March 16 in aviation: the first flight of the Convair CV-240, the first intercontinental flight operated by KLM.
To meet the airlines' requirements for a pressure aircraft, Convair produced a revised design - the Model 240. It had a longer but thinner fuselage than the Model 110, accommodating 40 passengers in the first twin-engine pressure aircraft. The aircraft first flew on March 16, 1947.
The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. With a more modern cabin pressurized design, the 240 Series made some forays as a commercial aircraft and had a long development process that produced various civilian and military variants.
Other aviation events on March 16.
KLM operated the first intercontinental flight.
On March 16, 1960, KLM operated the first intercontinental flight. The flight was conducted with a Douglas DC-8 aircraft. The plane left Amsterdam for New York.
Flying Tiger Line Flight 730 crashed while flying over the Pacific Ocean.
On March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 730, a Lockheed L-1049 aircraft, leased by the United States Army and carrying 96 U.S. soldiers, disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean on its way to South Vietnam.
Flight 742 of Viasa crashed at takeoff from Maracaibo.
On March 16, 1969, Flight 742 of Viasa, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30, crashed on takeoff from Maracaibo, Venezuela. All 84 passengers and crew on board, plus another 71 people on the ground, were killed in the crash. At the time, it was characterized as the worst air disaster in history.
A Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft belonging to the Bulgarian Balkans crashed.
On March 16, 1978, a Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft belonging to the Bulgarian Balkans crashed near the Bulgarian village of Gabare, killing all 73 people on board the aircraft.
A Boeing 767 aircraft performed the longest non-stop flight.
On March 16, 1983, a Boeing 767 aircraft landed at Boeing Field in Washington, D.C., after a record non-stop flight from Lisbon, Portugal. The 8.798 km (5.499 miles) traveled non-stop is a record for two-engine airplanes.