From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1996:

Events

February

• February 6 - Turkish charter company Birgenair Flight 301 crashes in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic after takeoff. 189 people died.
• February 29 - WestJet, a Canadian airline, began operations.
• the T-6 Texan II 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 Fokker aircraft manufacturer is declared bankrupt.
• March 21 - Tupolev and NASA begin joint research into civil supersonic transports using a refurbished Tupolev Tu-144

April

• April 12 - Seven year old pilot Jessica Dubroff dies during attempt to set record as the youngest person to fly across the United States.

May

• May 11 - Valujet Flight 592 crashes in the Florida Everglades.

June

• June 9 - the Swedish Air Force opens a new pilot training centre at Såtenäs

July

• July 13 - A Garuda Indonesia Airways DC-10 crashes on take-off from Fukuoka Airport, Japan, killing 3.

• July 17 - TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747 with 230 people aboard, explodes off the coast of New York.

August

• August 29 - Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashes into a mountain on Spitsbergen killing 141 people.

October

• October 2 - Aeroperu Flight 603, a Boeing 757 with 70 people aboard, crashes into the Pacific Ocean, near Pasamayo, Peru.
• October 8 - three B-2 Spirits destroy 16 targets with 16 smart bombs at the Nellis AFB range.

November

• November 12 - A Saudi Airlines Boeing 747 collides with a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin IL-76, killing 349 people.
• November 23 - Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 crashes in Comoros after it got hijacked on air, killing 125 people.

December

• December 15 - the merger of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing is announced
• December 24 - The 1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash which led to a 3-year search for the missing aircraft, and legislation requiring stricter ELT standards.

First flights

• Boeing Bird of Prey

January

• January 4 - RAH-66 Comanche

February

• February 29 - Cessna Citation Excel

March

• March 16 - MiG-AT
• March 21 - Tupolev TU-214
• March 29 - RQ-3 Dark Star

April

• April 4 - Extra 400
• April 5 - Lockheed C-130J
• April 25 - Yakovlev Yak/AEM-130

May

• May 1 - NASA ERAST ALTUS II
• May 22 - Airbus A319

June

• June 19 - Scaled Composites Boomerang

August

• August 6 - Kawasaki OH-1

September

• September 30 - Aero L-59 Super Albatros

October

• Kawada Robocopter
• October 29 - PZL SW-4 helicopter

November

• November 29 - Tupolev TU-144LL

Entered service

June

• Saab JAS-39A Gripen

Retirements

May

• May 30 - Mirage IV-P Bombers of the Armée de l'Air are retired.

July

• July 27 - the final General Dynamics F-111F attack aircraft are withdrawn from USAF service; on its retirement, the aircraft finally receives an official popular name: "Aardvark."

October

• October 17 - The last airworthy Vickers Vanguard, G-APEP, makes the type's last flight.

December

• December 19 - The US Navy retires it's Grumman A-6 Intruders.