View source for 1998 in aviation

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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2011}}
{{yearbox
|in?=in aviation
|cp=19th Century
|c=20th century 
|cf=21st century
|yp1=1995
|yp2=1996
|yp3=1997
|year=1998
|ya1=1999
|ya2=2000
|ya3=2001
|dp3=1960s
|dp2=1970s
|dp1=1980s
|d=1990s
|dn1=2000–2009{{!}}2000s
|dn2=2010s
|dn3=2020s
}}
{{Portal|Aviation}}
This is a list of [[aviation]]-related events from 1998.

==Events==
* [[Cirrus Aircraft]] successfully flight-tests the [[Cirrus Airframe Parachute System|CAPS]] ballistic emergency aircraft parachute.
* [[Adam Aircraft Industries]] founded
* [[Eclipse Aviation]] founded

===January===
* January 4 &ndash; A passenger aboard [[Olympic Airways Flight 417]], a [[Boeing 747]] flying from [[Athens]], [[Greece]], to [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]], dies after exposure to [[secondhand smoke]] during the flight. The incident highlights a health danger of [[smoking]] aboard airliners and results in a [[USD|USD $]]1.4 million court judgment against Olympic Airways.
* January 8 &ndash; [[Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela]] (LAV), grounded since [[1994 in aviation#August|August 1994]] by its owner, the [[Government of Venezuela]], in an effort to reduce expenditures, resumes flight operations under private ownership.
* January 9 &ndash; Due to a maintenance error, a [[Cessna 182|Cessna 182P Skylane]] piloted by American [[Winemaking|winemaker]] [[Richard Graff]] loses engine power after takeoff from [[Salinas Municipal Airport]] in [[Salinas, California|Salinas]], [[California]]. He attempts to return to the airport for an [[emergency landing]], but the plane crashes, killing him.<ref name="famous90s">{{Cite web|url=https://www.planecrashinfo.com/famous1990s.htm|title=Famous people who died in aviation accidents|website=www.planecrashinfo.com|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref>
* January 13 &ndash; An [[Ariana Afghan Airlines]] [[Antonov An-12]] crashes near Tor Kach, [[Pakistan]] after it runs out of fuel in poor weather. All 51 people on board die.
* January 27 &ndash; A [[Myanma Airways]] [[Fokker F27]] crashes while taking off from [[Yangon]], [[Myanmar]] killing 16 of the 45 people on board.

===February===
* February 2 &ndash; [[Cebu Pacific Flight 387]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]], crashes into a mountain near [[Pagalungan]] in the [[Philippines]]. All of the 104 passengers and crew members are killed.
* February 3 &ndash; A [[United States Marine Corps]] [[Grumman EA-6B Prowler|EA-6B Prowler]] [[electronic warfare aircraft]] of [[VMAQ-2|Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) (VMAQ-2)]] [[Cavalese cable car disaster (1998)|strikes a cable]] supporting the [[aerial tramway]] at [[Cavalese]], [[Italy]], causing one of the tramway{{'}}s cars to plunge over {{convert|80|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} to the ground, killing all 20 people in the car. The Prowler lands safely. 
* February 6 &ndash; [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] signs legislation changing the name of Washington National Airport in [[Arlington, Virginia|Arlington]], [[Virginia]], to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]].<ref>"Today in History", ''The Washington Post Express'', February 6, 2014, p. 30.</ref>
* February 16 &ndash; [[China Airlines Flight 676]], an [[Airbus A300|Airbus A300-60DR]], crashes into a residential area while attempting to land in [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]. All 196 people on board are killed, in addition to six more on the ground. Among the dead is the president of Taiwan's [[central bank]], [[Sheu Yuan-dong]].
* February 20
**OceanAir – the future [[Azores Airlines]] – is rebranded as SATA International. It has not flown since [[1994 in aviation|1994]], but it will resume flight operations on [[1998 in aviation#April|8 April]].
**[[Trans World Airlines]] retires the last of its [[Boeing 747]] airliners, making the [[Boeing 767]] its main intercontinental aircraft.<ref name="twatimeline">{{Cite web|url=http://twaflightattendants.com/liftoffhtml/historytimeline.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410102544/http://twaflightattendants.com/liftoffhtml/historytimeline.html|url-status=dead|title=History timeline|archivedate=April 10, 2015|website=twaflightattendants.com}}</ref>

===March===
* March 15 &ndash; Israeli [[Brigadier General]] [[Tal Shmuel Eldar]] is one of two people killed in the crash of an [[Israeli Air Force]] [[Bell AH-1 Cobra]] [[attack helicopter]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] off the coast of [[Israel]] during a training flight.<ref name="famous90s"/>
* March 18 &ndash; [[Formosa Airlines Flight 7623]], a Saab 340, crashes off the coast of Taiwan shortly after take-off, killing all 13 people on board.
* March 19 &ndash; An [[1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727 crash|Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 727]] hits a mountain near [[Charasyab]], [[Afghanistan]] while descending to land. All 45 on board die.
* March 22 &ndash; [[Philippine Airlines Flight 137]], an [[Airbus A320|Airbus A320-214]] with 127 people on board, overshoots the end of the runway while landing at [[Bacolod City Domestic Airport]] in [[Bacolod]] in the [[Republic of the Philippines|Philippines]], plowing through several houses. All on board the airliner survive, but three people on the ground die; 89 people are injured in the accident.

===April===
* April 2 &ndash; The [[Government of Slovakia]] establishes the [[Civil Aviation Authority (Slovakia)|Civil Aviation Authority of the Slovak Republic]] as [[Slovakia]]′s national [[civil aviation authority]].
**SATA International – the future [[Azores Airlines]] – which had not flown since [[1994 in aviation|1994]] when it was known as OceanAir, resumes flight operations.
* April 20 &ndash; [[Air France Flight 422]], a [[Boeing 727]], crashes into a mountain near [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]], in foggy weather shortly after takeoff from [[El Dorado International Airport]], killing all 53 people on board.
* April 22 &ndash; [[Trans World Airlines]] announces that it has ordered 24 [[McDonnell Douglas MD-83]] airliners from [[McDonnell Douglas]], with all the aircraft to be delivered during 1999.<ref name="twatimeline"/>

===May===
* The [[Republic of China]] establishes the [[Aviation Safety Council]], responsible for aviation accident investigation, with the purpose of analyzing causal factors and proposing flight safety recommendations in [[Taiwan]].
* May 5 &ndash; An [[1998 Occidental Petroleum Boeing 737 crash|Occidental Petroleum Boeing 737-282 crashes]] on approach to [[Alférez FAP Alfredo Vladimir Sara Bauer Airport]] in Peru, killing 75 people on board.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980505-0| title =Accident description|publisher =[[Aviation Safety Network]]| access-date =27 May 2014}}</ref>
* May 15 &ndash; The [[Government of Portugal]] establishes the National Institute of Civil Aviation to serve as [[Portugal]]′s national [[civil aviation]] authority. It replaces the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which is abolished on this date.
* May 25
**The [[Republic of China]] creates the [[Aviation Safety Council]], responsible for aviation accident investigations in [[Taiwan]].
**Three armed men belonging to the [[Baloch Students Organization]] [[Aircraft hijacking|hijack]] [[PIA Flight 544|Pakistan International Airlines Flight 544]], a [[Fokker F27 Friendship]] with 35 other people on board, just after takeoff from [[Gwadar International Airport]] in [[Gwadar]], [[Pakistan]], and attempt to force it to fly to [[New Delhi]], [[India]], but [[Pakistan Air Force]] [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]]s force the airliner to land at [[Hyderabad Airport (Pakistan)|Hyderabad Airport]] in [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]], Pakistan. After seven hours, [[Pakistani Army]] commandos storm the plane early on May 26 and arrest the hijackets without injury to anyone.
* May 26 &ndash; An [[MIAT Mongolian Airlines]] [[Antonov An-24]] crashes into a mountain near [[Erdenet]], [[Mongolia]]. All 28 people on board die.

===June===
* Nargis Bhimji of [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]], spends her birthday flying on commercial airliners from Karachi to [[Singapore]] and then on to [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]]. The time zone change along the way stretches the day out to a length of 35 hours 25 minutes, allowing her to set the record – recognized by [[Guinness World Records]] – for the longest birthday in history. Her record will stand until [[2014 in aviation#August|August 2014]].<ref>[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2015/8/german-man-celebrates-longest-birthday-ever-by-travelling-across-time-zones-390255 Swatman, Rachel, "German man celebrates longest birthday ever by travelling across time zones," guinnessworldrecords.com, August 4, 2015],</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/3987206/longest-birthday-world-record-time-zones/|title=This Genius Figured Out How to Have the Longest Birthday Ever|date=August 6, 2015|magazine=Time|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/longest-birthday-celebration-ever-german-6217988|title=This man had the longest birthday celebration ever - here's how he did it|first=Suchandrika|last=Chakrabarti|date=August 8, 2015|website=mirror|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref>
* June 1 – [[MetroJet]], operated by [[US Airways]], begins operations.
* June 5 &ndash; The bankrupt [[Indonesia]]n airline [[Sempati Air]] ceases operations and goes out of business.
* June 15 – The last delivery of an [[Airbus A310]] (msn. 706, reg. UK-31003) is made to [[Uzbekistan Airways]].{{cn|date=November 2025}}

===July===
* [[Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela]] (LAV) resumes service between [[Venezuela]] and the [[United States]].
* July 1 &ndash; [[JAL Express]], operated by [[Japan Airlines]], commences operations.
* July 6 &ndash; Hong Kong's [[Kai Tak Airport]] is closed at 1:28&nbsp;a.m. with the lights of its 13/31 runway being switched off. Operation of the new [[Hong Kong International Airport]] at Chek Lap Kok commences on the same day, with the first commercial flight landing at 6:25&nbsp;a.m.
* July 26 &ndash; Just after completing a [[Aerobatic maneuver|loop]] and a four-step corkscrew turn, [[United States Air Force]] [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[David J. McCloud]] dies when the [[Yakovlev Yak-54]] he is piloting goes into an inverted [[Spin (aerodynamics)|spin]] and crashes almost vertically into a grove of trees at [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Alaska]].<ref name="famous90s"/>
* July 30 &ndash; After deviating from its planned route and descending over [[Quiberon Bay]] off [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]], [[France]], to give its passengers and crew a good view of the [[ocean liner]] {{SS|Norway}}, [[Proteus Airlines Flight 706]] – a [[Beechcraft 1900|Beechcraft 1900D]] (registration F-GSJM) with 14 people on board – collides at an altitude of {{convert|2,000|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} with a [[Cessna 177 Cardinal|Cessna 177RG Cardinal]] (registration F-GAJE). Both aircraft plunge into the bay about 1.5 kilometers (0.8 [[nautical mile]]) from SS ''Norway'', killing everyone aboard the Proteus Air flight and the sole occupant of the Cessna.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980730-1|title=ASN Aircraft accident Beechcraft 1900D F-GSJM Baie de Quiberon|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref>

===August===
* August 6 &ndash; The [[NASA Pathfinder#Pathfinder-Plus|NASA Pathfinder-Plus]] [[unmanned aerial vehicle]] (UAV) sets a national altitude record for both [[Solar power|solar-powered]] and [[propeller]]-driven aircraft, reaching {{convert|80,201|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} during a flight from the [[United States Navy]]{{'}}s [[Pacific Missile Range Facility]] on [[Kauai]], [[Hawaii]].
* August 21
**A Lumbini Airways [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] crashes in a mountainous region near Ghorepani, [[Nepal]]. All of the 18 people on board are killed.
**An [[Insitu Aerosonde]] named ''Laima'' becomes the first UAV to cross the [[Atlantic Ocean]], completing the flight in 26 hours.
*August 24 &ndash; [[Myanma Airways Flight 635]], a [[Fokker F27 Friendship]], crashes in Manibagi, [[Myanmar]], during poor weather while on approach to [[Tachilek Airport]] in [[Tachilek]], [[Myanmar]] (Burma), killing all 36 people on board. It has been reported that there may have been survivors that were tortured to death by local villagers that thought the aircraft carried military personnel.
*August 29 &ndash; [[Cubana de Aviación Flight 389]], a [[Tupolev Tu-154]], crashes during takeoff into buildings in [[Quito]], [[Ecuador]]. Seventy-five of the 90 people on board die, as do 10 people on the ground.

===September===
*September 1 &ndash; The [[Government of Germany]] establishes its [[German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation|Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation]].
*September 2
**[[National Union for Total Independence of Angola|UNITA]] rebels shoot down a [[Permaviatrans]] [[Antonov An-26]] over [[Angola]]. All 24 people on board die.
**[[Swissair Flight 111]], a [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]], crashes into the [[North Atlantic Ocean]] near [[Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]], due to smoke in the cockpit caused by insulation burning in the shell. All 229 people on board perish. American physician and [[World Health Organization]] official [[Jonathan Mann (WHO official)|Jonathan Mann]], American [[AIDS]] and [[HIV]] researcher [[Mary Lou Clements-Mann]], and American chef [[Joseph LaMotta]] are among the dead.<ref name="famous90s"/>
*September 14 &ndash; 23-year-old [[List of wheel-well stowaway flights|wheel-well stowaway]] Emilio Dominguez survives a flight from [[San Pedro Sula]], [[Honduras]], to [[Miami]], [[Florida]], aboard [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] Flight 6130.<ref>{{cite news | url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19980915&id=A91PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QggEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4644,8880265| title =Stowaway survives Honduras-to-Miami flight at 33,000 feet |newspaper =[[Ocala Star-Banner]]| access-date =24 April 2014}}</ref> 
*September 25 &ndash; A [[PauknAir Flight 4101|Paukn Air BAe 146 crashes]] near [[Nador]], [[Morocco]], killing all 38 people on board.
*September 29 &ndash; [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] rebels shoot down a [[Lion Air]] [[Antonov An-24]]. [[Lionair Flight 602]] crashed into the sea off [[Mannar, Sri Lanka|Mannar]], [[Sri Lanka]], killing all 55 people on board.<ref>{{cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident Antonov An-24RV EW-46465 Mannar |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980929-0 |website=aviation-safety.net |access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gunatilleke |first1=Nadira |title=Flight into terror |url=https://www.dailynews.lk/2020/09/29/features/230010/flight-terror |website=Daily News |access-date=4 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

===October===
* [[Continental Airlines]] receives its first [[Boeing 777-200|Boeing 777-200ER]] aircraft, allowing it to make non-stop flights from [[Newark International Airport]] in [[New Jersey]] and [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]] in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]], to [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]], and from Newark to [[Tel Aviv]], [[Israel]].
* October 1 &ndash; [[United States Navy]] [[Boeing E-6 Mercury]] [[TACAMO]] aircraft replace [[United States Air Force]] [[Boeing EC-135|Boeing EC-135C]] aircraft in carrying out [[Operation Looking Glass]] for [[United States Strategic Command]].
* October 8 &ndash; In [[Oslo]], [[Norway]], [[Oslo Airport, Fornebu]], closes. Its traffic movies to [[Oslo Airport, Gardermoen]].
* October 10 &ndash; A [[Strela 2]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "SA-7 Grail") [[surface-to-air missile]] fired by rebel forces strikes a [[Lignes Aériennes Congolaises]] [[Boeing 727-100]] three minutes after the airliner takes off from [[Kindu Airport]] in [[Kindu]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. While the flight crew is attempting to return to the airport for an [[emergency landing]], the airliner [[1998 Lignes Aériennes Congolaises crash|crashes]] in dense [[jungle]], killing all 41 people on board.
* October 21 &ndash; [[Trans World Airlines]] announces that it will acquire four [[Boeing 757]]s and one [[Boeing 767-300ER]]. The purchase will increase the airline's fleet to 27 Boeing 757s and five Boeing 767-300ERs by January 2000.<ref name="twatimeline"/>

===November===
* November 13 &ndash; [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Bill Clinton]] orders air attacks against [[Iraq]] because of an Iraqi refusal to allow [[United Nations]] weapons inspectors to work in Iraq.<ref name="globalsecurity.org">{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/southern_watch-1998.htm|title=Operation Southern Watch|website=www.globalsecurity.org|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref>
* November 14 &ndash; Clinton rescinds his order for air attacks on Iraq after Iraq agrees to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to resume their work. The aircraft are already in the air, but abort their attacks.<ref name="globalsecurity.org"/>
* November 21 &ndash; American actor [[William Gardner Knight]] is killed while trying to land a [[Burgess RV-6]] experimental piloting he is piloting in darkness at [[Edgewater, Maryland|Edgewater]], [[Maryland]]. The plane strikes trees and crashes into Beard's Creek, killing him.<ref name="famous90s"/>
* November 24 &ndash; [[Gaza International Airport]] opens in [[Gaza City]] as the first international airport in the [[Gaza Strip]].

===December===

* December 9 &ndash; [[Trans World Airlines]] announces the largest aircraft order in its history, for 125 [[Boeing 717]], [[Airbus A318]], and [[Airbus A320 family]] aircraft and options on an additional 125 airliners.<ref name="twatimeline"/>
* December 10 &ndash; Captain Michael VandenBos of the Canadian [[Snowbirds (aerobatic team)|Snowbirds]] [[aerobatic]] team dies in a midair collision between two [[Canadair CL-41 Tutor|CT-114 Tutor]]s during training near [[Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan|Moose Jaw]], [[Saskatchewan]], [[Canada]].
* December 11 &ndash; [[Thai Airways International Flight 261]], an [[Airbus A-310|Airbus A310-300]], crashes on its third attempt to land at [[Surat Thani Airport]] near [[Surat Thani]], [[Thailand]], in heavy rain, killing 101 of the 146 people on board and leaving all 45 survivors injured.
* December 15 &ndash; [[France]] suspends its participation in the [[Operation Southern Watch]] [[no-fly zone]] over southern [[Iraq]], arguing that the operation has continued for too long and is ineffective.<ref name="John Pike">{{cite web|author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/southern_watch-1999.htm |title=Operation Southern Watch |publisher=Globalsecurity.org |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>
* December 16 &ndash; Citing Iraq{{'}}s failure to comply with [[United Nations Security Council Resolutions]], [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Bill Clinton]] orders [[Operation Desert Fox]], a four-day air campaign against targets all over Iraq. The operation begins an increased level of combat in the Operation Southern Watch no-fly zone which will last until the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]] in March 2003.<ref name="John Pike"/>
* December 20 &ndash; [[Atlantic Rowing Race]] co-winner [[Phil Stubbs]] is killed when the [[Piper PA-18 Super Cub]] he is piloting nosedives into [[Karekare, New Zealand|Karekare]] Beach in [[New Zealand]] just after takeoff from [[Auckland]]. His passenger survives.<ref name="famous90s"/>
* December 30 &ndash; Iraqi [[2K12 Kub]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "SA-6 Gainful") [[surface-to-air missile]] sites fire at American aircraft. U.S. Air Force [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]]s bomb the sites in response.<ref name="John Pike"/>
* December 31 &ndash; [[Nepal]] creates the [[Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal]].

==First flights==

===January===

* January 20 – [[Fairchild Dornier 328JET]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fairchild-dornier.com/3.html|title=Germania Executive GMBH Business Aviation: Dornier 328JET fairchild-dornier.com|access-date=April 8, 2023}}</ref>
* January 18 – [[Aero AT-3]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>
* January 23 – [[AEA Explorer]]<ref name="jawa99p[23]">{{harvnb|Jackson|1999|p=[23]}}</ref>

===February===
* February 11 – [[Boeing C-32]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>
* February 28 – Ryan (now [[Northrop Grumman]]) [[RQ-4 Global Hawk]]

===March===
* March 6 – [[Bell Eagle Eye]] scaled prototype tiltrotor UAV.
* March 12 – [[X-38 Crew Return Vehicle]] atmospheric test prototype

===April===
* April 10 – [[Comp Air 10]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>

===May===
* May 8 – [[PADC Hummingbird]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>

===July===
* July 26 &ndash; [[Scaled Composites Proteus]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>
* July 27 – [[Dorna Parandeh Abi]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]">{{harvnb|Jackson|1999|p=[24]}}</ref>
===August===
* August 11 – [[Boeing X-40]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>

===September===
* September 24 &ndash; [[Beriev Be-200|Beriev Be-200 Altair]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>

===November===
* November 10 &ndash; [[NASA Pathfinder#Centurion|NASA Centurion]] (full-scale version)

===December===
* December 10 – [[Kamov Ka-60]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>
* December 22 – [[Beechcraft Premier I]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>
* December 23 – [[Sikorsky S-92]]<ref name="jawa99p[24]"/>

==Entered service==
===August===
* [[Ilyushin Il-114]] with [[Uzbekistan Airways]]
* August 31 – [[Sukhoi Su-33]] ([[NATO reporting name]] "Flanker-D") with the [[Russian Federation Navy]] (officially)

==Deadliest crash==
The deadliest crash of this year was [[Swissair Flight 111]], a [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]] which crashed into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] near [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]] on 2 September, killing all 229 people on board.

== References ==
<references />

* {{cite book |editor-last=Jackson |editor-first=Paul |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1999–2000 |year=1999 |location=Coulsdon, UK |publisher=Jane's Information Group |isbn=0-7106-1898-0}}

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