1996 in aviation

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 11 - 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 after a fire breaks out in the cargo hold. None of the 110 people on board survived.

June

June 9 - the Swedish Air Force opens a new pilot training centre at Sx¥tenx¤s

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.
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 Ecuador.

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 the Grumman A-6 Intruder.

1996 in Aviation Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia