April 20 in aviation: the first postal route to Cape Town; a new distance record with the balloon.
On April 20, 1932, an Imperial Airways Handley Page HP42 aircraft named "Helena" departed from Croydon, England, for Paris, in the first leg of the company's new postal service to Cape Town.
Other aviation events on April 20.
Aeroflot has begun using the Ilyushin IL-18 aircraft.
On April 20, 1959, Aeroflot began using the Ilyushin IL-18 aircraft, which had a capacity of 84 to 110 seats, the airline's first turboprop aircraft. The aircraft flew from Moscow to Alma Ata, Kazakhstan and Adler, now Sochi, on the Black Sea.
The first flight of the Lockheed L-100 Hercules.
On April 20, 1964, the first flight of the Lockheed L-100 Hercules took place, the civilian version of the prolific C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Corporation. Longer versions L-100-20 and L-100-30 have been developed. Production of the L-100 ended in 1992 with 114 aircraft delivered. An updated version of the model, the LM-100J, completed its first flight to Marietta, Georgia, on May 25, 2017 and began production in 2018-19.
The "Nicosia Britannia Disaster" took place.
On April 20, 1967, the "Nicosia Britannia Disaster" occurred when a Bristol Britannia plane, operated by Globe Air, on a charter flight, crashed near Lakatamia, Cyprus, killing all 126 passengers on board the aircraft. . The cause of the accident was unfavorable weather.
South African Airways 228 crashed immediately after takeoff.
On April 20, 1968, South African Airways 228, a Boeing 707-344C, crashed immediately after takeoff from JG Strijdom International Airport in Windhoek, Southwest Africa (now Namibia) due to a pilot error. Of the 128 passengers on board, only 5 survived.
A Boeing 707 Air France, commanded by terrorists, flew from Paris to Baghdad.
On April 20, 1975, a Boeing 707, commanded by three terrorists and driven by a crew of Air France volunteers, landed in Baghdad, Iraq. The terrorists forced the French airline to fly from Paris to Baghdad, taking ten passengers hostage at Orly airport.
Korean Air Lines flight 902 was shot down by Soviet fighter jets
On April 20, 1978, Korean Air Lines 902, a Boeing 707, was shot down by Soviet fighter jets. The plane landed near the Soviet Union's border with Finland. Two of the 109 people on board the plane were killed, and the rest were later released.
Doru Davidovici lost his life during a training flight.
On April 20, 1989, Doru Davidovici, a Romanian poet and pilot, lost his life, along with Dumitru Petra, when the training aircraft he was piloting, a MiG-21UM, crashed during landing procedures while returning at 86 RoAF Air Base, Borcea-Fetesti AFB, from a training flight.
A new absolute distance record was set with the ball.
On April 20, 1997, a new absolute distance record was set with the 16.722 km (10.363 miles) balloon. The record set by Steve Fossett during a non-stop flight around the world, which he was forced to abandon in India.
Air France Flight 422 crashed in the mountains in Colombia.
On April 20, 1998, Air France 422, a Boeing 727 chartered from TAME Airlines, crashed in the mountains east of Bogotá, Colombia. The take-off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá was made in foggy weather, and the weather was unfavorable for the flight. All 53 passengers and crew on board the aircraft died in the crash.
The Royal Air Maroc 200 flight has a difficult landing.
On April 20, 2009, the Royal Air Maroc 200 flight, operated by a Boeing 767-36NER (CN-RNT) had a difficult landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. During the inspection of the aircraft, cracks were discovered in the front fuselage.
Flight Bhoja Air 213 crashed in Pakistan.
On April 20, 2012, Bhoja Air 213, a Boeing 737-236, crashed near Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing all 127 people on board the aircraft. The official cause of the accident was bad weather.