the DC980 incident/accident at edwards is interesting...an FAA pilot flying the plane exceeded design limits on touchdown.
the aloha was within limits but failed.
and you don't see the same failure mode in the douglas ...take a close look at the fuselage of the douglas and see the ''finger laps'' used...no such construction on the 737
The pertinent issue is not whether Boeing or Douglas products are stronger. What is pertinent to this thread is that both of these incidents were big news makers in their time that resulted in improvements, and are now forgotten by the traveling public. That will be the result of the current 787 hoopla.
The DC9-80 test flight touched down with a sink rate of 12 FPS. While this was a bit faster than intended, the resulting breakup was far worse than anticipated. Being unacceptable later production incorporated improvements.
The Aloha 737 flight had an in-flight failure of the upper lobe of the monocoque from the aft edge of the entry door to the leading edge of the wing. Newspapers published shocking pictures taken on approach showing the passengers sitting in seats while totally exposed from the floor and above. The crew managed a normal landing with only the fuselage structure below the cabin floor remaining to keep the cockpit, and forward seated passengers in place. This was not a structural design problem. It was an aging aircraft maintenance issue that became a new industry wide program that changed how such aircraft are maintained.