2000 – Crossair Flight 498 crashes in Niederhasil, Switzerland, killing all 10 aboard. The Saab 340 (registered HB-AKK) lost control about 10 minutes after departure for reasons unknown, though it is speculated that cellphone interference may have been involved.
A Sikorsky H5, similar to the R5 that set an altitude record in 1946.
1992 – With corporate raider Carl Icahn at the helm, TWA files for bankruptcy for the first time.
1984 – A Balkan Bulgarian Tupolev Tu-134 (registered LZ-TUR) crashes while flying from Berlin to Sofia, Bulgaria. The aircraft struck power lines after descending below the decision altitude.
1982 – A Gulfstream III named the “Spirit of America” completes the fastest business jet flight around the world in 43 hours and 39 minutes.
1962 – A B-52 Stratofortress sets a new distance record of 12,532 miles on a flight from Okinawa to Madrid.
1954 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland DH-106 Comet registered G-ALYP, crashes into the Mediterranean Sea, killing all 35 on-board. The aircraft suffered explosive decompression while flying from Rome, Italy to London, England due to premature metal fatigue.
1946 – A Sikorsky R5 sets an unofficial altitude record for a helicopter of 21,000 ft.
1938 – Northwest Airlines Flight 2 crashes near Bozeman, Montana, killing all 10 onboard. The Lockheed 14H Super Electra (registered NC-117388) went down after the horizontal and vertical stabilizers separated from the aircraft, probably due to excessive turbulence. It was also determined that Lockheed’s initial vibration tests on the aircraft were not performed properly, and all Super Electras were grounded until a fix was made.
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