On April 28, 1988, a seemingly routine, 35-minute flight from
Hilo to Honolulu turned into terror when an 18-foot-long
section of the upper fuselage suddenly tears off Aloha
Airlines Flight 243.

The explosive decompression and roof loss sweep flight
attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing off the Boeing 737,
sending freezing winds of hurricane force through the
cabin, leaving passengers in the first five rows of the
plane completely exposed to the sky.

Miraculously, Captain Robert Schornstheimer landed the
plane in Maui with no further deaths.

The bizarre incident happened about 20 minutes into the
flight from Hilo International Airport to Honolulu, at 24,000
feet with 95 passengers and crew members on board.

Captain Robert Schornstheimer       
      
      
         
       

The steamboat Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near
Memphis, killing 1,700 passengers including many discharged
Union soldiers. The accident is still considered the largest
maritime disaster in U.S. history in terms of lives lost.

The Sultana was launched from Cincinnati in 1863. The boat
was 260 feet long and had an authorized capacity of 376
passengers and crew.

        
On April 25, 1865, the Sultana left New Orleans with 100
passengers. It stopped at Vicksburg, Mississippi, for repair
of a leaky boiler.

R. G. Taylor, the boilermaker on the ship, advised Captain J.
Cass Mason that two sheets on the boiler had to be replaced,
but Mason ordered Taylor to simply patch the plates until the
ship reached St. Louis.

   
    
    
   

The only known photograph of the Sultana taken on the last
day of its fateful voyage in Helena, Arkansas on April 27,
1865.

Model of Sultana by artist & Lincoln Shrine docent Ken Jolly.

                          
ED DANAHUE

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989)

(FOX NEWS) – "Knots Landing" actress Lar Park Lincoln has
died.

Her daughter, Piper Lincoln, confirmed to Fox News Digital
that her mother lost her battle with breast cancer on Tuesday.

Piper shared that the elder Lincoln was surrounded by loved
ones at the time of her death and will always be remembered
as a "great mother and a great actress."

Her dedication to the craft extended to her writing. In 2008,
she wrote the book "Get Started, Not Scammed," as she
offered guidance to actors looking to break into the
entertainment industry.

The primetime television soap opera aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993.

                 
SANDY KOZEL

HANK AARON HIT HIS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN   

On April 23, 1954, Hank Aaron knocked out the first home
run of his Major League Baseball career. Twenty years
later, Aaron become baseball’s new home run king when
he broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing record of 714 career
homers.