Structural Failure May Have Caused Blast on Jet

A structural failure rather than an explosive device may have caused the blast that ripped open the roof of an Aloha Airlines jet, injuring 60 people and apparently sucking a flight attendant out of the cabin to her death, sources said today.

The Boeing 737, which was cruising at 24,000 feet on an island hop from Hilo to Honolulu, made a safe emergency landing at Kahului airport Thursday, after flying for about 15 minutes with 20 feet of its upper fuselage--just behind the front passenger door--torn away to the floor level. One of the plane’s two engines was on fire.

A Coast Guard cutter and helicopter were searching the waters of the Pacific Ocean south and southeast of Maui for “anything associated with the explosion of Flight 243,” spokesman Brad Nelson said.

Searchers had been unable to locate the missing flight attendant, Clarabelle B. Lansing of Honolulu, a 37-year veteran with the airline, or any debris from the plane, Nelson said.

Sucked Out by Decompression

Aloha officials said they believe that Lansing was sucked out of the plane when it rapidly decompressed after the explosion.

Passengers held onto another flight attendant so she would not be sucked out of the open plane, said passenger Dan Dennin, a Honolulu salesman.

Thirteen of the injured were still confined at Maui Memorial Hospital today. Two were in critical condition, two in serious condition and the others in stable condition, according to Aloha spokesman Stephanie Ackerman.

Sources in Washington, who spoke on condition that they not be identified, said federal investigators are focusing most heavily on a possible structural failure that may have been caused by a rapid decompression. They said the force of strong wind at 24,000 feet may then have ripped away the huge section of fuselage.

Pilot Praised

The sources said it is unlikely that a bomb or other explosive device could have caused the accident.

George Harvey, Federal Aviation Administration area coordinator for Honolulu, said he could not confirm whether investigators suspect that a structural failure caused the fuselage to tear away from the airplane.

The plane was carrying 89 passengers, five crew members and an air traffic controller aboard when the explosion occurred about 1:45 p.m. local time. The plane, traveling about 345 m.p.h., was 25 miles southeast of Maui.

Passengers praised the pilot, Capt. Robert L. Schornstheimer, a 12-year veteran of the airline, for a remarkable job in making a safe landing.

“He brought that plane down so smoothly,” said passenger John Lopez, 40, of Hilo. “It was just like riding in a Cadillac.”