On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737-200 interisland flight from Hilo Airport to Honolulu International Airport carrying 89 passengers and six crew members experienced explosive decompression when an 18-foot section of the fuselage roof and sides were torn from the aircraft. A flight attendant was sucked out of the aircraft and died. Several passengers sustained life-threatening injuries including massive head wounds. The aircraft declared an emergency and landed at Kahului Airport. Noise created by the rush of air rendered vocal communication useless, and the pilots had to use hand signals during landing.