The Nation - News from July 13, 1988

Aloha Airlines inspectors confirmed that they found evidence of corrosion in several of their Boeing 737 jetliners years before the April 28 accident in which the top of an Aloha jet ripped off over Hawaii. In one case, a 7 1/2-inch crack was found on a sister ship in the same section of fuselage that ripped away in April. Henry Arii, Aloha vice president for quality control and engineering, said the crack was found during a routine inspection. Aloha officials blamed the crack on corrosion and said it was repaired. Arii spoke during the first of four days of hearings the National Transportation Safety Board is holding in Seattle on the safety and maintenance of aging jets.