1996 in aviation
Encyclopedia
This is a list of aviation
-related events from 1996:
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
-related events from 1996:
February
- February 6 – TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
charter company BirgenairBirgenairBirgenair was a Turkish charter airline company established in 1988 with headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey.-History:Owned by the Turkish businessman Mehmet Birgen, Birgenair operated charter flights from Western Europe to several Turkish holiday destinations, initially with DC-8 aircraft...
Flight 301Birgenair Flight 301Birgenair Flight 301 was a flight chartered by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales from Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to Frankfurt, Germany via Gander, Canada and Berlin, Germany...
crashes in Puerto Plata, Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
after takeoff. 189 people died. - February 29 – WestJetWestJetWestJet Airlines Ltd. is a Canadian low-cost carrier that provides scheduled and charter air service to 71 destinations in Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Founded in 1996, WestJet is currently the second largest Canadian air carrier, behind Air Canada, operating an average of...
, a Canadian airline, began operations. - the T-6 Texan IIT-6 Texan IIThe Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engined turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company . Based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 is used by the United States Air Force for basic pilot training and by the United States Navy for Primary and Intermediate Joint Naval Flight Officer and...
is selected as the new primary trainer for the United States armed forces. - Hildegarde Ferrera becomes the oldest person to parachute out of a plane, at 99 years old.
March
- March 15 – The FokkerFokkerFokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
manufacturer is declared bankrupt. - March 21 – TupolevTupolevTupolev is a Russian aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Basmanny District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow. Known officially as Public Stock Company Tupolev, it is the successor of the Tupolev OKB or Tupolev Design Bureau headed by the Soviet aerospace engineer A.N. Tupolev...
and NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
begin joint research into civil supersonic transports using a refurbished Tupolev Tu-144Tupolev Tu-144The Tupolev Tu-144 was a Soviet supersonic transport aircraft and remains one of only two SSTs to enter commercial service, the other being the Concorde...
April
- April 11 – Seven year old pilot Jessica DubroffJessica DubroffJessica Whitney Dubroff was a seven-year-old pilot trainee who died attempting to become the youngest person to fly an airplane across the United States...
dies during attempt to set record as the youngest person to fly across the United States.
May
- May 11 – A fire breaks out in the cargo hold of Valujet Flight 592ValuJet Flight 592ValuJet Flight 592 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, and William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia...
, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32McDonnell Douglas DC-9The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
, a few minutes after takeoff from Miami International AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
in MiamiMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The aircraft crashes in the EvergladesEvergladesThe Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
, striking the ground at a speed of over 500 mph (800 km/hr) and killing all 110 people on board. Among the dead are American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player Rodney Culver and songwriter and musician Walter HyattWalter HyattWalter Hyatt American singer and songwriter. His band, known as Uncle Walt's Band, was involved in the alternative music scene in Austin, Texas, from its inception and is credited by many with being the Godfather of Americana Music or the Original Americana Artist, never easily pegged into any one...
.
June
- June 9 – The Swedish Air ForceSwedish Air ForceThe Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
opens a new pilot training centre at Såtenäs - June 13 – The pilots of Garuda Indonesia Flight 865Garuda Indonesia Flight 865Garuda Indonesia Flight 865 was a scheduled international flight from Fukuoka, Japan, to Jakarta, Indonesia. On June 13, 1996, the crew of the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, attempted to abort take-off after reaching a speed above V1. It happened because when the aircraft reached rotate...
, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30McDonnell Douglas DC-10The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
with 275 people on board, abort their takeoff from Fukuoka AirportFukuoka Airport, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
in FukuokaFukuokaFukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, after the fan blade in engine number three separates. The aircraft catches fire, killing three people.
July
- July 6 – Delta Air Lines Flight 1288Delta Air Lines Flight 1288Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 was a regularly scheduled flight from Pensacola, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia on a McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engines...
, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, experiences an uncontained catastrophic turbine engine failureTurbine engine failureA turbine engine failure refers to an incident wherein a turbine engine in an aircraft unexpectedly stops producing power because of a part malfunction, in the absence of circumstances such as fuel exhaustion.-Nature of failures:...
during its takeoff roll at Pensacola Regional AirportPensacola Regional AirportPensacola International Airport is a public airport located within the city of Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida.- Facilities :Pensacola International Airport covers and has two runways:...
in Escambia CountyEscambia County, FloridaEscambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The failure causes debris from the front compressor hub of the left engine to enter the passenger compartment, killing two passengers and injuring five others, two of them seriously. The pilot aborts the takeoff. - July 13 – A Garuda Indonesia Airways DC-10 crashes on take-off from Fukuoka AirportFukuoka Airport, formerly known as Itazuke Air Base, is an international and domestic airport located east of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. It is officially designated a second class airport. It is operating at full capacity, and cannot be further expanded. Flights stop at 10 p.m...
, Japan, killing 3. - July 17 – Trans World Airlines Flight 800TWA Flight 800Trans World Airlines Flight 800 , a Boeing 747-131, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 20:31 EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff, killing all 230 persons on board. At the time, it was the second-deadliest U.S...
, a Boeing 747-131Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, explodes over the Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
near East MorichesEast Moriches, New YorkEast Moriches is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 4,550 at the 2000 census.East Moriches is in the Town of Brookhaven....
, Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, apparently due to a short circuit and ignition of fuel-air vapor in a fuel tank. All 230 people on board die.
August
- August 29 – Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 was an international charter flight that, on 29 August 1996 at 10:22:23 Central European Summer Time, crashed in Operafjellet, Svalbard, Norway. All 141 people aboard the Tupolev Tu-154M were killed during the approach to Svalbard Airport, Longyear, making it the...
crashes into a mountain on SpitsbergenSpitsbergenSpitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
killing 141 people.
October
- October 2 – Aeroperu Flight 603AeroPeru Flight 603Aeroperú Flight 603 was a scheduled flight from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru , to Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile , which crashed on October 2, 1996....
, a Boeing 757Boeing 757The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
with 70 people aboard, crashes into the Pacific Ocean, near Pasamayo, PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. - October 8 – three B-2 SpiritB-2 SpiritThe Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
s destroy 16 targets with 16 smart bombPrecision-guided munitionA precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
s at the Nellis AFBNellis Air Force BaseNellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Combat Command .-Overview:...
range. - October 22 – Million Air Flight 406, a Boeing 707-323C with 4 people aboard, crashes into a Dolorosa neighborhood ripping off rooftops and crashing in flames into a restaurant, killing the 4 aboard, 30 in the neighborhood and injuring 50 EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. - October 31 – TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402 was a Fokker 100 airliner, operating as a scheduled domestic flight from Congonhas/São Paulo International Airport in São Paulo, Brazil to Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro on October 31, 1996, which crashed shortly after take-off, killing a total...
, a Fokker 100 with 96 people aboard, crashes into a São Paulo neighborhood killing all 96 people aboard and 3 on the ground.
November
- November 12 – A Saudi Airlines Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
collides with a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin IL-76Ilyushin Il-76The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose four-engined strategic airlifter designed by Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a commercial freighter in 1967. Intended as a replacement for the Antonov An-12, the Il-76 was designed for delivering heavy machinery to remote, poorly-serviced areas...
, killing 349 people. - November 23 – Three EthiopianEthiopian peopleEthiopian people or Ethnic Ethiopians are an ethnic group found in the horn of African country of Ethiopia.-Origins:Ethnic Ethiopians are one of the nearly 80 ethnic groups of the horn of Africa country and are found in every regional state of Ethiopia...
men seeking political asylumRight of asylumRight of asylum is an ancient juridical notion, under which a person persecuted for political opinions or religious beliefs in his or her own country may be protected by another sovereign authority, a foreign country, or church sanctuaries...
in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
hijackAircraft hijackingAircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, a Boeing 767-260ER, was hijacked on , en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on a Bombay–Addis Ababa–Nairobi–Brazzaville–Lagos–Abidjan service, by three Ethiopians seeking political asylum in Australia. The plane crash-landed in the Indian Ocean near Comoros due to fuel...
, a Boeing 767-260-ERBoeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
with 172 other people on board. Not believing the flight crews assertion that the plane lacked enough fuel to fly to Australia, they force it to remain in the air until it runs of out of fuel and ditchesWater landingA water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
in the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
500 yards (457 m) off Grande ComoreGrande ComoreGrande Comore is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population as of 2006 is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, which is also the national capital...
island near MitsamiouliMitsamiouliMitsamiouli is a city located on the island of Grande Comore in the Comoros.On 23 November 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 made a crash-landing in the shallow waters 500 meters off shore from Le Galawa Beach Hotel in Mitsamiouli...
in the ComorosComorosThe Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
. The hijackers are among the 125 people killed; all 50 survivors are injured.
December
- December 15 – the merger of McDonnell DouglasMcDonnell DouglasMcDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
and BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
is announced - December 24 – The 1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash1996 New Hampshire Learjet crashThe 1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash involved a Learjet 35A which disappeared on Christmas Eve 1996 near Dorchester, New Hampshire. The crash created the longest missing aircraft search in the state's history, lasting almost three years...
which led to a 3-year search for the missing aircraft, and legislation requiring stricter ELTEmergency Position-Indicating Radio BeaconDistress radio beacons, also known as emergency beacons, ELT or EPIRB, are tracking transmitters which aid in the detection and location of boats, aircraft, and people in distress. Strictly, they are radiobeacons that interface with worldwide offered service of Cospas-Sarsat, the international...
standards.
April
- April 4 – Extra 400
- April 5 – Lockheed C-130J
- April 25 – Yakovlev Yak/AEM-130Yakovlev Yak-130The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft or lead-in fighter trainer developed by the Yakovlev design bureau. Development of the plane began in 1991, and the maiden flight was conducted on 26 April 1996...
May
- May 1 – NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
ERASTERAST ProjectThe Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST program was a NASA program to develop cost-effective, slow-flying unmanned aerial vehicles that can perform long-duration science missions at altitudes above 60,000 feet. The project included a number of different technology...
ALTUS IIGeneral Atomics ALTUS- External links :* * *... - May 22 – Airbus A319
July
- July 27 – the final General Dynamics F-111FGeneral Dynamics F-111The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" was a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the...
attack aircraft are withdrawn from USAF service; on its retirement, the aircraft finally receives an official popular name: "AardvarkAardvarkThe aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
."
October
- October 17 – The last airworthy Vickers VanguardVickers VanguardThe Vickers Type 950 Vanguard was a British short/medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1959 by Vickers-Armstrongs, a development of their successful Viscount design with considerably more internal room. The Vanguard was introduced just before the first of the large jet-powered airliners,...
, G-APEP, makes the type's last flight.