View source for 1968 in aviation

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{{yearbox
|in?=in aviation
|cp=19th Century
|c=20th century
|cf=21st century
|yp1=1965
|yp2=1966
|yp3=1967
|year=1968
|ya1=1969
|ya2=1970
|ya3=1971
|dp3=1930s
|dp2=1940s
|dp1=1950s
|d=1960s
|dn1=1970s
|dn2=1980s
|dn3=1990s
}}
{{Portal|Aviation}}
This is a list of [[aviation]]-related events from 1968.

== Events ==
* In the 1968, [[White paper|White Paper]] on Defence, the British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government announces that the [[Royal Navy]]{{'}}s [[aircraft carrier]] force will be phased out as soon as the [[United Kingdom]] has completed its withdrawal from [[Malaysia]], [[Singapore]], and the [[Persian Gulf]], scheduled for the end of 1971.<ref>Thetford, Owen, ''British Naval Aircraft Since 1912'', Sixth Edition, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|1-55750-076-2}}, p. 27.</ref>
* The original [[Golden West Airlines]] is founded, headquartered at [[Van Nuys, California|Van Nuys]], [[California]].
* [[Bonanza Air Lines]], [[Pacific Air Lines]], and [[West Coast Airlines]] merge to form Air West. It will be renamed [[Hughes Airwest]] in [[1970 in aviation|1970]].

===January===
* [[North Vietnam]]ese [[Antonov An-2]] utility [[biplane]]s conduct bombing raids into [[Laos]] and fly night missions against ships and craft of the [[Republic of Vietnam Navy|South Vietnamese Navy]].<ref name="annapolis156">Nichols, CDR John B., and Barret Tillman, ''On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War Over Vietnam'', Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1987, {{ISBN|978-0-87021-559-9}}, p. 156.</ref>
* After the [[Soviet Union]] complains about damage to a Soviet [[merchant ship]] in [[Haiphong]] Harbor by American air attack, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]{{'}}s administration promises to make every effort to avoid a recurrence of such damage.<ref name="annapolis156"/>
* January 1 &ndash; [[East Germany]] – the German Democratic Republic (GDR) – abolishes its national [[civil aviation authority]], the ''Hauptverwaltung der Zivilen Luftfahrt'' (Central Administration for Civil Aviation), and replaces it with the ''Staatliche Luftfahrt-Inspektion der DDR'' (Public Department of Aviation of the GDR), which assumes its functions.
* January 6 &ndash; [[Aeroflot Flight 1668]], an [[Antonov An-24|Antonov An-24B]] (registration CCCP-47733) breaks up at an altitude of {{convert|4,500|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} and crashes {{convert|92|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Olyokma in the [[Soviet Union]]′s [[Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic]], killing all 45 people on board. An errant antiaircraft missile is suspected of having accidentally shot it down.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680106-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165256/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680106-0 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* January 8 &ndash; A [[United States Marine Corps]] [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion|CH-53A]] #65-100 crashed in the [[Hải Lăng District|Hải Lăng Forest]], [[South Vietnam]], killing all 46 personnel on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=76027|title=ASN Wikibase Occurrence #76027|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004135725/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=76027|archive-date=4 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
* January 10 &ndash; A [[United States Navy]] [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|C-54P Skymaster]] encounters severe turbulence, goes into an uncontrolled descent, crashes into [[Mount Tobin]] in [[Pershing County, Nevada|Pershing County]], [[Nevada]], {{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} below its summit, and slides {{convert|1,000|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} down the mountain's side, killing all 19 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680116-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165147/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680116-1 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* January 16 &ndash; A U.S. Navy [[Lockheed P-3 Orion|Lockheed P-3A-50-LO Orion]] crashes into a mountain near [[Iwakuni]], [[Japan]], killing all 12 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680110-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165255/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680110-0 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* January 17 &ndash; A [[United States Air Force]] [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A-BN Stratotanker]] overrotates during takeoff from [[Minot Air Force Base]], [[North Dakota]], in a [[snowstorm]], stalls, and crashes, killing all 13 people on board. [[United States Air Force]] [[Major General (United States)|Major General]] Charles M. Eisenhart is among the dead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680117-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165423/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680117-1 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* January 18–19 (overnight) &ndash; A U.S. Navy [[Kaman SH-2 Seasprite|UH-2 Seasprite]] piloted by Lieutenant Junior Grade [[Clyde Everett Lassen|Clyde E. Lassen]] makes a daring rescue of downed fliers in North Vietnam. For his actions, Lassen will become the only U.S. Navy helicopter pilot to be awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] during the Vietnam War.<ref>Chinnery, Philip D., ''Vietnam: The Helicopter War'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|978-1-55750-875-1}}, p. 91.</ref>
* January 19 &ndash; A [[C-130 Hercules]] of U.S. Navy [[VR-24|Air Transport Squadron 24 (VR-24)]] and U.S. Navy helicopters from [[Naval Air Station Sigonella]], [[Italy]], deliver relief supplies to 40,000 people rendered homeless around [[Montevago]] by the [[1968 Belice earthquake|Belice earthquake]] in western [[Sicily]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm |title=Chronology of Significant Events in Naval Aviation: "Naval Air Transport" 1941 – 1999 |access-date=2012-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331224444/http://vrc-50.org/historyNATS.htm |archive-date=2016-03-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* January 21 &ndash; A [[United States Air Force]] [[B-52 Stratofortress]] carrying four nuclear weapons [[1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash|crashes in the sea near Thule Air Base]] in [[Greenland]].
* January 27 &ndash; The left [[wing]] of an [[Air Comores]] [[de Havilland Heron|de Havilland DH.114 Heron]] (registration F-OCED) strikes a light alongside the runway while landing at [[Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport]] in [[Moroni, Comoros|Moroni]], [[Comoros]]. The plane climbs with its [[Flap (aeronautics)|flaps]] down, crashes into rocks, and plunges into the [[Indian Ocean]], killing 15 of the 16 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680127-2 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165420/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680127-2 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===February===
* February 1 &ndash; The [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] and [[Royal Canadian Navy]] are disestablished as they merge with the [[Canadian Army]] to form the unified [[Canadian Armed Forces]].
* February 6 &ndash; A [[United States Navy]] [[Lockheed P-3 Orion|P-3B Orion]] flying an [[Antisubmarine warfare|antisubmarine]] patrol crashes into the [[Gulf of Thailand]] {{convert|50|nmi|km|abbr=off}} off [[Phú Quốc]] island, [[South Vietnam]], killing all 12 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680206-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170528/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680206-0 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 7 &ndash; An [[Indian Air Force]] [[Antonov An-12|Antonov An-12BP]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "Cub") flying over [[India]] in deteriorating weather [[1968 Indian Air Force An-12 crash|crashes]] at an altitude of {{convert|17,324|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} on [[Dhaka Glacier]] near [[Chandrabhaga Peak 13]], killing all 102 people on board. It is the deadliest accident involving an An-12 and at the time it is the deadliest aviation accident in Indian history. The aircraft's wreckage is not found until [[2003 in aviation#August|August 2003]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680207-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170235/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680207-1 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 7 &ndash; A [[Standard Airways]] [[Boeing 707-138B]], registration N791SA, operating [[Canadian Pacific Air Lines]] flight CP322 from [[Honolulu International Airport|Honolulu]] with 9 crew and 52 passengers on board, crashed on landing in fog at [[Vancouver International Airport|Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], [[Canada]]. The aircraft veered off the runway and hit several small aircraft before coming to rest with its nose embedded in a building. A member of the cabin crew died, as did an airport employee.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/492293408/ ''Crash Probe Opens'', Vancouver Sun, 7 February 1968]</ref> While there was no fire, the aircraft was a writeoff. The crew was fatigued, the captain made an unwise decision to continue landing in poor visibility conditions and it was unclear who was in control of the aircraft in its last moments.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/945172410 ''Pilots fought over wheel as 707 crashed, killing 2'', Toronto Star, 15 January 1969]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/331935|title=Aircraft accident Boeing 707-138B N791SA Vancouver, British Columbia|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref>
* February 9 &ndash; Claiming to be a civilian employee of a U.S. airline, 19-year-old [[United States Marine Corps]] [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] [[Private First Class]] William Lee Clark is allowed to board a [[Pan Am]] [[Douglas DC-6]] with 83 people on board as it prepares to depart [[Da Nang Airport]] in [[Da Nang]], South Vietnam, for a charter flight carrying U.S. military personnel to [[Hong Kong]] for [[R&R (military)|rest and recreation]]. He enters the [[cockpit]] brandishing a [[pistol]] and orders the flight crew to fly him to Hong Kong as well. They shut down the engines but restart them when he threatens to shoot them. During 2 hours and 45 minutes of negotiations, he releases all the passengers, after which the commander of U.S. military forces in [[Vietnam]], [[United States Army]] [[General (United States)|General]] [[William Westmoreland]], orders [[tear gas]] to be shot into the plane. With Clark distracted by the tear gas attack, the copilot disarms and overpowers him.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680209-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113161502/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680209-1 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/48199740884/63-william-lee-clark |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #63: William Lee Clark," April 17, 2013. |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202062749/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/48199740884/63-william-lee-clark |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 10 &ndash; .50-caliber (12.7-mm) [[machine gun]] fire hits a U.S. Marine Corps [[Lockheed Martin KC-130|KC-130F Hercules]] carrying a cargo of [[flamethrower]]s and rubber bladders filled with [[jet fuel]] while it is on final approach to [[Khe Sanh]], South Vietnam, setting one of the fuel bladders and one of its engines on fire. The pilot lands the plane at Khe Sanh, but the rubber bladders explodes into flames after the plane touches down, killing eight of the 11 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680210-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170614/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680210-0 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 16 &ndash; A [[Civil Air Transport]] [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-92C]] lands short of the runway at [[Taipei Songshan Airport]] in [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]], rolls for {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}, becomes airborne again, then [[Civil Air Transport Flight 010|crashes]] into trees and a farmhouse, killing 21 of the 63 people on board and one person on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680216-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223062907/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680216-1 |archive-date=2016-12-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 17 &ndash; Deciding that he is a [[Communism|Communist]] who hates the [[United States]], 31-year-old Thomas Boynton charters a [[Piper Apache]] to fly him from [[Marathon, Florida|Marathon]] to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]], then points a gun at the pilot's head shortly after takeoff and orders him to fly to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], instead. Boynton requests [[political asylum]] upon arrival in Havana, but Cuban authorities arrest him and he will spend 20 months in Cuba, mostly in jail. He will be allowed to travel to [[Canada]] in October 1969 and will return to the United States in November 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/52139259013/15-thomas-boynton |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #15: Thomas Boynton," June 4, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202060154/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/52139259013/15-thomas-boynton |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 21 &ndash; Seven minutes after [[Delta Air Lines]] Flight 843 – a [[Douglas DC-8]] with 109 people on board, including [[Professional golfer|professional golf]]er [[Barbara Romack]], bound for [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]], Florida – takes off from [[Tampa International Airport]] in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], Florida – Lawrence Rhodes pulls a pistol on a female [[flight attendant]] and forces it to fly to Havana, Cuba. After the airliner spends three hours on the ground at Havana, Cuban authorities allow it to return to the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680221-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113160728/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680221-0 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50989044105/29-lawrence-rhodes |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #29: Lawrence Rhodes," May 21, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202060444/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50989044105/29-lawrence-rhodes |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 24 &ndash; A [[Royal Air Lao]] [[Douglas DC-3]] strikes a mountain and crashes into the [[Mekong River]] near [[Ban Napa]], [[Laos]], about {{convert|100|mi|km}} north of [[Vientiane]], killing everyone on board. The number of people on board is somewhere between 22 and 37, according to different sources.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680224-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103170346/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680224-1 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* February 29 &ndash; [[Aeroflot]] Flight 15, an [[Ilyushin Il-18|Ilyushin Il-18D]] (registration CCCP-74252), experiences an in-flight emergency at an altitude of {{convert|8,000|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}. Its crew initiates an emergency descent, but the airliner breaks up in mid-air as it passes through {{convert|10,000|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} and crashes in flames {{convert|13|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Parchum]] in the [[Irkutsk Region]] of the [[Soviet Union]]′s [[Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic]], killing 83 of the 84 people on board. Miraculously, one passenger survives, falling to earth with a large piece of [[airframe]] skin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680229-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023012733/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680229-1 |archive-date=2017-10-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===March===
* The U.S. Air Force conducts [[reconnaissance]] flights over [[South Vietnam]] and [[Laos]] using [[Lockheed U-2]]s and over [[North Vietnam]] using [[SR-71 Blackbird]]s.<ref name="annapolis157">Nichols, CDR John B., and Barret Tillman, ''On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War Over Vietnam'', Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1987, {{ISBN|978-0-87021-559-9}}, p. 157.</ref>
* The [[United States]] plans air strikes against [[North Korea]] in retaliation for the January 30 North Korean seizure of the [[United States Navy]] [[technical research ship]] {{USS|Pueblo|AGER-2}}, but then cancels them.<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* March 5
** Three [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]] commandeer an [[Avianca]] [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|Douglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster]] (registration HK-136) with 32 people on board during a domestic flight in [[Colombia]] from [[Valledupar]] to [[Barranquilla]] and force it to fly to [[Santiago de Cuba]] in [[Cuba]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680305-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113165437/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680305-0 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** After the flight crew of [[Air France Flight 212 (1968)|Air France Flight 212]], a [[Boeing 707-300|Boeing 707-328C]] (registration F-BLCJ), mistakes the lights of [[Basse-Terre|Basse Terre]], [[Guadeloupe]], for those of [[Pointe-à-Pitre]] and begins its descent to a night landing at [[Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport]] on the wrong course, the airliner crashes into the [[volcano]] [[La Soufrière (volcano)|La Soufriere]] on Guadeloupe, killing all 63 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680305-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104000941/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680305-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 6 &ndash; After a [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] [[Fairchild C-123 Provider|C-123K Provider]] carrying troops and spare parts aborts its approach to [[Khe Sanh]], [[South Vietnam]], because of a light plane on the runway and circles for another approach, ground fire shoots it down. The C-123K spirals into the ground, killing all 49 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680306-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104001011/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680306-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 7 &ndash; [[Aeroflot Flight 3153]], a [[Tupolev Tu-124]] (registration CCCP-45019) [[Aerodynamic stall|stalls]] and crashes just after takeoff from [[Volgograd Airport]] in [[Volgograd]] in the [[Soviet Union]] after its crew inadvertently activates its [[Spoiler (aeronautics)|spoilers]]. The airliner is destroyed and one crew member dies, but the other 48 people on board survive.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680307-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165419/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680307-0 |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 8
**After [[Air Manila International]] Flight 507, a [[Fairchild F-27]] (registration PI-C871) flies into a [[cumulonimbus cloud]], it encounters severe turbulence, loses both [[horizontal stabilizer]]s and part of its right [[wing]], catches fire, and crashes into the [[Sibuyan Sea]] off [[Ibajay, Aklan|Ibajay]] in the [[Western Visayas]] in the [[Philippines]], killing all 14 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680308-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104000710/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680308-0 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**The [[United States Army]] announces that [[Bell Helicopter]]{{'}}s [[Bell 206|Model 206A]] has won the Light Observation Helicopter competition. It will go into production for the Army as the [[Bell OH-58 Kiowa]].<ref>David, Donald, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Nobles Books, 1997, {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}, p. 111.</ref>
* March 9 &ndash; When the flight crew of a [[French Air Force]] [[Douglas DC-6|Douglas DC-6B]] fails to follow the normal procedure of turning out over the [[Indian Ocean]] after takeoff from [[Roland Garros Airport|Gillot Airport]] on [[Réunion]] and instead flies in a straight line, the aircraft crashes into a hill, killing 16 of the 17 people on board. The [[Chief of the Defence Staff (France)|Chief of the Defence Staff]] of [[France]], [[General]] [[Charles Ailleret]], is among the dead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680309-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104000917/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680309-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 12 &ndash; Two armed men [[Aircraft hijacking|hijack]] [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]] Flight 28, a [[Douglas DC-8]] flying from [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]], with 58 people on board, and force it to fly them to [[Havana]], Cuba. They exit the plane in Havana with a [[Mexico|Mexican]] man they appear to have taken as a hostage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680312-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113161054/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680312-0 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 21 &ndash; Three [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]] commandeer an [[Avensa]] [[Convair CV-440]] during a domestic flight in [[Venezuela]] from [[Caracas]] to [[Maracaibo]] and force it to fly them to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680321-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113160747/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680321-1 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* March 24 &ndash; [[Aer Lingus Flight 712]], a [[Vickers Viscount|Vickers Viscount 803]], crashes into [[St. George's Channel]] off [[Tuskar Rock, Ireland|Tuskar Rock]], [[County Wexford]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], killing all 61 people on board. No cause for the crash is ever determined.
* March 27
**The first person in space and first to orbit the Earth, [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[cosmonaut]] [[Yuri Gagarin]], is one of two people killed in the crash of a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "Fagot") two-seat trainer {{convert|48|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} east of [[Moscow]].<ref name="famous60s">{{Cite web |url=http://planecrashinfo.com/famous1960s.htm |title=planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1960s |access-date=2015-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010011154/http://www.planecrashinfo.com/famous1960s.htm |archive-date=2017-10-10 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**A modern new [[Airport terminal|terminal]] opens at [[Cyprus]]'s only airport, [[Nicosia International Airport]], with a capacity to handle 800 passengers and 11 airliners at one time. It will remain in use only until [[1974 in aviation#July|July 1974]], when the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus]] forces the permanent closure and abandonment of the airport.

===April===
* The [[African Airlines Association]] is founded.
* April 1 &ndash; A [[United States Navy]] [[Lockheed P-3 Orion|P-3B-90-LO Orion]] flying a surveillance patrol over the [[Gulf of Thailand]] comes under fire by a [[Royal Cambodian Navy]] vessel near Hon Doc in the [[Hà Tiên Islands]]. The plane is damaged, and one of its engines catches fire. The fire gets out of control, and the P-3B crashes off the island of Hon Vang, off [[Phú Quốc]], [[South Vietnam]], killing all 12 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680401-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104163256/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680401-0 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* April 3 &ndash; [[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]{{'}}s administration restricts American bombing of North Vietnam to targets south of the [[19th parallel north|19th Parallel]].<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* April 5 &ndash; To protest against the lack of an aerial display to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the [[Royal Air Force]] four days earlier and to demonstrate against the government of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Harold Wilson]], [[Flight Lieutenant]] Alan Pollock of the RAF{{'}}s [[No. 1 Squadron RAF|No. 1(F) Squadron]] makes an [[Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident|unauthorised display flight]] in a [[Hawker Hunter]] during which he "beats up" (i.e., buzzes) several RAF airfields and flies low over [[London]], where circles the [[Houses of Parliament]], dips his wings to the [[Royal Air Force Memorial]], and flies under the top span of [[Tower Bridge]], becoming the first person to fly under the bridge{{'}}s upper span in a jet aircraft. He is arrested upon his return to base.
* April 8
**An engine falls off the [[BOAC]] [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-465]] ''G-ARWE'', operating as [[BOAC Flight 712|Flight 712]], seconds after takeoff from [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]] in [[England]], setting the [[wing]] on fire. The aircraft makes a perfect emergency landing, but the fire then spreads, killing five and injuring 38 of the 127 people on board. Among the injured are [[Israel]]i [[ambassador]] to the [[Soviet Union]] [[Katriel Katz]] and [[pop singer]] [[Mark Wynter]]. For her heroism in evacuating passengers before herself dying in the fire, [[flight attendant]] [[Barbara Jane Harrison]] posthumously receives the [[George Cross]], while Chief Steward Nevile Davis-Gordon receives the [[British Empire Medal]] for Gallantry and [[air traffic control]]ler John Davis is appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]].
**[[Ladeco]] Flight 213, a [[Douglas C-49|Douglas C-49K]] (registration CC-CBM), crashes in the [[Emperador Guillermo Mountains]] {{convert|24|km|mi|abbr=on}} north-northwest of [[Coyhaique]], [[Chile]], while on approach to [[Balmaceda Airport]] in [[Balmaceda, Chile|Balmaceda]], Chile, killing all 36 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680408-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104162949/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680408-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* April 10 &ndash; A [[Douglas R4D|Douglas R4D-3]] initiating service on a new domestic route in [[Mexico]] for [[Aerovias Rojas]] from [[Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes|Aguascalientes]] to [[Mexico City]] crashes near [[Villa del Carbón]], killing all 18 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680410-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104235922/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680410-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* April 14–19 &ndash; Over 100 U.S. Air Force [[B-52 Stratofortress]] sorties, 200 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps tactical aircraft sorties, and numerous aerial rocket artillery missions strike enemy positions in South Vietnam{{'}}s [[A Shau Valley]].<ref>Chinnery, Philip D., ''Vietnam: The Helicopter War'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|978-1-55750-875-1}}, p. 114.</ref>
* April 19
**The [[United States Army]]'s [[1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)]] begins [[Operation Delaware]] in the A Shau Valley in South Vietnam, a helicopter-borne assault on [[North Vietnamese Army]] forces there. Facing heavy [[antiaircraft]] fire, it loses 10 helicopters shot down and 13 more damaged on the first day of the operation.<ref name="helicopter115">Chinnery, Philip D., ''Vietnam: The Helicopter War'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|978-1-55750-875-1}}, p. 115.</ref>
**A [[Royal Air Force]] [[Avro Shackleton|Avro Shackleton MR.2]] (WB833) climbing through mist during an [[Antisubmarine warfare|antisubmarine]] exercise crashes on Glenmanuilt Hill, [[Mull of Kintyre]], [[Scotland]], killing all 11 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680419-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104235827/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680419-1 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* April 20 &ndash; [[South African Airways Flight 228]], the [[Boeing 707-344C]] ''Pretoria'', crashes just after takeoff from [[Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport|J. G. Strijdom International Airport]] in [[Windhoek]], [[South-West Africa]] (now [[Namibia]]), killing 123 of the 128 people on board. It remains the deadliest aviation accident in the history of Namibia.
* April 21 &ndash; [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]] retires the last of its [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Lockheed L-188A Electra]] [[propjet]]s and becomes an all-jet airline, operating a fleet of [[Douglas DC-8]] and [[Boeing 727]] airliners.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalsundowners.com/about/history.php |title=National Airlines history, at Nationalsundowners.com, the ''Organization of Former Stewardesses and Flight Attendants with the Original National Airlines.'' |access-date=2015-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022045204/http://www.nationalsundowners.com/about/history.php |archive-date=2018-10-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* April 22 &ndash; An [[Aeroflot]] [[Ilyushin Il-18|Ilyushin Il-18V]] on a training flight strikes [[overhead power line]]s and crashes near [[Domodedovo International Airport|Moskva Domodedovo Airport]] outside Moscow, killing all five people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680422-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104235633/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680422-0 |archive-date=2017-01-04 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* April 28 &ndash; A [[Beechcraft Queen Air|Beechcraft 65 Queen Air]] crashes and burns near [[Beaumont, Texas]], killing all seven people on board – all six members of the [[Lamar Tech]] [[Track and field|track]] team and the pilot.<ref name="famous60s"/>
* April 29 &ndash; The [[Royal Netherlands Navy]] [[Ship decommissioning|decommissions]] its last aircraft carrier, [[HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81)|HNLMS ''Karel Doorman'' (R81)]]. She will be sold to [[Argentina]] on October 15.
* April 30 &ndash; A [[Pakistan Air Force]] [[Lockheed L-100 Hercules]] breaks up in turbulence and crashes near [[PAF Base Nur Khan|PAF Base Chaklala]] in [[Chaklala]], [[Pakistan]], killing all 22 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680430-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105083535/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680430-0 |archive-date=2017-01-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===May===
* The [[United States]] begins to use the [[AGM-78 Standard ARM|AGM-78 Standard Antiradiation Missile (ARM)]] against North Vietnamese [[SA-2 Guideline]] [[surface-to-air missile]] and [[antiaircraft artillery]] sites.<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* The United States deploys [[electronic intelligence]] aircraft to [[Southeast Asia]].<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* [[Pan Am]] serves 122 airports, more than any other U.S. airline. [[Frontier Airlines (1950–1986)|Frontier Airlines]] is second, serving 100 airports.
* May 3 &ndash; [[Braniff Flight 352]], a [[Lockheed L-188 Electra|Lockheed L-188A Electra]], breaks up in midair after flying into a severe [[thunderstorm]] and crashes near [[Dawson, Texas|Dawson]], [[Texas]], killing all 85 people on board. Among the dead is [[Joseph E. Lockridge]] of the [[Texas House of Representatives]].
* May 5 &ndash; A [[Grumman Gulfstream II]] becomes the first executive jet to cross the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
* May 7 &ndash; The [[wing]] of a [[Royal Air Force]] [[Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy|Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy C.1]] strikes an obstruction as the aircraft conducts a [[flypast]] at [[RAF El Adem]] in [[Libya]]. The Argosy crashes onto the runway, cartwheels, and bursts into flames, killing all 11 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680507-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105180419/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680507-0 |archive-date=2017-01-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* May 12 &ndash; Participating in the evacuation of South Vietnamese civilians from the camp at [[Kham Duc]], [[South Vietnam]], during the [[Battle of Kham Duc]], a [[United States Air Force]] [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130B Hercules]] takes off from the Kham Duc airstrip under heavy [[North Vietnamese Army]] fire. It is [[1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown|shot down]] immediately after takeoff and crashes about a mile (1.6&nbsp;km) from the end of the runway, killing all 155 people on board. It is the deadliest aircraft crash in history at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680512-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105180742/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680512-1 |archive-date=2017-01-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* May 16 &ndash; [[Air Micronesia]] begins flight operations.
* May 17 &ndash; [[Operation Delaware]] in South Vietnam{{'}}s A Shau Valley comes to an end. The U.S. Army{{'}}s 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) has captured a large amount of North Vietnamese equipment and supplies but has faced the heaviest enemy antiaircraft fire it has encountered thus far in the Vietnam War, losing 21 helicopters shot down during the operation.<ref name="helicopter115"/>
* May 22 &ndash; [[Los Angeles Airways Flight 841]], a [[Sikorsky S-61L]], crashes in a dairy farm in [[Paramount, California|Paramount]], [[California]], killing all 23 people on board. It was the worst helicopter accident in the history of the United States at the time.
* May 23 &ndash; A ship-launched [[surface-to-air missile]] destroys an enemy aircraft for the first time in history when the U.S. Navy [[guided-missile cruiser]] {{USS|Long Beach|CGN-9}} shoots down a North Vietnamese MiG flying over North Vietnam with a [[RIM-8 Talos]] missile at a range of 65 [[nautical mile]]s (75 [[statute mile]]s; 120&nbsp;km).<ref name="Treadway">Treadway, James A., [https://books.google.com/books?id=3sHdzlA0YqAC&pg=PA119 ''Hard Charger! The Story of the USS'' Biddle ''DLG-34''], Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2005, p. 119, {{ISBN|978-0-595-36009-3}}.</ref><ref name="friedman">Friedman, Norman, "The Navy's Ramjet Missile," ''Naval History'', June 2014, p. 11.</ref> It is the first of three North Vietnamese aircraft shot down by Talos missiles during the Vietnam War.
* May 28 &ndash; [[Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 892]], a [[Convair 990 Coronado|Convair CV-990-30A-5]] (registration PK-GJA), crashes near [[Nala Sopara]] minutes after takeoff from [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Santacruz Airport]] in [[Mumbai|Bombay]], India, killing all 29 people on board and one person on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680528-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105180213/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680528-0 |archive-date=2017-01-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===June===
* The [[101st Airborne Division]] is redesignated as the U.S. Army{{'}}s second [[airmobile]] division and renamed the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Its conversion into an airmobile division will not be complete for a year.<ref>Chinnery, Philip D., ''Vietnam: The Helicopter War'', Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1991, {{ISBN|978-1-55750-875-1}}, p. 116.</ref>
* June 5 &ndash; North Vietnam demands an unconditional end to American bombing of its territory.<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* June 12 &ndash; After the flight crew of [[Pan Am]] Flight 1, the [[Boeing 707-300|Boeing 707-321C]] ''Clipper Caribbean'' (registration N798PA), misunderstands the [[barometric pressure]] sent to them by [[air traffic control]] while on approach to [[Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport|Dum Dum Airport]] in [[Calcutta]], [[India]], and sets their instruments to the wrong pressure, giving them false altitude readings, the airliner descends too quickly, strikes a tree, and crashes {{convert|1,128|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} short of the runway. The crash results in a [[hull loss]] of the aircraft and kills six of the 63 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680612-2 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106011833/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680612-2 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* June 18 &ndash; After a [[missed approach]] to [[San Sebastián Airport]] in [[San Sebastián]], [[Spain]], in poor weather during a demonstration flight for [[Italy|Italian]] industrialist [[Lino Zanussi]], a [[Piaggio PD.808]] (registration I-PIAI) fails to follow established procedures by turning right instead of left. It crashes into the [[Jaizkibel]] mountains, killing all six people on board, including Zanussi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680618-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106102303/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680618-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* June 19 &ndash; Fifteen minutes after taking off from [[Santo Domingo]] in the [[Dominican Republic]] for a flight to [[Curaçao]] with 81 people on board, a [[Viasa]] [[Douglas DC-9]] is [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacked]] and forced to fly to [[Santiago de Cuba]] in [[Cuba]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680619-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113161017/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680619-0 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* June 26 &ndash; [[Flying Tiger Line]] takes delivery of its first [[Douglas DC-8]].
* June 29 &ndash; A hijacker commandeers [[Southeast Airlines (1956)|Southeast Airlines]] Flight 101 during a flight from [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] to [[Key West, Florida|Key West]], [[Florida]], with 17 people on board and forces it to fly him to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680629-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113160639/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680629-1 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===July===
* July 1
**[[Seaboard World Airlines Flight 253A]], a chartered [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8 Super 63CF]] carrying 214 American troops on their way to [[South Vietnam]] and a crew of 24, strays into [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] airspace during a flight from [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], to [[Yokota Air Base]] in [[Japan]]. Soviet [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "Fresco") fighters intercept the DC-8 and force it to land at [[Burevestnik Airport|Burevestnik airfield]] on [[Iturup Island]] in the [[Kurile Islands]], where it spends two days before being allowed to proceed to Japan.<ref>Griffith, Adam, "Army Specialist E5 James Griffith Became a Pawn in a Geopolitical Game When His Troop Transport Was Forced to Land By Soviet Fighters," ''Military Heritage'', January 2013, pp. 16-17, 65.</ref>
**A [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation|Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation]] operated by the [[International Red Cross]] crashes short of the airstrip at [[Uli, Anambra|Uli]], [[Nigeria]], in poor weather conditions, killing one of the four people on board and destroying {{frac|10|1|2}} tons of medical supplies destined for [[Biafra]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680701-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106011919/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680701-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** Homesick for his native [[Cuba]] since arriving in the [[United States]] in July 1967, Mario Velazquez uses a .38-caliber [[revolver]] he smuggled aboard in a milk carton to [[Aircraft hijacking|hijack]] [[Northwest Orient Airlines]] Flight 714 – a [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-051]] (registration N475US) with 92 people on board – as it descends toward [[Miami]], [[Florida]], at the end of a flight from [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], demanding to be flown to Cuba. Escorted by [[United States Air Force]] fighters – unknown to its flight crew, because the fighters never make visual or radio contact with the airliner – the plane lands at [[José Martí International Airport]] in [[Havana]], Cuba, becoming the first Boeing 727 ever to land in Cuba. Cuban soldiers board the airliner and arrest Velazquez. Cuban authorities allow the Boeing 727 and its crew to return to the United States on the morning of July 2, but require the passengers to transfer by bus to [[Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport|Varadero Airport]] in [[Varadero]], Cuba, where they board an [[Airlift International]] [[Douglas DC-7|Douglas DC-7C]] without enough seats for all them for the flight back to the United States, and they arrive at Miami early on the afternoon of July 2.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680701-2 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113160749/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680701-2 |archive-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nwahistory.org/assets/13_fall_newsletter_a.pdf |title=Dubert, Robert, "Go to Cuba! GO TO HAVANA!," ''Reflections'', Fall 2013, pp. 1, 3. |access-date=2017-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623225040/http://www.nwahistory.org/assets/13_fall_newsletter_a.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* July 3 &ndash; A [[BKS Air Transport]] [[Airspeed Ambassador]] carrying eight [[racehorse]]s belonging to businessman [[William Hill (businessman)|William Hill]] [[1968 BKS Air Transport Heathrow crash|crashes]] while landing at [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]] in [[England]]. The aircraft cartwheels into the incomplete [[Heathrow Terminal 1]], striking and damaging two parked and empty [[British European Airways]] [[Hawker Siddeley Trident|Hawker Siddeley Trident 1]] airliners along the way. Six of the eight people aboard the plane and all eight horses are killed.
* July 4 &ndash; A lone hijacker takes control of [[Trans World Airlines]] Flight 329, a [[Boeing 727]] with 71 people on board flying from [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]], to [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680704-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116144055/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680704-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 8 &ndash; A [[Saudi Arabian Airlines]] [[Convair CV-340]] crashes after aborting its third approach at [[King Abdulaziz Air Base|Dhahran International Airport]] due to visibility problems created by blowing dust. The crash kills all 11 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680708-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106012018/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680708-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 12
**Over [[West Virginia]], 33-year-old Oran Richards pulls out a .45-caliber pistol aboard [[Delta Air Lines]] Flight 977 – a [[Convair CV-880]] with 55 people on board flying from [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], to [[Houston]], [[Texas]] – and points it at the first person he sees walking toward the aisle, who happens to be [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[James Eastland]] of [[Mississippi]]. Richards claims to be dying of [[cancer]] and demands to be flown to [[Cuba]]. The [[flight engineer]] talks him out of it, and Richards surrenders his gun, curls up on the floor of the [[cockpit]] and weeps.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680712-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116143715/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680712-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/45342152654/97-oran-richards |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #97: Oran Richards," March 14, 2013. |access-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202065240/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/45342152654/97-oran-richards |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** As an [[Island City Flying Service]] [[Cessna 210]] flies from [[Key West, Florida|Key West]] to Miami, Florida, 33-year-old Leonard Bendicks pulls out a gun and forces it to fly to Havana, Cuba, where he is arrested. He gives no reason for the hijacking. Cuba will deport him to [[Canada]] in September 1969, and shortly afterward he will be arrested in the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/47274816431/74-leonard-bendicks |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #74: Leonard Bendicks," April 6, 2013. |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202063328/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/47274816431/74-leonard-bendicks |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 13 &ndash; A [[Sabena]] [[Boeing 707]] cargo aircraft (registration OO-SJK) strikes trees and crashes on approach to [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos Airport]] in [[Nigeria]], killing all seven people on board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680713-0 |title=1968 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1968-07-13 |access-date=2014-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228183922/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680713-0 |archive-date=2013-12-28 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 17 &ndash; A lone hijacker commandeers [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]] Flight 1064, a [[Douglas DC-8]] with 63 people on board flying from [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], to Miami, Florida, and forces it to fly him to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680717-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116144057/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680717-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 21 &ndash; Flying in poor weather, an [[Aeroflot]] [[Antonov An-2|Antonov An-2R]] (registration CCCP-32209) strays {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} off course and crashes into a steep mountain slope at an altitude of {{convert|4000|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}, {{convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Sufi-Kurgan]] in the [[Soviet Union]]′s [[Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic]], killing all 14 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680721-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106011954/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680721-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 23 &ndash; History's first [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacking]] of an aircraft for purposes of political extortion takes place when three members of the ''Al-Asifa'' ("The Storm") unit of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] [[Aircraft hijacking|hijack]] [[El Al Flight 426 hijacking|El Al Flight 426]], a [[Boeing 707]] with 48 other people on board, during a flight from [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow Airport]] in the [[United Kingdom]] to [[Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport]] in [[Rome]], [[Italy]], and divert it to [[Houari Boumediene Airport|Algiers Airport]] in [[Dar El Beïda]], [[Algeria]], just outside [[Algiers]]. announcing that they have named the airliner ''Liberation of Palestine''. They release the 26 non-Israeli passengers the following day and 10 more women and children five days later. They release the 12 remaining hostages unharmed on 1 September in exchange for between 16 and 24 [[Arabs|Arab]] prisoners held in [[Israel]], after which an [[Air France]] crew flies the airliner back to Israel.<ref name="skyjack">{{Cite web |url=http://www.skyjack.co.il/chronology/ |title=Skyjack: Chronology of Aviation Terrorism: 1968-2004 |access-date=2016-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114172735/http://www.skyjack.co.il/chronology/ |archive-date=2016-01-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* July 28 &ndash; During its descent to [[Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre International Airport|Recife/Guararapes International Airport]] in [[Recife]], [[Brazil]], a [[United States Air Force]] [[Douglas C-124 Globemaster II|C-124C Globemaster II]] crashes into a 1,890-foot-tall (576-meter-tall) hill, killing all 10 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680728-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106012056/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680728-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 30 &ndash; While its crew is practicing an emergency descent from {{convert|39,000|to|23,000|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} during am [[aerial refueling]] training mission, a U.S. Air Force [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A-BN Stratotanker]]′s [[vertical stabilizer]] separates from the aircraft during a sharp turn. The tanker aircraft crashes in a forest on [[Mount Lassen]], {{convert|56|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Red Bluff, California|Red Bluff]], [[California]], killing all nine people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680730-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106010907/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680730-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===August===
* The British government purchases [[Beagle Aircraft]] to ensure the continued development and production of light aircraft in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>Mondey, David, ed., ''The Complete Illustrated History of the World{{'}}s Aircraft'', Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc., 1978, {{ISBN|0-89009-771-2}}, p. 93.</ref>
* August 2 &ndash; Drifting off course in bad weather on approach to [[Milan–Malpensa Airport]] in [[Italy]]′s [[Milan metropolitan area]], [[Alitalia Flight 660]], a [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-43]] (registration I-DIWF) crashes into a wooded hillside, resulting in the aircraft's [[hull loss]] and killing 12 of the 95 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680802-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106012135/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680802-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* August 3 &ndash; Flying in rain and poor visibility, [[Aeroflot]] Flight 961, an [[Antonov An-2]] (registration CCCP-01118) crashes into a wooded slope in the [[Skalisty Range, Caucasus|Skalisty Range]] {{convert|7.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} northeast of [[Psebai]] in the [[Soviet Union]]′s [[Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic]], killing all 14 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680803-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106011634/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680803-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* August 4 &ndash; [[Absent without leave]] from the [[United States Army]], 27-year-old Willis Jessie kidnaps his two-year-old daughter from his ex-wife and hires a [[Cessna 172]] to take the two of them on a sightseeing flight over [[Naples, Florida|Naples]], [[Florida]]. Once the plane is airborne, he pulls out a [[pistol]] and orders the pilot to fly to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]]. Jessie is imprisoned after arriving in Havana, and his daughter is placed in a foster home. They both will return to the [[United States]] in January 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/48040750613/65-willis-jessie |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #65: Willis Jessie," April 15, 2013. |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202062640/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/48040750613/65-willis-jessie |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* August 9 &ndash; A [[British Eagle International Airlines]] [[Vickers Viscount|Vickers 739A Viscount]] (registration G-ATFN) suffers a [[Electric generator|generator]] failure while over [[West Germany]] which makes it impossible for its crew to maintain awareness of its [[Orientation (geometry)|flight attitude]]. The crew loses control of the airliner, its [[wing]]s and [[Elevator (aeronautics)|elevator]] fracture, and it crashes on the [[Nuremberg]]-[[Munich]] highway, breaking up on impact and killing all 48 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680809-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106103337/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680809-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* August 10 &ndash; On approach to [[Yeager Airport|Charleston-Kanawha County Airport]] in [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]], [[West Virginia]], [[Piedmont Airlines Flight 230]], a [[Fairchild FH-227|Fairchild FH-227B]] (registration N712U), strikes trees {{convert|360|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the runway threshold, then strikes up-sloping terrain {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} short of the runway and continues up the hill until it comes to rest {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} beyond the threshold and {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} from the right edge of the runway. The crash kills 35 of the 37 people on board – the deadliest accident involving an FH-227 – and results in the first [[hull loss]] of an FH-227.<ref name="aviation-safety.net">{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680810-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106103042/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680810-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* August 13 &ndash; Swedish Count [[Carl Gustav von Rosen]] defies Nigerian air defences to fly in supplies to the [[Biafra]]n rebels
* August 14 &ndash; [[Los Angeles Airways Flight 417]] crashes at [[Compton, California]], resulting in the loss of 21 lives. The accident aircraft was the prototype of the [[Sikorsky S-61L]].
* August 18 &ndash; A [[United Arab Airlines]] [[Antonov An-24|Antonov An-24B]] (registration SU-AOL) flying from [[Cairo]] to [[Damascus]] crashes into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] at {{coord|32|58|N|032|48|E}} – about 180&nbsp;km (97 [[nautical mile]]s) south of [[Cyprus]] – killing all 40 people on board.<ref name="aviation-safety.net"/> 
* August 20–21 (overnight) &ndash; Soviet [[paratrooper]]s seize [[Václav Havel Airport Prague|Prague Ruzyně International Airport]] in [[Prague]], [[Czechoslovakia]], facilitating the arrival there by air of additional Soviet troops and equipment as the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Warsaw Pact]] begin their [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|invasion of Czechoslovakia]].
* August 28 &ndash; [[McDonnell Douglas]] completes the 3,000th [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 Phantom II]].<ref>Angelucci, Enzo, ''The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present'', New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 314.</ref>
* August 31 &ndash; The [[Rolls-Royce RB.211]] is successfully ground-tested.

===September===
* The United States introduces the [[CBU-100 Cluster Bomb|Rockeye]] [[cluster bomb]] into service, employing it in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="annapolis157"/>
* The U.S. Navy introduces the [[A-3 Skywarrior|EKA-3B Skywarrior]] into service, employing it over [[Vietnam]].<ref name="annapolis157"/> It is configured to serve both as an [[Aerial refueling|aerial tanker]] and as an [[electronic countermeasures]] aircraft.
* The U.S. Navy [[guided-missile cruiser]] {{USS|Long Beach|CGN-9}} shoots down a North Vietnamese MiG flying over North Vietnam with a [[RIM-8 Talos]] [[surface-to-air missile]] at a range of 61 [[nautical mile]]s (70 [[statute mile]]s; 113&nbsp;km).<ref name="friedman"/> It is the second of three North Vietnamese aircraft shot down by Talos missiles during the Vietnam War and the first since [[#May|23 May 1968]].
* [[Air Moorea]] is formed in [[French Polynesia]].
* September 3 &ndash; When its crew tries to descend below clouds to make a visual approach to [[Burgas Airport]] in [[Burgas]], [[Bulgaria]], a [[Bulair (airline)|Bulair]] [[Ilyushin Il-18|Ilyushin Il-18E]] flies into the ground, killing 47 of the 82 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680903-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106173043/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680903-0 |archive-date=2017-01-06 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* September 11
**[[Air New Zealand]] flies T. H. Williams, Sir [[Charles Kingsford Smith]]'s navigator, to [[Sydney]] to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their first trans-Tasman flight.
**[[Air France Flight 1611]], a [[Sud Aviation Caravelle|Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III]], catches fire in mid-air and crashes into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] off [[Nice, France|Nice]], [[France]], killing all 95 people on board. Among the dead is the [[French Army]] ''[[Général de division]]'' [[René Cogny]].
** Wanted for a [[bank robbery]] in [[Ladonia, Texas|Ladonia]], [[Texas]], and armed with a .22-caliber [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] [[revolver]], Charles Lavern Beasley [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacks]] an [[Air Canada]] [[Vickers Viscount]] with 22 people on board during a domestic flight in [[Canada]] from [[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John]], [[New Brunswick]], to [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], and demands to be flown to [[Cuba]]. After the flight crew convinces him that they need to refuel first, the airliner lands at [[Montreal, Quebec|Montreal]], [[Quebec]], where Beasley releases two passengers and two stewardesses and eventually surrenders peacefully to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680911-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116152119/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680911-1 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50258445596/38-charles-lavern-beasley |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #38: Charles Lavern Beasley," May 12, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202060338/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50258445596/38-charles-lavern-beasley |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* September 19 &ndash; A U.S. Navy [[F-8 Crusader|F-8C Crusader]] fighter of [[VF-111|Fighter Squadron 111 (VF-111)]] shoots down a North Vietnamese [[MiG]] fighter. It is believed to be the last American air-to-air victory in the [[Vietnam War]] until March 1970.<ref name="annapolis157"/>
*September 20
**At the [[Farnborough Air Show]] at [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]], [[Hampshire]], [[England]], six members of the [[French Air Force]] die when their [[Breguet Atlantic|Breguet 1150 Atlantic]] crashes while performing a demonstration of the aircraft{{'}}s ability to fly on a single engine.<ref>{{cite web| title = British Air Show Crash Kills 6| publisher = St. Petersburg Times| date = September 21, 1968| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ohoMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KFwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1483,58909&dq=airshow+crash| access-date = 12 July 2009| archive-date = 29 January 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210129223012/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ohoMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KFwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1483,58909&dq=airshow+crash| url-status = live}}</ref>
** A hijacker takes control of [[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 950, a [[Boeing 720]] with 53 people on board, during a flight from [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]], to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]], and forces it to fly him to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680920-2 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116152000/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680920-2 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*September 22
** Shortly after an [[Avianca]] [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-59]] (registration HK-1401) with 77 people on board takes off from [[Barranquilla]] for a domestic flight in [[Colombia]] to [[Cartagena, Colombia|Cartagena]], a male passenger hijacks it and forces it to fly him to [[Camagüey]], Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680922-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116151747/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680922-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
** A male passenger hijacks Avianca Flight 654, a [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|Douglas C-54A-5-DC Skymaster]] (registration HK-172) with 56 people on board flying in Colombia from Barranquilla to [[Santa Marta]], and forces it to fly him to [[Santiago de Cuba]] in Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680922-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116152226/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680922-1 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* September 24 &ndash; After a [[United States Air Force]] [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker]] carrying [[Strategic Air Command]] personnel from [[Guam]] to the [[United States]] develops engine trouble over the [[Pacific Ocean]], its crew opts to divert to [[Wake Island Airfield]] on [[Wake Island]]. On final approach to Wake Island Airfield, the KC-135A contacts the ocean's surface, bounces onto the runway, strikes [[instrument landing system]] aerials, and bursts into flames, killing 11 of the 56 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680924-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107003809/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680924-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* September 28 &ndash; A [[Pan African Airlines]] Douglas C-54B-1-DC Skymaster on final approach to [[Port Harcourt International Airport|Port Harcourt Airport]] in [[Port Harcourt]], [[Nigeria]], strikes trees and crashes in a village, killing all 57 people on board and one person on the ground. The plane's cargo of [[munition]]s explodes, causing a massive fire.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680928-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107004509/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680928-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref> 
* September 29 &ndash; A [[Grumman Goose]] on a routine air taxi flight in [[California]] from [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] to [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Santa Catalina Island]] piloted by [[test pilot]] [[Bill Bridgeman]] crashes into the [[Pacific Ocean]], killing Bridgeman. His body is never found.
* September 30 &ndash; The first [[Boeing 747]] is rolled out.

===October===
* [[Air Jamaica]] is established. It will begin flight operations in [[1969 in aviation#April|April 1969]].
* October 1 &ndash; A [[United States Air Force]] [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A-BN Stratotanker]] loses power in one engine on takeoff from [[U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield|U-Tapao]] airfield in [[Thailand]] and crashes, killing its entire crew of four.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681001-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107095653/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681001-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 3 &ndash; A U.S. Air Force [[de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou|C-7B Caribou]] carrying troops collides during its initial climb after takeoff from [[Camp Evans (Vietnam)|Camp Evans]] in [[South Vietnam]] at an altitude of {{convert|1,100|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} with a [[United States Army]] [[Boeing CH-47 Chinook|CH-47A Chinook]] helicopter approaching the camp for a landing with troops and mail on board. Both aircraft crash, killing all 13 people on the Caribou and all 11 on the Chinook.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681003-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107004954/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681003-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 6 &ndash; Three [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]] commandeer an [[Aeromaya]] [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748|Hawker Siddeley HS 748-230 Series 2]] (registration XA-SE) during a domestic flight in [[Mexico]] from [[Cozumel]] to [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]] and force it to fly them to [[Cuba]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681006-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116153716/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681006-1 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 7 &ndash; On approach to [[Paso Canoas Airport]] in [[Paso Canoas]], [[Costa Rica]], an [[Aerovias del Valle]] [[Britten-Norman Islander|Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander]] crashes on a beach at the mouth of the [[Rio Grande de Terraba]] {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of the airport, killing all 10 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681007-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107005127/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681007-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 11 &ndash; The [[Czech Airlines|CSA Czech Airlines]] [[Avia 14|Avia 14-32A]] ''Svit Gottwaldov'' (registration OK-MCJ) crashes near [[Ptice]], [[Czechoslovakia]], just after takeoff from [[Václav Havel Airport Prague|Prague Ruzyně International Airport]] in [[Prague]], killing 11 of the 40 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681011-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107095651/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681011-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 16 - [[E-2A]] Lost at sea while attempting a night landing on the deck of the [[USS Forrestal]]. Two crew recovered, three lost.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VAW-123 Command History |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/aviation-squadron-command-operation-reports/vaw/vaw-123/pdf/1967-69.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2024-12-17 |archive-date=2023-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116055012/https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/aviation-squadron-command-operation-reports/vaw/vaw-123/pdf/1967-69.pdf }}</ref>
* October 20
**A U.S. Air Force [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47D Skytrain]] suffers an in-flight engine failure and crashes {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Buôn Ma Thuột]], South Vietnam, killing all 23 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681020-2 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107170622/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681020-2 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**A [[Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul]] C-47A-25-DK Skytrain (registration PP-SAD) suffers an engine failure after takeoff from [[Feijó Airport]] in [[Feijó, Acre|Feijó]], [[Brazil]], and crashes while attempting to return to the airport, killing all 19 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681020-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100116/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681020-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 22 &ndash; During a night approach to [[Taichung Airport|Ching Chuan Kang Air Base]] in [[Taichung]], [[Taiwan]], a U.S. Air Force KC-135A-BN Stratotanker flies into the side of a {{convert|7,300|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} mountain {{convert|75|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the base, killing all six people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681022-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107170425/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681022-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 23
**Under extreme financial stress, Alben Truitt, a grandson of the late [[Vice President of the United States]] [[Alben W. Barkley]], charters a [[Cessna 177]] at [[Key West, Florida|Key West]], [[Florida]], claiming that he wishes to make an aerial sightseeing trip to the [[Dry Tortugas]] and take aerial photographs of [[Fort Jefferson (Florida)|Fort Jefferson]]. Halfway through the trip, he produces an [[improvised explosive device]] and orders the pilot to fly him to [[Havana]], Cuba, where he is arrested upon arrival, despite claiming that he wishes to write a nonfiction book about Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50651913894/33-alben-truitt |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com :Skyjacker of the Day #33: Alben Truitt," May 17, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055849/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50651913894/33-alben-truitt |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**A [[Beechcraft Queen Air]] is believed to have crashed in [[Lake Superior]] near the [[Keweenaw Peninsula]], [[Michigan]], with three aboard. They were gathering water temperature and other data for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. A lake bed sonar search for the crash site began in September, 2024.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2024/09/09/a-robot-is-trying-to-find-a-1968-plane-wreck-in-lake-superior/75057823007/ | title=What happened to a plane that disappeared in 1968 over Lake Superior? A robot may unravel the mystery | access-date=2024-09-12 | archive-date=2024-09-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912233131/https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/wisconsin/2024/09/09/a-robot-is-trying-to-find-a-1968-plane-wreck-in-lake-superior/75057823007/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/lake-superior-missing-plane-1968-eb153e7b7141ecf4368af6d4a0caa470 | title=High-tech search for 1968 plane wreck in Michigan's Lake Superior shows nothing so far | website=[[Associated Press News]] | date=12 September 2024 | access-date=12 September 2024 | archive-date=12 September 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912233131/https://apnews.com/article/lake-superior-missing-plane-1968-eb153e7b7141ecf4368af6d4a0caa470 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* October 24 &ndash; [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) pilot [[William "Bill" Dana]] pilots the 199th flight of the [[North American X-15]]. Although not planned as such, it will be the last X-15 flight.<ref name="Hallion, Richard P. 2012, p. 42">Hallion, Richard P., "Across the Hypersonic Divide," ''Aviation History'', July 2012, p. 42.</ref>
* October 25 &ndash; [[Northeast Airlines Flight 946]], a [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]], crashes on [[Moose Mountain (New Hampshire)|Moose Mountain]] near [[Etna, New Hampshire|Etna]], [[New Hampshire]], while descending on approach to a refueling stop at [[Lebanon, New Hampshire|Lebanon]], New Hampshire. Thirty-two of the 42 people on board die, and all 10 survivors suffer injuries.
* October 30 &ndash; A hijacker takes over a [[SAESA]] [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] during a domestic flight in Mexico from [[Tampico]] to [[Reynosa]]. The airliner flies him to [[Brownsville, Texas|Brownsville]], [[Texas]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681030-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116155335/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681030-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===November===
* November 1
**[[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]{{'}}s administration suspends all American bombing of North Vietnam; [[Operation Rolling Thunder]] is suspended.<ref name="annapolis157"/>
**Ansett-ANA is renamed [[Ansett Australia|Ansett Airlines of Australia]].
* November 2 &ndash; A 17-year-old boy armed with a 16-[[Gauge (bore diameter)|gauge]] [[shotgun]] who had boarded [[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 284, a [[Douglas DC-9]] with 50 people on board, at [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], enters the [[cockpit]] while the airliner is on the ground at [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], Alabama, preparing for departure for [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], and demands to be flown to [[South Vietnam]]. The flight crew overpowers him.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681102-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162636/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681102-1 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 4 &ndash; After changing from business attire into the clothing favored by the [[Black Panther Party]] in a [[Aircraft lavatory|lavatory]] shortly after takeoff aboard [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]] Flight 186 – a [[Boeing 727]] with 65 people on board flying from [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]], to [[Miami]], [[Florida]] – Raymond Johnson uses a .38-caliber [[revolver]] to hijack the airliner. He identifies himself as a "[[Black nationalism|black nationalist]] freedom fighter" and demands that the plane fly to [[Havana]], Cuba. During the flight, Johnson announces that he has renamed the plane ''[[Republic of New Africa]]'', and he robs the passengers of [[USD|$]]405, which he says will be a donation for "the revolution," and he forces the [[flight attendant]]s to count the money on the cabin floor. After the plane lands in Havana, Cuban authorities arrest Johnson and return the stolen money to National Airlines. In 1986, Johnson will return to the [[United States]], saying that he was a fool to have hijacked the airliner.<ref name="skyjack"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/49258112380/50-raymond-johnson |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #50: Raymond Johnson," April 30, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202060811/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/49258112380/50-raymond-johnson |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 6 &ndash; As [[Philippine Air Lines]] Flight 158A, a [[Fokker F27]] with 43 people on board flying from [[Cebu]] to [[Manila]] in the [[Philippines]], begins its descent to Manila, four armed passengers enter the cockpit and hijack the plane. As they move through the cabin, robbing the passengers, a federal policeman on the plane draws a gun, and one passenger is killed during an ensuing gun battle. The airliner lands at [[Manila International Airport]], where the hijackers force the flight crew to taxi to a remote part of the airport, disembark with the [[Pilot in command|captain]] and two passengers as hostages, release the hostages at the airport fence, and escape in a waiting getaway car.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* November 7 &ndash; A [[Philippine Air Force]] [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47 Skytrain]] crashes into a mountainside in the [[Zambales Mountains]] on [[Luzon]] in the [[Philippines]], killing all 11 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681107-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107170427/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681107-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 8 &ndash; Two Italian men claiming to be members of the "International Command for [[Greece]]" hijack an [[Olympic Airlines]] [[Boeing 707]] during a flight from [[Paris]] to [[Athens]] with 128 other people on board, threatening the flight crew with a gun and a [[hand grenade]], and force the cabin to crew to hand out pamphlets expressing opposition to the rule of the [[Greek military junta of 1967–74|Greek military ''junta'']]. Announcing that the passengers are being punished for traveling to Greece, they order the airliner to return to Paris, where they surrender to French police officers at [[Orly Airport]].<ref name="skyjack"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681108-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network: Hijacking Description |access-date=2016-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213205035/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681108-0 |archive-date=2016-02-13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 18 &ndash; Two [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]] commandeer a [[Mexicana de Aviación (1921–2010)|Mexicana de Aviación]] [[Douglas DC-6]] with 18 passengers on board during a domestic flight in [[Mexico]] from [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]] to [[Villahermosa]] and force it to fly to Havana, Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681118-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116160206/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681118-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 22 &ndash; Attempting to land at [[San Francisco International Airport]] in [[San Mateo County, California|San Mateo County]], [[California]], a [[Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-62]] operating as [[Japan Airlines Flight 2]] unintentionally [[Water landing|lands]] in [[San Francisco Bay]] {{convert|2+1/2|mi|km}} short of the runway. All 107 people on board survive the mishap, and the aircraft itself is recovered 55 hours later.
* November 23
** Four passengers hijack [[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 73, a [[Boeing 727]] with 90 people on board flying from Chicago, Illinois, to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]], and force it to fly to Havana, Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681123-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116155757/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681123-1 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
**A [[Cable Commuter]] [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter|de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 200]] on approach to [[John Wayne Airport|Santa Ana-Orange County Airport]] in [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], California, strikes a light pole on the [[California State Route 55|Newport Freeway]] and crashes {{convert|2.9|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the airport, killing all nine people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681123-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100114/https://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681123-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 24 &ndash; Four men hijack [[Pan Am Flight 281]], a [[Boeing 707]], during a flight from [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in [[New York City]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]], and force it to fly them to Havana, Cuba. U.S. jet fighter aircraft follow the airliner until it reaches Cuban [[airspace]].
* November 25 &ndash; An [[Air America (airline)|Air America]] [[Curtiss C-46 Commando|C-46D-20-CU Commando]] suffers an engine failure just after takeoff from [[Savannakhet Airport]] near [[Savannakhet]], [[Laos]], and crashes {{convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the airport, with one of its [[wing]]s separating and catching fire and the [[fuselage]] coming to rest inverted. The crash kills 26 of the 28 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681125-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100527/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681125-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* November 30 &ndash; A hijacker commandeers Eastern Airlines Flight 532, a [[Boeing 720]] with 45 people on board flying from Miami, Florida, to [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], Texas, and forces it to fly to Cuba.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681130-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116153611/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681130-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===December===
* December 2 &ndash; [[Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55]], a [[Fairchild F-27|Fairchild F-27B]], suffers structural failure after encountering severe [[turbulence]] and crashes into Spotsy Lake at [[Pedro Bay, Alaska|Pedro Bay]], [[Alaska]], killing all 39 people on board.
* December 3 &ndash; Armed with a .45-caliber [[pistol]] and what appears to be a [[hand grenade]], Cuban exile Eduardo Canteras [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacks]] [[National Airlines (1934–1980)|National Airlines]] Flight 1439 – a [[Boeing 727]] with 35 people on board flying from [[New York City]] to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]] – as it prepares to land at Miami and orders it to bypass Miami and fly on to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]]. When the flight crew tells him that the airliner will run out of fuel and crash into the sea before reaching Cuba, he allows it to land at [[Key West, Florida|Key West]], Florida, to refuel. Local police offer to shoot out the plane's tires while it is on the ground at Key West, but National Airlines officials refuse to let them, citing concerns that Canteras will detonate his grenade. The plane takes off again and flies on to Havana, where Cuban authorities arrest Canteras. The other passengers and crew are held for 24 hours before being allowed to return to the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681203-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116161658/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681203-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/47780607416/68-eduardo-canteras |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #68: Eduardo Canteras," April 12, 2013. |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202062841/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/47780607416/68-eduardo-canteras |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 11 &ndash; Armed with a [[pistol]], 20-year-old James Joseph Patterson hijacks [[Trans World Airlines]] Flight 496 – a Boeing 727 flying from [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], to Miami, Florida, with 39 people on board, including actor and entertainer [[Tex Ritter]] and [[Professional golfer|professional golf]]er [[Mason Rudolph (golfer)|Mason Rudolph]] – and forces it to fly to Cuba, where he and his 19-year-old wife Gwendolyn disembark.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681211-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116154803/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681211-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50165470731/39-james-joseph-patterson |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #39: James Joseph Patterson," May 11, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055735/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/50165470731/39-james-joseph-patterson |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 12 &ndash; [[Pan Am]] [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-321B]] ''Clipper Malay'', operating as [[Pan Am Flight 217|Flight 217]], crashes into the [[Caribbean Sea]] near [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]], killing all 51 people on board. Among the dead is former [[Miss Venezuela]] [[Olga Antonetti]].
* December 16 &ndash; The [[Indonesia]]n airline PT Sempati Air Transport is founded. It will begin flight operations in [[1969 in aviation#March|March 1969]], and in [[1994 in aviation|1994]] it will change its name to [[Sempati Air]].
* December 17
**After suffering fuel transfer difficulties leading to engine problems, a [[United States Air Force]] [[Fairchild C-123 Provider|C-123B-11-FA Provider]] crashes south-southwest of [[Chu Lai Air Base]], [[Chu Lai]], [[South Vietnam]], killing 14 of the 44 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681217-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100444/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681217-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 17 &ndash; The last surviving [[North American XB-70 Valkyrie|XB-70 Valkyrie]] – the U.S. Air Force's XB-70A Air Vehicle 1 (AV-1) – makes its last supersonic flight.
* December 19 &ndash; Accompanied by his three-year-old daughter, who he had abducted from his ex-wife, and claiming to have a gun and [[nitroglycerine]], 27-year-old Thomas George Washington hijacks [[Eastern Airlines]] Flight 47, a [[Douglas DC-8]] with 151 people on board flying from [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], to Miami, Florida, and forces it to fly to [[Havana]], Cuba. He says he wishes to leave the [[United States]] "because of all the hatred and prejudice." He apologizes to the other passengers before disembarking at Havana.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681219-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Hijacking Description |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162413/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681219-0 |archive-date=2017-01-16 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/49935985707/42-thomas-george-washington |title=skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com "Skyjacker of the Day #42: Thomas George Washington," May 8, 2013. |access-date=January 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055428/http://skyjackeroftheday.tumblr.com/post/49935985707/42-thomas-george-washington |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 20 &ndash; At [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], X-15 program personnel attempting a 200th flight of the [[North American X-15]] find the base covered by snow. Deeming the highly unusual snowfall an omen, they decide against the flight and simply retire the aircraft instead. It is the end of the X-15 program.<ref name="Hallion, Richard P. 2012, p. 42"/>
* December 24
**[[Apollo 8]] orbits the Moon carrying [[Frank Borman]], [[Jim Lovell|James Lovell]], and [[William Anders]].
**[[Allegheny Airlines Flight 736]], a [[Convair CV-580]] (registration N5802), strikes trees while on approach to [[Bradford Regional Airport]] outside [[Bradford, Pennsylvania|Bradford]], [[Pennsylvania]]. It crashes inverted {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} southeast of the airport and about {{convert|800|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} from its first contact with the trees, killing 20 of the 47 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681224-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100526/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681224-0 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 26
**Two members of the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]] (PFLP) attack [[El Al Flight 253 attack|El Al Flight 253]], a [[Boeing 707]], with a [[submachine gun]] and [[hand grenade]]s as it prepares to depart [[Athens]], [[Greece]], killing one passenger and seriously wounding a [[flight attendant]] before being arrested.
**An [[Exportada de Sal S.A.]] (ESSA) [[Douglas DC-3]] crashes into the side of a mountain {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Ensenada, Baja California|Ensenada]], [[Mexico]], killing all 12 people on board.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681226-1 |title=Aviation Safety Network Accident Description |access-date=2017-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107100816/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681226-1 |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* December 27 &ndash; [[North Central Airlines Flight 458]], a [[Convair CV-580]], crashes into a [[hangar]] at [[O'Hare International Airport]] in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Illinois]], while attempting a [[go around]] in poor weather at night, killing 27 of the 45 people on board and killing one and injuring six people on the ground.
* December 28 &ndash; In retaliation for the 26 December PFLP attack on El Al Flight 253, [[Israel]]i [[Sayeret Matkal]] [[special forces]] [[1968 Israeli raid on Lebanon|conduct a raid]] against [[Beirut International Airport]] in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. They destroy eight passenger aircraft (a [[Vickers VC10]], a [[Boeing 707|Boeing 707-320C]], two [[Sud Aviation Caravelle|Sud Aviation Caravelle VINs]], three [[de Havilland Comet|de Havilland Comet 4Cs]], and one [[Vickers Viscount]]) belonging to [[Middle East Airlines]], four passenger aircraft (two [[Convair CV-990 Coronado]]s and two [[Douglas DC-7]]s) belonging to [[Lebanese International Airways]], and two cargo planes (a [[Douglas DC-4]] and a [[Douglas DC-6]]) belonging to [[Trans Mediterranean Airways]]. There are no deaths or injuries during the raid. The lost aircraft have an insurance value estimated at [[USD|US$]]43.8 million. 
* December 31 &ndash; [[MacRobertson Miller Airlines Flight 1750]], a [[Vickers Viscount|Vickers Viscount Type 720]], loses more than half of its right [[wing]] near the end of a flight from [[Perth Airport|Perth]] to [[Port Hedland International Airport|Port Hedland]], [[Australia]], and crashes 28 [[nautical mile]]s ({{convert|32|mi|km|disp=semicolon}}) south of Port Hedland, killing all 26 people on board.

== First flights ==
* [[Bell 212]]

===March===
*March 20 &ndash; [[LFU 205]]<ref name="jawa69 p93">Taylor 1969, p. 93.</ref>

===April===
*April 22 &ndash; [[Cessna 187]]

===May===
* May 13 – [[Piper PA-35 Pocono]]<ref name="jawa68pv">{{Harvnb|Taylor|1968|p=v}}</ref>
* May 25 &ndash; [[EA-6 Prowler|Grumman EA-6B Prowler]]

===June===
* June 30 &ndash; [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy]]

===July===
* [[Nord N 500]] (tethered)

===August===
* August 2 &ndash; [[Aérospatiale SA 341 Gazelle]]<ref>Donald, David, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-0592-6}}, p. 24.</ref>

===September===
* September 8 &ndash; [[SEPECAT Jaguar]]
* September 11 &ndash; [[Dassault Hirondelle]]<ref name="jawa69fp1"/>

===October===
* October 4 &ndash; [[Tupolev Tu-154]]<ref name="jawa69fp1">Taylor 1969, facing p.1.</ref>
* October 23 &ndash; [[Indraéro Aéro 30]]<ref name="jawa69fp1"/>
* October 26 &ndash; [[Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante]]<ref name="jawa69fp1"/>

===November===
* November 1 &ndash; [[Cessna 414]]
* November 4 &ndash; [[Aero L-39 Albatros]]<ref>Donald, David, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-0592-6}}, p. 15.</ref>
* November 7 &ndash; [[Conroy Stolifter]]<ref name="jawa69fp1"/>
* November 13 &ndash; [[Northrop HL-10]]

===December===
* December 3 &ndash; [[Anahuac Tauro]] ''XB-TAX''
* December 31 &ndash; [[Tupolev Tu-144]]<ref>Mondey, David, ed., ''The Complete Illustrated History of the World{{'}}s Aircraft'', Secaucus, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc., 1978, {{ISBN|0-89009-771-2}}, p. 58.</ref>

== Entered service ==

===January===
* January 22 &ndash; [[Schweizer X-26 Frigate|Schweizer QT-2]] with the [[United States Army]]<ref>Polmar, Norman, "Silent (By) Night," ''Naval History'', October 2017, p. 58.</ref>

===February===
* [[Boeing 737]] with [[Lufthansa]]

===March===
* March 6 &ndash; [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|Bell CH-118]] (ex-CUH-1H) with [[Canadian Armed Forces]] Mobile Command<ref>David, Donald, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Nobles Books, 1997, {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}, pp. 110, 113.</ref>

===April===
* April 12 &ndash; [[Beagle Pup]] with [[Shoreham Flying School]]<ref>Donald, David, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-0592-6}}, p. 93.</ref>

===May===
* May 2 &ndash; [[Beechcraft Model 99]] with [[Commuter Airlines]]<ref>Donald, David, ed., ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'', New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997, {{ISBN|978-0-7607-0592-6}}, p. 103.</ref>

== Retirements ==
* [[Beriev Be-10]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "Mallow") by the 2nd Squadron of [[Soviet Naval Aviation]]′s [[977th Independent Naval Long-range Reconnaissance Air Regiment]]

===December===
* December 20 &ndash; [[North American X-15]]<ref name="Hallion, Richard P. 2012, p. 42"/>

==Deadliest crash==
The deadliest crash of this year was a military shootdown, namely the [[1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown]], when a [[United States Air Force]] [[Lockheed C-130B Hercules]] was shot down in southern [[Vietnam]] on 12 May, during the [[Vietnam War]], killing all 155 people on board; it was at the time the deadliest plane crash of all time. The deadliest civil aviation accident was [[South African Airways Flight 228]], a [[Boeing 707]] which crashed shortly after takeoff from [[Windhoek]], [[South West Africa]] on 20 April, killing 123 of the 128 people on board.

==References==
{{reflist}}

* {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=John W. R. |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1968–69 |year=1968 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd. |location=London }}
* [[John W. R. Taylor|Taylor, John W. R.]] ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1969–70''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd., 1969.

{{Aviation timelines navbox}}

[[Category:1968 in aviation| ]]
[[Category:Aviation by year]]