This is a list of

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot a ...

-related events from 1987:

Events

Lauda Air Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH, branded as Lauda Air, was an Austrian airline headquartered at Vienna International Airport in Schwechat. It was owned by Niki Lauda (1949–2019) during much of its existence, later becoming a charter airline subsidi ...

begins scheduled service.

January

* During January and February, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

conducts proof-of-concept tests of Pioneer (later

RQ-2 Pioneer The AAI RQ-2 Pioneer is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that had been used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Army, and deployed at sea and on land from 1986 until 2007. Initially tested aboard USS ''Iowa'', the RQ-2 Pioneer was placed ...

)

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

s aboard the battleship in the Caribbean to see if they can spot effectively for naval gunfire. Although four of the five Pioneers are lost during the tests, they demonstrate their ability to detect targets for ''Iowa''s 16-inch (406-mm) guns. * January 1 –

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

HH-65 Dolphin The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for medevac-capable search and rescue (SAR) and armed Airborne Use of Force missions. It is a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS ...

and

H-3 Sea King helicopters help rescue people trapped inside the Dupont Plaza hotel in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

after a fire breaks out there late on December 31, 1986. * January 3 – Varig Flight 797, a Boeing 707-379C, develops engine trouble after departing

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

, Ivory Coast. It crashes while attempting to return to the airport, killing 50 of the 51 people on board. * January 7 – French Air Force jets attack the

Libyan Air Force The Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية) is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,00 ...

base in Ouadi Doum to avenge a raid by

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

against the French military three days before. * January 9 – In the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...

, an Iranian Hawk surface-to-air missile shoots down an

Iraqi Air Force The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...

MiG-25 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-25; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by th ...

( NATO reporting name "Foxbat").Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran–Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 256. * January 14 – Iranian Hawk missiles shoot down two Iraqi Air Force

Tupolev Tu-22 The Tupolev Tu-22 (NATO reporting name: Blinder) was the first supersonic bomber to enter production in the Soviet Union. Manufactured by Tupolev, the Tu-22 entered service with the Soviet military in the 1960s. The aircraft was a disappointm ...

(NATO reporting name "Badger") bombers. * January 15 **

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

claims to have shot down an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

in air-to-air combat.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 251. **Iraq claims its aircraft have flown over 500 combat missions in support of Iraqi ground forces since January 14. ** Since January 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against five ships in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and 30 economic and urban targets in Iran, while Iran has carried three airstrikes, all against economic and urban targets in Iraq.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 255. * January 22 – Iran claims to have shot down 57 Iraqi aircraft since January 1, while Iraq admits to the loss of 15. * January 28 – An Iranian Hawk missile shoots down an Iraqi

MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generati ...

(NATO reporting name "Flogger") flying at an altitude of 13,000 feet (3,962 meters) over the front lines at

Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...

, Iraq. * January 30 – Since January 15, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against two ships in the Persian Gulf and 18 economic and urban targets in Iran, while Iran has carried out 12 airstrikes, all against urban and economic targets in Iraq. * January 31 **During the month, Iraq has conducted over 200 long-range air and

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

strikes against 35 Iranian cities, including Qom, Nahawand,

Ramhormoz Ramhormoz ( fa, ) is the capital city of Ramhormoz County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. In ancient times it had been known as ''Samangan'', having been established by the Sassanid king Hormizd I, although an Elamite tomb has been found as well. T ...

, Isfahan, and

Dezful Dezful ( fa, دزفول, pronounced , Dezfuli dialect: Desfil, pronounced ) also Romanized as Dezfūl and Dezfool; also known as Dīzfūl and Ab I Diz is a city and capital of Dezful County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its popu ...

. Iran claims that the raids have killed over 3,000 civilians in a single week, but later revises this claim to say that the raids killed over 1,800 Iranians and injured over 6,200. Iran claims to have shot down 69 Iraqi aircraft during the month, while Iraq admits to the loss of no more than 38. ** During the month, Iran and Iraq have struck more targets in the Persian Gulf than in any other month of the Iran-Iraq War since it began in September 1980.

February

* During early and mid-February, the

conducts continual strikes against the 13 major cities in western

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and against

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. * During the month, a defecting Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

says in Mujahideen-e-Khalq-sponsored press conferences that only one-third of

s 65 F-4 Phantom IIs, a third of its attack helicopters, 30 to 40 of its C-130 Hercules, six to ten of its

s, and four of its

tanker aircraft This is a list of tanker aircraft used for aerial refuelling of another aircraft whilst in powered flight. Refueling methods ;Looped hose: The first commercial method employed a hose which was held slack in a trailing half-loop behind both air ...

remain operational; that only one or two or its pre-

total of six

P-3C Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

and identification-friend-or-foe problems, including a

Dassault Falcon The Dassault Falcon is a family of business jets, manufactured by Dassault Aviation. July 2017 saw the 2,500th Falcon delivered – a Falcon 900LX – since the first Falcon 20 was handed over to a customer in 1965. The fleet has accumula ...

jet transport shot down by a Hawk surface-to-air missile in early February; that Iran had too few technical experts to keep its remaining aircraft flying; and that 180 Iranian pilots had defected, many with their aircraft, and that Iranian pilots were briefed on their missions only an hour or so ahead of time so that they would not have time to plan defections. * February 1 – People Express Airlines and

New York Air New York Air was a low-cost U.S. airline owned by Texas Air Corporation and based at Hangar 5 at LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens, New York. It ceased operations on February 1, 1987, in a merger with Continental Airlines. New York Air ...

cease operations, and People Express, Frontier Airlines (which had ceased operations in August 1986), New York Air, and several commuter airlines merge into Continental Airlines. * February 9 – A single Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force plane drops bombs on

. * February 11 –

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

. * February 14 – Since January 1, Iraq has conducted 75 airstrikes against Iranian economic installations. * February 15 **Iraq claims to have lost three aircraft over Iranian cities since 14 February, at least of them to an Iranian surface-to-air missile. **Since February 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against four ships in the

and 27 economic and urban targets in

. * February 18 – The latest phase of major Iraqi airstrikes against Iranian cities and Iranian

strikes against Iraqi cities, which began on January 9, ends. Iran claims that Iraqi aircraft have struck 35 Iranian cities and towns, killing 3,000 Iranians and injuring 9,000. * * February 28 – Since February 16, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against five ships in the Persian Gulf and eight economic and urban targets in Iran

March

Grumman The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...

delivers the last of 712

Grumman F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after the ...

fighters produced to the

. Production has included 557 F-14A (of which 18 later were converted into F-14Ds), 38 F-14A+ (later redesignated F-14B), and 37 F-14D aircraft for the U.S. Navy and 80 F-14As for the

Imperial Iranian Air Force The history of the Iranian Air Force, currently known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, can be divided into two phases—before the Islamic Revolution, and after it. Imperial era The Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) was a branch ...

, of which 79 were delivered to

and one retained by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

after the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

. * March 5 – American race car driver Don Yenko is killed when the

Cessna 210 Centurion The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, retractable-gear, single-engined, high-wing general-aviation aircraft. First flown in January 1957, it was produced by Cessna until 1986. Design and development The early Cessn ...

he is piloting lands hard near Charleston,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, veers off the runway, hits a bank of dirt, falls into a ravine, and crashes. His three passengers also die. * March 10 – The

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

Boeing 747-121 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, to ...

''Clipper Ocean Pearl'', operating as Flight 125 with 245 people on board, experiences pressurization problems during climbout from

London Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and returns to the airport. An investigation finds that latching problems had allowed the forward cargo door to come ajar. A similar door problem will lead to a fatal accident aboard

United Airlines Flight 811 United Airlines Flight 811 was a regularly scheduled airline flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, with intermediate stops at Honolulu and Auckland. On February 24, 1989, the Boeing 747-122 serving the flight experienced a cargo-door failure in fl ...

in February 1989. * March 21 – American entertainer Dean Paul "Dino" Martin, the son of singer and actor Dean Martin, is killed when the

California Air National Guard The California Air National Guard (CA ANG) is one of three components of the California National Guard, a reserve of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. As militia units, the units in the California ...

F-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...

he is piloting enters a maximum takeoff climb, flies into clouds, and crashes into a wall of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

Mount San Gorgonio San Gorgonio is Spanish for "Saint Gorgonius"; San Gorgonio might also refer to: Landforms and parks *San Gorgonio Mountain, California, United States *San Gorgonio Pass, California, United States *San Gorgonio River, California, United States * S ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

's San Bernardino Mountains while flying inverted at a speed of 560 miles per hour (902 km/hr).planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1980s
/ref> His

weapon systems officer A Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), nicknamed "Wizzo", is an air flight officer directly involved in all air operations and weapon systems of a military aircraft. Historically, aircrew duties in military aircraft were highly specialised and rigi ...

also dies. * March 27 –

Pacific Western Airlines Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s. It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Ri ...

purchases

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian ...

, and the two airlines amalgamate to form

Canadian Airlines Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...

. * March 29 – The

disbands

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

Light Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 206 (VFP-206), its last squadron equipped with specialized

photographic reconnaissance Imagery intelligence (IMINT), pronounced as either as ''Im-Int'' or ''I-Mint'', is an intelligence gathering discipline wherein imagery is analyzed (or "exploited") to identify information of intelligence value. Imagery used for defense intel ...

aircraft and the last equipped with any version of the

Vought F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Fren ...

. * March 31 – Since March 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against eight ships in the

and four urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out one airstrike targeting Persian Gulf shipping but none against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

April

* After purchasing and merging with

Canadian Pacific Airlines Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian ...

and

Nordair Nordair was a Quebec-based airline in Canada founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. History The airline operated from the 1940s to the 1980s. Initially, most of its business was international and transatla ...

announces that the name of the new combined airline will be

Canadian Airlines International Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...

. * April 1 ** The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

′s

Bureau of Civil Aviation Security The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India). It is the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India. It is headed by an officer of the rank of Director general of Police ...

, becomes an independent agency of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Previously, it had been a department of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. **

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

ceases to exist as it merges with

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

. Western had operated since April 1926. * April 2 – A

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Vickers VC10 The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance route ...

sets a new record time between the

and Australia, landing in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, Australia, after a flight of 16 hours 1 minute. * April 4 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 035, a

Douglas DC-9-32 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

, strikes a pylon and crashes on approach to Medan-Polonia Airport in

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...

on Sumatra in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. A fire following the crash kills 23 of the 45 people on board; all 22 survivors are injured. * April 10 – Johan Åhling of Sweden introduces the "Mosquito", a foot-launched

powered hang glider A foot-launched powered hang glider (FLPHG), also called powered harness, nanolight, or hangmotor, is a powered hang gliding, hang glider harness with a internal combustion engine, motor and propeller (aircraft), propeller in pusher configuratio ...

harness. * April 13 – The Iranian Karbala 9 offensive ends. Since Iran launched its Katbala 4 offensive on the night of December 23–24, 1986, the

has lost between 70 and 90 aircraft, and during March and April it was lost several aircraft per week. * April 30 – Since April 1, Iraq has conducted five airstrikes against shipping in the

and seven urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out no airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping or urban and economic targets in Iraq.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 310.

May

* May 4 – American Eagle Flight 5452, a

CASA C-212 The CASA C-212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium cargo aircraft designed and built by the Spanish aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). It is designed for use by both civil and military operators. The C-212 w ...

operated by

Executive Airlines Executive Airlines, Inc. was a Puerto Rican regional airline headquartered at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the main airport for the United States territory, near the capitol of San Juan. The airline was a w ...

, crashes on landing at

Eugenio María de Hostos Airport Eugenio María de Hostos Airport is a public use airport north of Mayagüez, a coastal city in Puerto Rico. The airport is named after Mayagüez native Eugenio Maria de Hostos. It offers limited, domestic commercial service, subsidized by the ...

in Mayagüez,

, killing both pilots. The other four people on board, all passengers, survive with minor injuries. * May 9 – The LOT Polish Airlines

Ilyushin Il-62M The Ilyushin Il-62 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-62; NATO reporting name: Classic) is a Soviet long-range narrow-body jetliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turboprop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 p ...

''Tadeusz Kościuszko'', operating as

LOT Flight 5055 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 5055 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Warsaw, Poland, to New York City, United States. In the late-morning hours of 9 May 1987, the Ilyushin Il-62M operating the flight crashed in the Kabaty Woods na ...

bound for

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, catches fire due to an engine failure soon after take-off from Okęcie Airport and crashes into the

Kabaty Kabaty is a residential neighborhood in Ursynów, the southernmost district of Warsaw. Sparsely populated until the late 1980s, Kabaty witnessed rapid growth in the 1990s and especially the 2000s. It is located near the Kabaty Woods, a popula ...

Woods

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

on the outskirts of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, killing all 183 persons on board. It is the deadliest aviation disaster of 1987. * May 17 – In the USS ''Stark'' incident, an

Dassault Mirage F1 jet hits the

guided-missile frigate with two

Exocet The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Etymology The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...

antiship cruise missiles, badly damaging her and killing 37 and wounding 21 of her crew. * May 29 **To create an "imaginary bridge" between the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

and the Communist Bloc and defuse tensions between the two,

Mathias Rust Mathias Rust (born 1 June 1968) is a German aviator known for his flight that ended with a landing near Red Square in Moscow on 28 May 1987. A teenage amateur pilot, he flew from Helsinki, Finland, to Moscow, being tracked several times by Sovi ...

, a 19-year-old

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

pilot, makes an unauthorized flight from

Helsinki-Malmi Airport Helsinki-Malmi Airport ( fi, Helsinki-Malmin lentoasema, sv, Helsingfors-Malm flygplats) is an airfield in Helsinki, Finland, located in the district of Malmi, north-north-east of the city centre. It was opened in 1936. Until the opening of Hel ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, through supposedly impregnable Soviet air defenses and lands his rented Reims Cessna F172P adjacent to

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. He is arrested. His flight results in the firing of many senior Soviet military personnel, including the Minister of Defense,

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (russian: Маршал Советского Союза, Marshal sovetskogo soyuza, ) was the highest military rank of the Soviet Union. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in 19 ...

Sergei Sokolov, and the Commander-in-Chief of the National Air Defense Forces,

Chief Marshal Chief marshal of the branch (russian: Главный маршал рода войск, Glavny marshal roda voysk) was a senior military rank of the Soviet Armed Forces. It was immediately above the rank of Marshal of the branch. Both ranks were ...

Alexander Koldunov. **

Pacific Southwest Airlines Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1998. It was the first large discount airline in the United States. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airl ...

becomes a division of

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

. * May 31 – Since May 1, Iraq has conducted six airstrikes against shipping in the

and five against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out eight airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping and two against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

June

* June 4 – In

Operation Poomalai Operation Poomalai (''Pūmālai'', lit. "Flower Garland"), also known as Eagle Mission 4, was the codename assigned to a mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force for airdropping supplies over the besieged town of Jaffna in Sri Lanka on 4 Ju ...

, five Indian Air Force

Antonov An-32 The Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a turboprop twin-engined military transport aircraft. Design and development The An-32 is essentially a re-engined An-26. It is designed to withstand adverse weather conditions better than the s ...

( NATO reporting name "Cline")

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

airdrop supplies by parachute into the city of

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...

, Sri Lanka, to aid

Tamil Tiger The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

rebels who have been besieged there by Sri Lankan government forces during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Five Mirage 2000 fighters escort the An-32s, but the Indian aircraft meet no opposition. * June 11 – An unidentified warplane attacks the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

tanker ''Ethnic'' in the

near

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 291. * June 19–20 – The

strikes the tanker ''Tenacity'' in the Persian Gulf and the western jetty at Irans

Kharg Island Kharg or Khark Island ( fa, جزیره خارک) is a continental island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran. The island is located off the coast of Iran and northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. Its total area is . Administered by the adjacen ...

. * June 21 –

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

pilot Partick Fourticq and friend

Henri Pescarolo Henri Jacques William Pescarolo (born 25 September 1942) is a former racing driver from France. He competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a record 33 times, winning on four occasions, and won a number of other major sports car events including the 2 ...

once again enter the record books, completing an around-the-world flight aboard a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar in 88 hours 19 minutes. * June 27 –

Philippine Airlines Flight 206 Philippine Airlines Flight 206 (PR206) was the route designator of a domestic flight from the Manila Domestic Airport, Metro Manila, Philippines to Loakan Airport, Baguio. On June 26, 1987, the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 crashed onto a mountain en rou ...

, a

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorption by Hawker Siddeley ...

, crashes into Mount Ugu near

Itogon, Benguet Itogon, officially the Municipality of Itogon, ( ilo, Ili ti Itogon; tl, Bayan ng Itogon), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,498 people. The largest mun ...

, in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, killing all 50 people on board. It is the second-worst aviation accident in Philippine history at the time. * June 30 – Since June 1, Iraq and Iran each has conducted a single airstrike against shipping in the

. Iraq has conducted a single airstrike against urban and economic targets in

, while Iran has carried out none against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

July

* July 3 – Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand become the first people to complete a

transatlantic flight A transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, South Asia, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or ''vice versa''. Such flights have been made by fixed-wing air ...

in a

hot-air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

, aboard the

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...

''Virgin Atlantic Flyer''. * July 24 ** The Government of Australia′s Department of Aviation is absorbed by the new

Department of Transport and Communications The Department of Transport and Communications was an Australian government department that existed between July 1987 and December 1993. History The Department of Transport and Communications was one of 16 'super-ministries' announced ...

, which is created on the same date. **

Operation Ernest Will Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988) was the American military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest na ...

– the American military protection of

i-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in the

– begins, covered by

forces including

, F/A-18 Hornet,

A-6 Intruder The Grumman A-6 Intruder is an American twinjet all-weather attack aircraft developed and manufactured by American aircraft company Grumman Aerospace and operated by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. It was designed in response to a 1957 r ...

, and

EA-6B Prowler The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft derived from the A-6 Intruder airframe. The EA-6A was the initial electronic warfare version of the A-6 used by the United ...

aircraft from the aircraft carrier in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. The operation will continue for 14 months. * July 28 –

shoots down a

Syrian Air Force ) , mascot = , anniversaries = 16 October , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = * 1948 Arab-Israeli War * Six-Day War * Yom Kippur War * ...

fighter that mistakenly flies over Iraqi territory. * July 31 – Since July 1,

has conducted five airstrikes against shipping in the

and six against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out four airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping, but none against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

August

* During the month, the

deploys eight

RH-53D Sea Stallion The CH-53 Sea Stallion (Sikorsky S-65) is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. It was originally developed in response to a request from the United States N ...

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...

helicopters to the

to assist in the clearing of Iraqi and Iranian

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s. * August 8 – A

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft vectors two U.S. Navy

F-14A Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental (VFX) program after t ...

fighters from the aircraft carrier to an encounter with an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4 Phantom II fighter approaching a U.S.

. * August 10 – The

bombs Iranian oil facilities for the first time in 25 days, claiming to fly 110 sorties, attacking the

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

and oil sites at Biki Hakima, Marun-e Jayezan, Karanj, and Gachsaran. * August 15 – Since August 1,

has conducted two airstrikes against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out none against urban and economic targets in Iraq. * August 16 – A

McDonnell Douglas MD-82 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

operating as Flight 255 crashes on takeoff from

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or simply DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering effective December 30, 2021. in Romulus, Michigan. It is the primary ...

in Romulus,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The crash kills all but one of the 157 people on the plane, as well as two on the ground; only a seriously injured four-year-old girl survives. Among the dead is

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player

Nick Vanos Nicolaas Peter Vanos (April 13, 1963 – August 16, 1987) was an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The San Mateo, California, native was selected 32nd by the Suns in the 1985 ...

. It remains the deadliest aviation accident with a sole survivor in American history. * August 17 – In the

, Manila International Airport is renamed

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...

. * August 30 **Iraq resumes airstrikes in the

after a 45-day hiatus.

aircraft strike

Sirri Island Sirri Island ( fa, جزیره سیری), is an island in the Persian Gulf belonging to Iran. Sirri island (also known as Siri Island) is situated from Bandar-e Lengeh and west of Abu Musa island. The island is one of six in the Abu Musâ Isla ...

, and

Lavan Island , location = Persian Gulf , coordinates = , area_km2 = 78 , length_km = 23.5 , width_km = 4.8 , country = Iran , country_admin_divisions_title = Province , country_admin_divisions ...

, setting fire to at least one storage tanker. **The

Government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...

cancels the

IAI Lavi The IAI Lavi (Hebrew: לביא, "Young Lion") was a single-engined fourth-generation multirole jet fighter developed in Israel, by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), during the 1980s. The decision to develop the Lavi was controversial, both with ...

programme. * August 31 ** Thai Airways Flight 365, a Boeing 737-2P5, crashes into the Andaman Sea while on approach to Ko Phuket in Phuket Province,

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, killing all 83 people on board. ** Since August 1, Iraq has conducted no airstrikes against shipping in the

, while Iran has carried out three. Since 16 August, however, the pace of air attacks on urban and economic targets has increased sharply, with Iraq striking 13 such targets in Iran and Iran hitting seven in Iraq.

September

* September 1 – In three straight days of air raids beginning on August 30, the

has hit Iranian

tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tank ...

, oil facilities in the Persian Gulf, oil facilities ashore in

, and factories. * September 13 – A fully armed

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

Sukhoi Su-27 ( NATO reporting name "Flanker") intercepts a

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

has conducted 22 airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping and 35 against urban and economic targets in Iran, while Iran has conducted 10 airstrikes against shipping and eight against urban and economic targets in Iraq.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 311. ** A

Eurocopter AS565 Panther The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) AS565 Panther is the military version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin medium-weight multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter. The Panther is used for a wide range of military roles, including combat assault, f ...

sets new time-to-altitude records for helicopters in its class. * September 16 –

begins a new series of airstrikes against Iranian ships and oil facilities. Iran responds, and by September 19 both sides are striking inland oil targets. * September 21 – Two

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

OH-6A Cayuse The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter that was designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people while its "Loach" nickname comes from the acronym fo ...

light attack helicopters equipped with night vision devices and operating from the

guided-missile frigate as part of

Operation Prime Chance Operation Prime Chance (August 1987 – June 1989) was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the s ...

observe the

ian naval landing craft ''

Iran Ajr ''Iran Ajr'', formerly known as the ''Arya Rakhsh'', was a Japanese-built landing craft used by Iran to lay naval mines during the Iran–Iraq War. Built in 1978, the 614-ton, 54-meter ship was powered by two diesel engines and featured a bow ramp ...

'' laying

s at night in the

. The helicopters fire on ''Iran Ajr'', disabling her and killing three to five (sources differ) members of her crew. U.S.

Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

soon board and seize ''Iran Ajr'', which U.S. forces scuttle on 26 September. * September 30 – Since September 16, Iraq has conducted 19 airstrikes against shipping in the

and 19 against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out seven airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping and three against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

October

* October 3 – After

E-3A Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft detect 48 to 60

ian speed boats moving from

across the

toward the

Khafji Ras al-Khafji ( ar, رأس الخفجي ') or Khafji (الخفجي) is a town on the border between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It lies in what was before 1970 the Saudi Arabian–Kuwaiti neutral zone. The Japanese-owned Arabian Oil Company Ltd s ...

oil field in

Royal Saudi Air Force The Royal Saudi Air Force ( ar, ‎الْقُوَّاتُ الْجَوِّيَّةُ الْمَلَكِيَّةْ ٱلسُّعُوْدِيَّة, Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Malakiyah as-Su’udiyah) (RSAF) is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabia ...

F-15 Eagle and

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

aircraft join Royal Saudi Navy and

warships in moving toward them. After detecting the movement of the Saudi and American forces, the Iranian boats turn away and return to Iran. * October 5 – The

begins a new series of long-range strikes targeting

loading at Irans Larak Island, scoring major hits in the vicinity of Larak Island for the first time. The attack is the 21st Iraqi airstrike against Persian Gulf shipping since late

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

. Although it fails to sink or set afire any ships, it does hit four tankers, including '' Seawise Giant'', the worlds largest ship. * October 8 ** A force of American helicopters including three

MH-6 Little Bird The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird (nicknamed the Killer Egg) and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, w ...

night surveillance/ attack helicopters attacks an Iranian naval force of a corvette and three speedboats approaching the

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

''Hercules'', employed as a floating American base near

Farsi Island Farsi Island ( fa, جزیره فارسی, translit=jazīreye fârsī) is a tiny, barren Iranian island ( Bushehr province) in the Persian Gulf. There is an IRGC Navy base on this island. The island has an area of about and is restricted from the ...

in the Persian Gulf. The helicopters sink one Boghammer speedboat and damage two

Boston Whaler Boston Whaler is an American boat manufacturer. It is a subsidiary of the Brunswick Boat Group, a division of the Brunswick Corporation. Boston Whalers were originally produced in Massachusetts, hence the name, but today are manufactured in Edg ...

-type boats, killing or mortally wounding eight Iranian crewmen, and

SEALs take six other Iranian crewmen prisoner. ** The Iraqi Air Force hits a

-owned

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

, killing one crewman. The strike brings the total number of Iraqi Air Force antishipping raids since October 1 to 12, and the number of ships Iraq and Iran have hit in the Persian Gulf since October 1 to nine, with seven crewmen killed and four injured in the attacks. The Iraqi Air Force has flown some 50 sorties a day against Persian Gulf shipping since October 5 and has lost one Mirage F-1 since October 1. * October 12 – Since January 1, Iraq has made 60 air attacks against shipping in the Persian Gulf, three using bombs and the remainder using air-to-surface missiles, while Iran has conducted no air attacks against Persian Gulf shipping. The total of Iraqi air attacks against Persian Gulf shipping since 1984 has reached 185 – five using bombs, four using rockets, and 176 using air-to-surface missiles, while Iran's total since 1984 stands at 37. * October 15 – Since October 1,

has conducted 15 airstrikes against shipping in the

and 12 against urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out eight airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping and six against urban and economic targets in Iraq. * October 19 – In retaliation for a series of Iranian Silkworm missile strikes against Kuwait, a U.S. Navy force attacks Irans Rustam oil platform in the Persian Gulf. Three U.S. Navy aircraft – two

s and an

E-2C Hawkeye The Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable tactical Airborne early warning and control, airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This twin-turboprop aircraft was designed and developed duri ...

– cover the operation. The only Iranian response is to launch a single Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4 Phantom II, which turns away as soon as it detects the size of the American force. * October 20 – Attempting to make an

emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

Indianapolis International Airport Indianapolis International Airport is an international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority. The ...

in Indianapolis,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, a U.S. Air Force A-7D-4-CV Corsair II crashes into the nearby Airport

Ramada Inn Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. As of December 31, 2018, it operates 811 hotels with 114,614 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from t ...

. The pilot survives, but nine people in the hotel die. * October 23 – The last F-104 Starfighter is phased out of German Air Force service. * October 24 **Iran claims that three Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force fighter aircraft have flown within 10 miles (16 km) of a U.S. Navy warship in the Persian Gulf despite warnings not to do so.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , pp. 333. ** A

office in Kuwait is damaged by a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

bomb. * October 28 – Iraq claims hits on three Iranian tankers in an airstrike in the Persian Gulf. In fact, no ships are damaged.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , pp. 334. * October 31 **

accepts the airline's first women pilots. ** In late October, Iraqi Air Force aircraft strike the Agha Jari oil field in southwestern Iran, an Iranian oil refinery in

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

, and tankers shuttling oil cargoes in the Persian Gulf for Iran, hitting a supertanker in use as a storage hulk. Since October 16, Iraq has conducted nine airstrikes against shipping in the

and four against urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out one airstrike against Persian Gulf shipping and four against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

November

* The British Department for Transport′s Accidents Investigation Branch is renamed the

Air Accidents Investigation Branch The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident Investigation Authority (SAIA ...

. * November 4 –

aircraft hit the

National Iranian Tanker Company The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC, fa, شرکت ملی نفتکش ایران, ''Shirkat-e Mili-ye Nuftekâshi-ye Iran'') is a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, which was privatized in 2009. As of 2011, NITC was owned by fu ...

s tanker ''Taftan'' as she loads oil at

. It is the first successful Iraqi antishipping strike since

October 21 Events Pre-1600 *1096 – A Seljuk Turkish army successfully fights off the People's Crusade. *1097 – First Crusade: Crusaders led by Godfrey of Bouillon, Bohemund of Taranto, and Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, begin the Siege of A ...

. * November 14 ** Iraq claims to have conducted air raids against Iranian oil fields at Abed al-Khan, Marun-e Jayezan, and Kaj Saran.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , pp. 335. ** The

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

airline

Air Transat Air Transat is a Canadian airline based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1986, it is the country's third-largest airline behind Air Canada and WestJet, operating scheduled and charter flights serving 60 destinations in 25 countries. Air Transa ...

begins operations. * November 15 **

Continental Airlines Flight 1713 Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making ...

, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 with 82 people on board, crashes while taking off from Stapleton International Airport in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, during a snowstorm. Twenty-eight people lose their lives and all 54 survivors are injured, 28 of them seriously. **

claims that its air force has hit 15 ships in the

since November 9, but it has damaged only three ships. Since November 1, Iraq has conducted 18 air strikes against shipping in the Persian Gulf and 14 against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out three air strikes against Persian Gulf shipping and eight against urban and economic targets in Iraq. * November 17 – Iraqi Air Force aircraft conduct a major raid against the Iranian

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat fr ...

under construction at

Bushehr Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antio ...

, killing one

technician and injuring several other West Germans working on the reactor.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 520. * November 19 – Iraqi Air Force aircraft carry out another major raid against the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr. * November 20 – Iraq claims that it has hit 21 ships in air attacks in the Persian Gulf since November 8, but in fact has damaged only four. * November 22 – Iran claims to have fired on four American helicopters operating over the Persian Gulf, although no such incident appears to have occurred.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , pp. 336. * November 28 – South African Airways Flight 295, the Boeing 747-244BM Combi ''Helderberg'', suffers a catastrophic in-flight fire in the cargo area and crashes into the

east of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

, killing all 159 people on board. * November 29 – A bomb planted by

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n agents explodes over the Andaman Sea aboard a

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n Boeing 707-3B5C operating as

Korean Air Flight 858 Korean Air Flight 858 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea. On 29 November 1987, the aircraft flying that route exploded in mid-air upon the detonation of a bomb planted inside an overhead ...

, destroying the airliner and killing all 115 people on board. * November 30 – Since November 16, Iraq has conducted 12 airstrikes against shipping in the

and 10 against urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out seven airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping, but none against urban and economic targets in Iraq.

December

* During the month, Iraq focuses it air campaign against Iran on strikes against shipping in the Persian Gulf, although the

also occasionally raids Iranian

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s and

oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

. * December 7 – David Burke, an angry former employee of

, the parent company of

, shoots both pilots of

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled flight along the West Coast of the United States, from Los Angeles, California, to San Francisco. On December 7, 1987, the British Aerospace 146-200A, registration N350PS, crashed in San Lu ...

, a

BAe 146 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro Internation ...

, while it is cruising at 22,000 feet (6,706 m) over the central

coast. No longer under control, the plane pitches down (planes pitch nose up or nose down; they do not pitch "forward") and accelerates, crashing into the ground at a speed of around 700 mph (1,100 km/hr) near

Cayucos Cayucos (Spanish for "Canoe") is an unincorporated coastal town in San Luis Obispo County, California, along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south. The population was 2,505 at the 2020 census, down f ...

, California, killing all 43 people on board. * December 8 – A Peruvian Naval Aviation

Fokker F27 Friendship The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Eur ...

chartered by the Peruvian

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club Alianza Lima crashes into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

off the Ventanilla District of Callao,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, killing 43 of the 44 people on board. Among the dead are José Casanova, Luis Antonio Escobar,

José González Ganoza José González Ganoza (10 July 1954 – 8 December 1987) was a Peruvian international footballer who played as a goalkeeper. González Ganoza was among the victims of the 1987 Alianza Lima air disaster The 1987 Alianza Lima air disaster occ ...

, Alfredo Tomassini, Johnny Watson, and 11 other players; head coach

Marcos Calderon Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Nélson Marcos, Portugu ...

and nine other coaches and team staff; eight cheerleaders; three referees; two Peruvian Navy passengers; and five crew members. The pilot is the only survivor. * December 15 – Since December 1,

has conducted eight airstrikes against shipping in the

and seven against urban and economic targets in

. Iran has carried out five airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping and two against urban and economic targets in Iraq. * December 22 – The Iraqi Air Force conducts an unusually long-range raid, striking shipping around Irans Larak Island. The raid hits four supertankers employed as storage ships there, including the worlds largest ship, '' Seawise Giant''. * December 31 – Iraq claims that it has hit four ships in the Persian Gulf since December 26, although none actually have been damaged. Since December 16, Iraq has conducted nine airstrikes against shipping in the Persian Gulf and a single airstrike against urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out 10 airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping, but none against urban and economic targets in Iraq. During 1987, Iraq has conducted 83 attacks – mostly by air – on shipping in the Persian Gulf, an increase from 65 in 1986, while Iran has conducted 80, mostly by using surface warships, speedboats, and

s. Since 1984, Iraq has attacked 215 ships in the Persian Gulf, destroying 49 and badly damaging nine, while Iran has destroyed 16. Despite the Iraqi and Iranian antishipping campaigns, Iranian oil exports for 1987 are 40 percent higher in 1987 than in 1986 and both Iranian and Iraqi oil exports have increased during the second half of 1987.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, ''The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War'', Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , pp. 338, 352''n''.

First flights

February

* February 13 – Fokker 50 – First production aircraft.Taylor 1988, p. 174. * February 22 –

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

Taylor 1988, p. 107.

March

* March 9 –

Yakovlev Yak-141 The Yakovlev Yak-141 (russian: Яковлев Як-141; NATO reporting name "Freestyle"), also known as the Yak-41, is a Soviet supersonic vertical takeoff/landing (VTOL) fighter aircraft designed by Yakovlev. It was used for testing. Design ...

April

* April 30 –

Promavia Jet Squalus The Promavia F.1300 Jet Squalus, also known as Promavia Jet Squalus F1300, was a two-seat light jet trainer designed by Italian Stelio Frati and built by Promavia in Belgium with support from the Belgian government. Development The Jet Squalus w ...

Taylor 1988, p. 8.

May

* May 16 –

Boeing VC-25 The Boeing VC-25 is a military version of the Boeing 747 airliner, modified for presidential transport and commonly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) as ''Air Force One'', the call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the p ...

June

* June 10 – Boeing Vertol Model 3608>Taylor 1988, p. 8 * June 24 – Grob/E-Systems/AlliedSignal Egrett8/>

July

*July 1 – Questair Venture8/> *July 20 –

PZL M-24 Dromader Super The PZL M-24 Dromader Super ( Super Dromedary) is a single engine agricultural aircraft, developed in the 1980s by the WSK-Mielec (later PZL-Mielec) from the PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader. It did not progress beyond the prototyping stage. Developm ...

8/> *July 28 –

Wheeler Express The Wheeler Express (or later known as EDI Express) is a four-seat low-wing composite homebuilt aircraft. Development Designed by Ken Wheeler and developed by Wheeler Technology as a high-speed homebuilt aircraft for cross-country flights, the f ...

8/>

August

* August 17 –

Sukhoi Su-33 The Sukhoi Su-33 (russian: Сухой Су-33; NATO reporting name: ''Flanker-D'') is an all-weather carrier-based twin-engine air superiority fighter designed by Sukhoi and manufactured by Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association ...

( NATO reporting name "Flanker-D") * August 31 –

Mitsubishi H-60 The Mitsubishi H-60 series is twin-turboshaft engine helicopter based on the Sikorsky S-70 helicopter family for use by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The SH-60J/K/L are anti-submarine patrol versions for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...

8/>

October

* October 9 – EHI EH101, later rebranded as the

AgustaWestland AW101 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requireme ...

8/>

November

* November 24 – F-14D Tomcat8/>

December

* AEA Maverick * December 29 – Scaled Composites AT³9>Taylor 1988, p. 9

Entered service

April –

Tu-160 The Tupolev Tu-160 (russian: Туполев Ту-160 Белый лебедь, translit=Belyj Lebeď, translation=White Swan; NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Desi ...

in Soviet Air Forces (184th Guards Heavy Bomber Regiment in Pryluki)

References

* Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. . {{Aviation timelines navbox Aviation by year