412
|
Affirm. Sir affirm. Field in
sight.
|
02:02:40
|
APP
|
Roger, report final Runway 25
after carrying out 360.
|
02:02:45
|
7412
|
Roger
|
02:02:51
|
Intra
|
Stall warning stick shaker
sound (continued till the end of the tape)
|
02:02:54
|
Intra
|
Gear oopar lelo (in Hindi).
|
02:02:56
|
Intra
|
(Gear unsafe warning)
|
02:02:58
|
Intra
|
GPWS pull up warning
|
02:03:58
|
Intra
|
Nooooo..........
Loud voice.
|
02:03:01
|
Intra
|
Crash
(click sound)
|
BRITISH AIRWAYS FLIGHT 38
