Portal:Aviation/Anniversaries/April 7

April 7

• 2013 – Widespread Syrian airstrikes against rebel forces in seven cities and regions kill at least 20 people.

• 2011 – Unaware that Libyan rebels had taken possession of any tanks, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aircraft mistakenly strike a Libyan rebel tank convoy near Ajdabiya, killing thirteen and wounding many, Other NATO airstrikes mistakenly kill two rebels and wound 10 in Brega.

• 2010 – United Airlines Flight 663 incident was a "minor international incident" in 2010 involving a Qatari diplomat on the leg of a United Airlines flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Washington, DC) to Denver International Airport (Denver, Colorado). The diplomat prompted a mid-air terrorism alert after smoking in the airplane lavatory, which led the Qatari government to recall him two days later.

• 2009 – A Philippine Air Force Bell 412 helicopter crashes in bad weather in a heavily forested area at Mount Mangingihe, Sitio Tawangan, Kabayan, Benguet, Philippines. The helicopter was travelling from Loakan Airport to Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon when it crashed killing the 3 crew and 5 government officials.

• 2006 – First Fight: First free-flight of Boeing X-37

• 2004 – OH-58D Kiowa crashes near Baquba after being hit by ground fire; pilots rescued.

• 2003 – F-15E 88-1694/SJ of 4th FW/335th FS crashed on a combat bombing mission near Tikrit, Iraq. Both the pilot and Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) were killed.

• 2001 – The robotic spacecraft Odyssey launches on its mission to orbit Mars, arriving at the planet the following October. The craft later collects data that would guess water to be on the plant. This is later confirmed by the Phoenix lander in July of 2008.

• 1999 – A Boeing KC-135R-BN Stratotanker, 57-1478, c/n 17549, of the 151st Air Refueling Squadron, Tennessee Air National Guard, is written off while undergoing maintenance at the Oklahoma ALC, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, when the cabin is over-pressurized during a test and ruptures, tearing a 35 foot (10.6 m) hole in the aft fuselage, allowing tail section to drop to the ground.

• 1994 – TAAG Angola L-100 (C-130) D2-THC catches fire while taxiing to a parking spot due to overheated brakes in Malengue, Angola. All 4 occupants escaped unharmed.

• 1994 – Federal Express Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, experiences an attempted hijacking by a FedEx employee; the three crew members are severely injured, but manage to subdue the attacker and land the aircraft safely with no loss of life.

• 1992 – Azerbaijan Airlines were established.

• 1983 – STS-6, using space Shuttle Challenger, launches. The mission is the first perform to a spacewalk.

• 1972 – Both CF Bomarc SAM Squadrons closed.

• 1972 – American aircraft resume regular bombing of North Vietnam in response to the North Vietnamese "Easter Offensive" invasion of South Vietnam.

• 1969 – Mitsubishi-assembled, from Sikorsky components, Sikorsky HSS-1N Seabat, 8567, c/n 58-1528, of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, crashes this date, the sole loss of the type during Japanese service.

• 1967 – (7-22) The U. S. Army's first Cavalry Division (Airmobile) conducts Operation Lejeune, a helicopter and ground assault against Viet Cong forces in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam.

• 1967 – First flight of the Aérospatiale Gazelle.

• 1961 – Boeing B-52B-30-BO Stratofortress, 53-0380, c/n 16859, "Ciudad Juarez", of the 95th Bomb Wing, Biggs AFB, Texas, shot down by inadvertent launch of AIM-9 Sidewinder from a 188th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, New Mexico ANG North American F-100A-20-NA Super Sabre, 53-1662. Two F-100s, piloted by 1st Lt. James W. van Sycoc and Capt. Dale Dodd, had made five passes at the bomber when, on the sixth pass, pilot 1st Lt. van Sycoc radioed "Look out! One of my missiles is loose!" The heat-seeker missile struck one of the BUFF's engine pods on the port wing causing failure of the wing structure, and subsequent break-up of the bomber. Pilot, co-pilot, crew chief and tail gunner successfully eject, but three other crew are KWF when the B-52 crashed on Mount Taylor, New Mexico.

• 1961 – Moisture condensing in a connector plug causes a GAR-8 Sidewinder air-to-air missile carried by a New Mexico Air National Guard F-100A Super Sabre of the 188th Fighter Interceptor Squadron to fire accidentally while the F-100A is practicing bomber interception tactics against the U.S. Air Force B-52B Stratofortress Ciudad Juarez of the Strategic Air Command's 95th Bombardment Wing. The missile blows off the B-52B's port wing, and the bomber crashes on Mount Taylor in New Mexico, killing three members of its crew.

• 1958 – AREA Ecuador Flight 222, a Douglas C-47 (DC-3) registered HC-ACL, crashes into a Chugchilan range of mountains after not maintaining the proper heading, resulting the fatalities of all 32 aboard.

• 1957 – A Varig Curtiss C-46 Commando (PP-VCF) crashes shortly after takeoff due to a fire in the left main gear wheel well. The pilot thought it was one of the engines, and shut it down unnecessarily. A go-around during a landing attempt when the gear doesn’t drop (due to the fire), allows more time for the fire to spread, leading to the left wing separating from the aircraft after the metal fatigue. All 40 aboard the aircraft perish.

• 1956 – USAF Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II, 52-1078, c/n 43987, of the 1501st Air Transport Wing, crashes just after takeoff from Travis AFB, California, killing three of the seven crew on board. Aircraft stalled at 100 feet, dropped one wing and plunged to the ground just SW of the base. Airframe splits into three sections, burns. The cause is attributed to incorrect assembly of the elevator and aileron control cables.

• 1950 – ASole prototype, Nord NC 1080 single-engine naval fighter, F-WFKZ, first flown 29 July 1949, is completely destroyed in a flight accident. Pilot Pierre Gallay dies in the accident. Cause is never determined and the project is abandoned.

• 1948 – The Royal Canadian Navy’s aircraft carrier, HMCS Magnificent, was commissioned to replace HMCS Warrior.

• 1945 – Accompanying B-29 Superfortresses, P-51 Mustangs of the U. S. Army Air Forces’ 15th, 21st, and 506th Fighter Groups based on Iwo Jima become the first Allied fighters to escort bombers all the way to Tokyo, Japan, and back. The escort flights last seven to eight hours. Fifty-four B-29 s land on Iwo Jima during the day.

• 1945 – 386 carrier aircraft of Task Force 58 attack an Imperial Japanese Navy task force bound for Okinawa while it is steaming in the East China Sea, sinking the battleship Yamato, the light cruiser Yahagi, and four of their eight escorting destroyers. It ends the last offensive sortie by Japanese surface ships of World War II.

• 1945 – The P-51 s flew for their first mission to Japan. They were escorted by the B-29.

• 1941 – Entered Service: Douglas Havoc night fighter with No. 85 Squadron, Royal Air Force

• 1940 – Entered Service: Amiot 354

• 1936 – TWA Flight 1, a Douglas DC-2, crashes near Uniontown, Pennsylvania due to pilot error, killing 12 of the 14 passengers and crew aboard.

• 1924 – Portuguese Commander Brito Pais and Captain Sarmento de Beires depart Lisbon eastbound in the Breguet 16.Bn2 Patria, beginning an attempt to fly around the world. They will crash Patria in India, but will continue in the de Havilland DH.9 A Patria II before being forced to end their attempt in June in Macau.

• 1922 – A Daimler Airways de Havilland DH.18 collides with a Cie des Cgrands Express Aériens Farman Goliath over France. A total of seven people – Everyone aboard the two aircraft – Is killed in the first mid-air collision of two airliners.

• 1922 – In the first mid-air collision of airliners, a Daimler Hire Ltd.-operated de Havilland DH.18 A, G-EAWO, collides with a Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens (CGEA)-operated Farman F.60 Goliath, F-GEAD, over the Thieulloy-St. Antoine road near Picardie, France, killing all seven people on both aircraft; the pilots of both machines were using the road as a route marker in bad weather and poor visibility

• 1922 – The United States’ Corps Observation Group makes its first patrol, becoming the first American aviation unit to enter action in Europe.

• 1908 – The members of the Aerial Experiment Association enter a competition sponsored by the Scientific American, which has offered $25,000 for a flight of over 0.62 miles. The Wrights refuse to enter because the rules state the airplane must take off without help.

• 1906 – Charles Rolls, in his new balloon, races Frank Hedges Butler and friends aboard the Aero Club III. Rolls outdistances his opponents, who come down at Wimbledon, while he lands at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.