Around the world, there have been a number of aircraft accidents relating to age. One of the most significant of these accidents was Aloha flight 243. On 28 April 1988, the Boeing 737-200 aircraft sustained an explosive decompression. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had been in service for 19 years and had accumulated a high number of flight cycles1. The combination of fatigue and corrosion affected the fuselage skin and led to the failure of the structure.
In addition to the Aloha flight 243 accident, there have been a number of other accidents and incidents related to ageing aircraft. One such age related accident occurred on 12 April 1989, when the rudder of a British Airways Concorde aircraft, registration G-BOAF, fractured and separated in flight. The rudder separation occurred due to ageing of the composite structure. Another accident attributed to ageing was TWA flight 800, on 17 July 1996, where deterioration of the wiring in the wing centre section led to the fuel tank explosion. More recently in 2000 and 2001, Ansett Australia grounded their Boeing 767 aircraft fleet due to structural cracks found in the engine pylons and empennage. These accidents and incidents have highlighted the safety implications resulting from aircraft ageing and have demonstrated the importance of effective continuing airworthiness programmes.
