March 26 in aviation: Austrian Airlines resumed international flights, a Singapore Airlines plane was hijacked by militants.
On March 26, 1922, one of the smallest commercial transport aircraft built on the experience of commercial flights and the requirements of airline operators at the time, made its first flight, taking off from Edgware, near London. The DH 34 aircraft had only 10 seats and was produced by the Canadian company de Havilland. It reached a top speed of 128 mph and a cruising speed of 105 mph, with a range of 365 miles (587 km).
Other aviation events on March 26.
The first flight of the Douglas A2D Skyshark aircraft.
On March 26, 1950, the first flight of Douglas A2D Skyshark took place. The Douglas A2D Skyshark was an American turboprop attack aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy.
Pan Am Flight 845/26 crashed over the Pacific Ocean.
On March 26, 1955, Pan Am 845/26, a Boeing 377, crashed over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon, killing 4 of the 23 people on board the aircraft.
The first flight of the CASA C-212 Aviocar aircraft.
On March 26, 1971, the first flight of CASA C-212 Aviocar took place, a STOL aircraft, intended for the transport of single-turboprop propelled goods, which was designed and built by CASA from Spain, both for civilian use and for military use.
The first international flight operated by Austrian Airlines, after a break of two decades.
On March 26, 1989, Austrian Airlines began international flights, for the first time in almost two decades, on a flight that took off from Vienna to JFK in New York. The flight was operated with an Airbus A310 (OE-LAA) aircraft, aptly named "New York".
A Singapore Airlines plane was hijacked by Pakistani militants.
On March 26, 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117, an Airbus A310, was hijacked by Pakistani militants en route to Singapore, where, on landing, it was assaulted by Singapore's special operations forces. All air pirates were killed in the operation. No passengers or crew members were injured.
The first flight of the Saab 2000 aircraft.
On March 26, 1992, the first flight of the Saab 2000 aircraft took place, a twin-engine high-speed turboprop aircraft built by Saab. It was designed to carry 50-58 passengers. The cruising speed he could reach was 665 km / h (413 mph). The plane was produced in Linköping, southern Sweden. Saab 2000 first flew in March 1992 and was certified in 1994. The last aircraft was delivered in April 1999, with a total of 63 aircraft built. As of July 2018, 24 Saab 2000 aircraft were still in operational service.
The aircraft operating Air Trans 356 encountered electrical problems as it approached La Guardia Airport.
On March 26, 2003, the aircraft operating Air Trans 356 encountered electrical problems as it approached runway 4 at La Guardia Airport. The pilots detected a strong burning smell, both in the cockpit and in the cabin. The plane made an emergency landing and all 83 people on the Boeing 717-200 (N957AT) survived, although 10 people were injured during the evacuation.