1996 in aviation

February
February 6 - Turkish charter company Birgenair Flight 301 crashes in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic after takeoff. 189 people died.

February 29 - WestJet, a canadian airline, began operations.
the T-6 Texan II is selected as the new primary trainer for the United States armed forces.
Hildegarde Ferrera becomes the oldest person to parachute out of a plane, at 99 years old.

March
March 15 - The Fokker aircraft manufacturer is declared bankrupt.

March 21 - Tupolev and NASA begin joint research into civil supersonic transports using a refurbished Tupolev Tu-144

April
April 12 - Seven year old pilot Jessica Dubroff dies during attempt to set record as the youngest person to fly across the United States.

May
May 11 - Valujet Flight 592 crashes in the Florida Everglades.

June
June 9 - the Swedish Air Force opens a new pilot training centre at Såtenäs

July
July 13 - A Garuda Indonesia Airways DC-10 crashes on take-off from Fukuoka Airport, Japan, killing 3.

July 17 - TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747 with 230 people aboard, explodes off the coast of New York.

August
August 29 - Vnukovo Airlines Flight 2801 crashes into a mountain on Spitsbergen killing 141 people.

October
October 8 - three B-2 Spirits destroy 16 targets with 16 smart bombs at the Nellis AFB range.

November
November 12 - A Saudi Airlines Boeing 747 collides with a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin IL-76, killing 349 people.

November 23 - Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 crashes in Comoros after it got hijacked on air, killing 125 people.

December
December 15 - the merger of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing is announced

December 24 - The 1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash which led to a 3-year search for the missing aircraft, and legislation requiring stricter ELT standards.

First flights

Boeing Bird of Prey

January
January 4 - RAH-66 Comanche

February
February 29 - Cessna Citation Excel

March
March 16 - MiG/MAPO MiG-AT
March 21 - Tupolev TU-214
March 29 - RQ-3 Dark Star

April
April 4 - Extra 400
April 5 - Lockheed C-130J
April 25 - Yakovlev Yak/AEM-130

May
May 1 - NASA ERAST ALTUS II
May 22 - Airbus A319

June
June 19 - Scaled Composites Boomerang

August
August 6 - Kawasaki OH-1

September
September 30 - Aero L-59 Super Albatros

October
Kawada Robocopter
October 29 - PZL SW-4 helicopter

November
November 29 - Tupolev TU-144LL

Entered service

June
Saab JAS-39A Gripen

Retirements

May
May 30 - Mirage IV-P Bombers of the Armée de l'Air are retired.

July
July 27 - the final General Dynamics F-111F attack aircraft are withdrawn from USAF service; on its retirement, the aircraft finally receives an official popular name: "Aardvark."

October
October 17 - The last airworthy Vickers Vanguard, G-APEP, makes the type's last flight.

December
December 19 - The US Navy retires it's Grumman A-6 Intruders.