This is a list of aviation-related events from 1987.
Events Lauda Air begins scheduled service.
January During January and February, the United States Navy conducts proof-of-concept tests of Pioneer (later RQ-2 Pioneer) unmanned aerial vehicles aboard the battleship in the Caribbean Sea to see if they can spot effectively for naval gunfire. Although four of the five Pioneers are lost during the tests, they demonstrate their ability to detect targets for Iowas 16-inch (406-mm) guns.Polmar, Norman, "Historic Aircraft: The Pioneering Pioneer," Naval History, October 2013, p. 15. January 1 – United States Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin and United States Navy H-3 Sea King helicopters help rescue people trapped inside the Dupont Plaza hotel in Puerto Rico after a fire breaks out there late on December 31, 1986. January 3 – Varig Flight 797, a Boeing 707-379C, develops engine trouble after departing Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It crashes while attempting to return to the airport, killing 50 of the 51 people on board. January 7 – French Air Force jets attack the Libyan Air Force base in Ouadi Doum to avenge a raid by Libya against the French military three days before. January 9 – In the Iran–Iraq War, an Iranian Hawk surface-to-air missile shoots down an Iraqi Air Force MiG-25 (NATO reporting name "Foxbat").Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran–Iraq War, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 256. January 14 – Iranian Hawk missiles shoot down two Iraqi Air Force Tupolev Tu-22 (NATO reporting name "Badger") bombers. January 15 Iraq claims to have shot down an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-14 Tomcat in air-to-air combat.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 251. Iraq claims its aircraft have flown over 500 combat missions in support of Iraqi ground forces since January 14. Since January 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against five ships in the Persian Gulf and 30 economic and urban targets in Iran, while Iran has carried three airstrikes, all against economic and urban targets in Iraq.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 255. January 22 – Iran claims to have shot down 57 Iraqi aircraft since January 1, while Iraq admits to the loss of 15. January 28 – An Iranian Hawk missile shoots down an Iraqi MiG-23 (NATO reporting name "Flogger") flying at an altitude of over the front lines at Basra, Iraq. January 30 – Since January 15, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against two ships in the Persian Gulf and 18 economic and urban targets in Iran, while Iran has carried out 12 airstrikes, all against urban and economic targets in Iraq. January 31 During the month, Iraq has conducted over 200 long-range air and ballistic missile strikes against 35 Iranian cities, including Qom, Nahawand, Ramhormoz, Isfahan, and Dezful. Iran claims that the raids have killed over 3,000 civilians in a single week, but later revises this claim to say that the raids killed over 1,800 Iranians and injured over 6,200. Iran claims to have shot down 69 Iraqi aircraft during the month, while Iraq admits to the loss of no more than 38. During the month, Iran and Iraq have struck more targets in the Persian Gulf than in any other month of the Iran-Iraq War since it began in September 1980.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 271.
February During early and mid-February, the Iraqi Air Force conducts continual strikes against the 13 major cities in western Iran and against Tehran.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 279. During the month, a defecting Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force colonel says in Mujahideen-e-Khalq-sponsored press conferences that only one-third of Irans 65 F-4 Phantom IIs, a third of its attack helicopters, 30 to 40 of its C-130 Hercules, six to ten of its F-14 Tomcats, and four of its tanker aircraft remain operational; that only one or two or its pre-Iran–Iraq War total of six P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft remain fully operational; that several C-130s had crashed due to poor maintenance; that two-thirds of Irans 65 flyable fighter aircraft were not fully functional; that all of Iran's RF-4E Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft had been shot down or lost in accidents; that Iran had shot down 55 of its own aircraft due to radar and identification-friend-or-foe problems, including a Dassault Falcon jet transport shot down by a Hawk surface-to-air missile in early February; that Iran had too few technical experts to keep its remaining aircraft flying; and that 180 Iranian pilots had defected, many with their aircraft, and that Iranian pilots were briefed on their missions only an hour or so ahead of time so that they would not have time to plan defections.Cordesman and Wagner, pp. 279, 343n. February 1 – People Express Airlines and New York Air cease operations, and People Express, Frontier Airlines (which had ceased operations in August 1986), New York Air, and several commuter airlines merge into Continental Airlines. February 9 – A single Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force plane drops bombs on Basra, Iraq. February 11 – British Airways is privatised.Fifty years of British Airways: the definitive timeline The Independent April 2, 2024 February 14 – Since January 1, Iraq has conducted 75 airstrikes against Iranian economic installations. February 15 Iraq claims to have lost three aircraft over Iranian cities since 14 February, at least of them to an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Since February 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against four ships in the Persian Gulf and 27 economic and urban targets in Iran. February 18 – The latest phase of major Iraqi airstrikes against Iranian cities and Iranian ballistic missile strikes against Iraqi cities, which began on January 9, ends. Iran claims that Iraqi aircraft have struck 35 Iranian cities and towns, killing 3,000 Iranians and injuring 9,000.Cordesman and Wagner, p. 280.
February 28 – Since February 16, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against five ships in the Persian Gulf and eight economic and urban targets in IranCordesman and Wagner, pp. 255–256.
March Grumman delivers the last of 712 Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighters produced to the United States Navy. Production has included 557 F-14A (of which 18 later were converted into F-14Ds), 38 F-14A+ (later redesignated F-14B), and 37 F-14D aircraft for the U.S. Navy and 80 F-14As for the Imperial Iranian Air Force, of which 79 were delivered to Iran and one retained by the United States after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.Polmar, Norman, "Historic Aircraft: A Premier Fighter," Naval History, April 2012, p. 14. March 5 – American race car driver Don Yenko is killed when the Cessna 210 Centurion he is piloting lands hard near Charleston, West Virginia, veers off the runway, hits a bank of dirt, falls into a ravine, and crashes. His three passengers also die.planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1980s March 10 – The Pan Am Boeing 747-121 Clipper Ocean Pearl, operating as Flight 125 with 245 people on board, experiences pressurization problems during climbout from Heathrow Airport in England, and returns to the airport. An investigation finds that latching problems had allowed the forward cargo door to come ajar. A similar door problem will lead to a fatal accident aboard United Airlines Flight 811 in February 1989. March 21 – American entertainer Dean Paul "Dino" Martin, the son of singer and actor Dean Martin, is killed when the California Air National Guard F-4C Phantom II he is piloting enters a maximum takeoff climb, flies into clouds, and crashes into a wall of granite on Mount San Gorgonio in California's San Bernardino Mountains while flying inverted at a speed of r).planecrashinfo.com Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents: 1980s His weapon systems officer also dies. March 27 – Pacific Western Airlines purchases Canadian Pacific Air Lines, and the two airlines amalgamate to form Canadian Airlines. March 29 – The United States Navy disbands United States Naval Reserve Light Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 206 (VFP-206), its last squadron equipped with specialized photographic reconnaissance aircraft and the last equipped with any version of the Vought F-8 Crusader.Polmar, Norman, "Historic Aircraft: The Last Photo Plane," Naval History, October 2010, p. 65. March 31 – Since March 1, Iraq has conducted airstrikes against eight ships in the Persian Gulf and four urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out one airstrike targeting Persian Gulf shipping but none against urban and economic targets in Iraq.
April After purchasing and merging with Canadian Pacific Airlines and Nordair, Pacific Western Airlines announces that the name of the new combined airline will be Canadian Airlines International. April 1 The Government of India′s Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, becomes an independent agency of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Previously, it had been a department of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Western Airlines ceases to exist as it merges with Delta Air Lines. Western had operated since April 1926. April 2 – A Royal Air Force Vickers VC10 sets a new record time between the United Kingdom and Australia, landing in Perth, Australia, after a flight of 16 hours 1 minute. April 4 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 035, a Douglas DC-9-32, strikes a pylon and crashes on approach to Medan-Polonia Airport in Medan on Sumatra in Indonesia. A fire following the crash kills 23 of the 45 people on board; all 22 survivors are injured. April 10 – Johan Åhling of Sweden introduces the "Mosquito", a foot-launched powered hang glider harness. April 11 – British charter airline Air 2000 begins operations with a leased Boeing 757-200. April 13 – The Iranian Karbala 9 offensive ends. Since Iran launched its Katbala 4 offensive on the night of December 23–24, 1986, the Iraqi Air Force has lost between 70 and 90 aircraft, and during March and April it was lost several aircraft per week.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 262. April 30 – Since April 1, Iraq has conducted five airstrikes against shipping in the Persian Gulf and seven urban and economic targets in Iran. Iran has carried out no airstrikes against Persian Gulf shipping or urban and economic targets in Iraq.Cordesman, Anthony H., and Abraham R. Wagner, The Lessons of Modern War, Volume II: The Iran-Iraq War, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1990, , p. 310.
May May 4 – American Eagle Flight 5452, a CASA C-212 operated by Executive Airlines, crashes on landing at Eugenio María de Hostos Airport in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, killing both pilots. The other four people on board, all passengers, survive with minor injuries. May 9 – The LOT Polish Airlines Ilyushin Il-62M Tadeusz Kościuszko, operating as LOT Flight 5055 bound for New York City, catches fire due to an engine failure soon after take-off from Okęcie Airport and crashes into the Kabaty Woods nature reserve on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 persons on board. It is the deadliest aviation disaster of 1987. May 17 – In the USS Stark incident, an Iraqi Air Force Dassault Mirage F1 jet hits the United States Navy guided-missile frigate with two Exocet antiship cruise missiles, badly damaging her and killing 37 and wounding 21 of her crew. May 29