Above was the result when Aloha Airlines Flight 243 allowed one single tiny crack in their fuselage to go unnoticed and/or untended in 1988. The damage occurred midair. Miraculously the pilots were able to land the plane before it completely disintegrated. One person died — a stewardess named C.B. Lansing — who got sucked out of the plane along with the beverage cart. RECENTLY Southwest Airlines was heavily fined for their shoddy practice in regards to inspecting their fleet for “fuselage fatigue” cracks. The FAA found cracks in the fuselages of six of Southwest’s jets. Today it was reported that Southwest agreed to pay $7.5 million in FAA fines (and $3.5 million to investors), but the airline still insists they did nothing wrong.
