• Three
aerial refueling points are installed on a modified
United States Air Force B-29 Superfortress, making it the worlds first triple-point aerial tanker. During trials, it keeps six
Royal Air Force Gloster Meteor F 8 fighters continuously aloft simultaneously for four hours at a time. •
President Harry S Truman presents the
Collier Trophy to the
United States Coast Guard for its development of the
helicopter. • With no aircraft left on order and no prospects for new orders, the
Curtiss-Wright Corporation closes down its Aeroplane Division and sells all of its aircraft designs, projects, prototypes, and factories to
North American Aviation. • During the year,
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela (LAV) begins service between
Venezuela and
Lima,
Peru, and
Bogotá,
Colombia. • Early 1951 – The
Royal Navy embarks a helicopter unit on an aircraft carrier for the first time, aboard .
January • U.S. Navy aircraft from the aircraft carriers of
Task Force 77 provide support to
United Nations troops fighting on the front line in
Korea, including long-range interdiction, emergency close air support, and air cover for landings and evacuations. • January 1 • The
United States Air Force reestablishes the
Air Defense Command. It also returns the Air Defense Command to the status of a major command, a status it has not held since December 1948. • The last remaining assets of
Deutsche Luft Hansa are liquidated. The airline had been dissolved in 1945. The later German airline
Lufthansa will have no legal connection to it. • January 13 – An
Air Carriers Douglas VC-47D-27-DK Skytrain (registration (VR-HEP) on a domestic flight in the
Federation of Malaya crashes into the mountain
Bukit Besar, killing all 10 people on board. • January 14 –
National Airlines Flight 83, a
Douglas DC-4-1009 (registration N74685), overshoots the end of the runway and crashes in a ditch on landing at
Philadelphia International Airport in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing seven of the 28 people on board. Among the dead – five women and two infants – is the flight's only
stewardess,
Frankie Housley, who saves 10 passengers after the crash but then dies in the burning wreckage of the aircraft while trying to save an infant. • January 16 –
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 115, a
Martin 2-0-2 flying from
Geiger Field in
Spokane,
Washington, to
Pangborn Field in
Wenatchee, Washington, crashes west of
Reardan, Washington, killing all 10 people on board. • January 21 – The U.S. Air Force
F-84 Thunderjet makes its first kill, when F-84 pilot
Lieutenant Colonel William E. Bertram shoots down a
MiG-15 during the
Korean War. • January 27 –
Lightning strikes the
Alitalia Savoia-Marchetti SM.95B Ugolino Vivaldi (registration I-DALO) during a flight from
Paris-Le Bourget Airport in
Paris, France, to
Roma-Ciampino Airport in
Rome,
Italy. The aircraft catches fire and crashes north of
Civitavecchia, Italy, killing 14 of the 17 people on board. • January 28 – Flying from
Hong Kong to
Japan in poor visibility, a
Royal Air Force Short S.25 Sunderland GR.5 (registration PP107) crashes into
Mount Yuli on
Taiwan at an altitude of , killing all 14 people on board. • January 31 • On a flight in the privately owned
P-51 Mustang Excalibur III to investigate the
jet stream, U.S. Navy
Captain Charles F. Blair, Jr., sets a record for a piston-engine aircraft by flying nonstop from
New York City to
London,
England, in 7 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of . • After aborting an attempted landing in heavy snowfall at
Reykjavík Airport in
Reykjavík,
Iceland, an
Icelandair Flugfélag Islands Douglas C-47A-10-DK Skytrain (registration TF-ISG) crashes in the
Atlantic Ocean off
Hafnarfjördur, killing all 20 people on board. • A
Portuguese Army Aeronáutica Militar Douglas C-54D-1-DC Skymaster crashes into the Atlantic Ocean on approach to
Lajes Field in the
Azores, killing all 14 people on board. • The month ends as the worst for the
United Nations forces in Korea in terms of air losses, with 44 U.N. aircraft lost to enemy ground fire alone. More than 600 American aircraft have been lost in air-to-air combat or due to enemy ground fire since the Korean War began in June 1950.
February • The U.S.
Joint Intelligence Committee reports that the
Soviet Air Force has 20,000 aircraft to devote to the support of
Soviet Army ground forces in the event of a war with the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and estimates that the
Soviet Union will have 120
atomic bombs in 1952. • February 3 – The
Air France Douglas DC-4-1009 Ciel de Savoie (registration F-BBDO) drifts off course during a flight from
Douala Airport in
Douala,
French Cameroons, to
Niamey Airport in
Niamey,
Niger, while approaching the mountains of
British Cameroons. Flying into the sun, the crew fails to realize that they are on a collision course with
Mount Cameroon (. In the final seconds before impact, the pilot sees the mountain ahead and makes a sharp left turn, but the DC-4's left wing strikes the rising terrain and the aircraft crashes into the mountain at an altitude of , killing all 29 people on board. • February 21 –
English Electric Canberra BMk2 WD932 becomes the first jet to make an unrefuelled
transatlantic flight, flying from
RAF Aldergrove in
Northern Ireland to
Gander in
Newfoundland,
Canada. The Canberra makes the fight in a record time of 4 hours 37 minutes. • February 26 – U.S. Navy carrier aircraft of
Task Force 77 begin 38 consecutive days of attacks on enemy railroads and highways along the east coast of Korea.
March • The United States Navy
tank landing ship , fitted with a miniature flight deck, begins operations off
Wonsan, Korea, with a detachment of two
HO3S helicopters from Utility Helicopter Squadron 1 (UH-1). She becomes the first U.S. Navy ship to operate in the role of a helicopter carrier. • The U.S. Air Forces
Far East Air Forces establishes an
air defense identification zone for
South Korea, overlapping with
North Korean
airspace but primarily intended to protect South Korea from incursions by aircraft from the
People's Republic of China. • March 2 • U.S. Navy
AD Skyraiders of
Attack Squadron 195 (VA-195) from the aircraft carrier begin a lengthy series of raids against a railroad bridge across a deep ravine south of
Kilchu, Korea, discovered earlier that day by their
commanding officer,
Lieutenant Commander Harold Carlson. They damage the southern approach to the bridge in their first strike. •
Mid-Continent Airlines Flight 16, a
Douglas DC-3A (registration N19928)
stalls during a left turn at low altitude on approach to
Sioux City Municipal Airport in
Sioux City,
Iowa, and crashes, killing 16 of the 25 people on board. • March 3 – The second strike by VA-195 against the Kilchu railroad bridge destroys one span, damages another span, and shifts two more spans out of line.
Rear Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie, commanding
Task Force 77, dubs the target "Carlson's Canyon." • March 6 – The
Martin aircraft company gains production rights to the English Electric Canberra as the
B-57. • March 7 – VA-195 makes its third strike against the railroad bridge in "Carlson's Canyon," dropping the northernmost of the two spans it had shifted in its March 3 attack. • March 15 • VA-195 makes its fourth strike against the railroad bridge in "Carlson's Canyon," destroying some wooden replacement spans, dropping a span at the southern end, and damaging the northern approach. Later in the month, U.S. Air Force
B-29 Superfortresses seed the valley floor with long-time-delay bombs. • A
Qantas flying boat makes a survey flight from
Sydney,
Australia, to
Valparaíso,
Chile, via
Easter Island, a first flight of this type across the South Pacific. • March 21 • Flying a U.S. Navy
F9F Panther of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191) from the aircraft carrier ,
Ensign Floryan "Frank" Sobieski is blinded by enemy ground fire over Korea. Guided and encouraged by his
wingman,
Lieutenant, junior grade, Pat Murphy, and assisted by
Princetons
landing signal officer, Sobieski lands safely aboard
Princeton without being able to see. He later recovers full vision. • During a domestic flight in
Colombia from
San Marcos Airport in
San Marcos to
Cartagena Airport in
Cartagena, a
LANSA Douglas R4D-1 Skytrain (registration HK-315), crashes near
Hatonuevo, killing all 29 people on board. • March 23 – A U.S. Air Force
Douglas C-124A Globemaster II disappears over the
North Atlantic Ocean during a flight from
Loring Air Force Base in
Limestone,
Maine, to
RAF Lakenheath in
England, with the loss of all 53 people on board. Searchers find only a few small pieces of wreckage in the water west of
Shannon,
Ireland. At the time, it is the deadliest accident involving a C-124 and the deadliest aviation accident to occur over the Atlantic Ocean. • March 26 – An
Aerolineas Argentinas Douglas C-47A-5-DK Skytrain (registration LV-ACY) crashes in
Tierra del Fuego just after takeoff from
Río Grande Airport in
Rio Grande,
Argentina, killing 11 of the 20 people on board. • March 27 – An
Air Transport Charter Douglas Dakota 3 crashes during a
snowstorm shortly after takeoff from
Ringway Airport in
Manchester,
England, killing four of the six people on board. • March 28 – The
United States Air Force establishes and activates the
Eighteenth Air Force. It is responsible for discharging the
Tactical Air Command's troop carrier responsibilities.
April • United Nations intelligence estimates credit the
People's Republic of China with 1,250 planes based in
Manchuria, about 800 of them Soviet-built jets.
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General Hoyt Vandenberg expresses concern that the U.N. is close to losing air superiority over North Korea. • April 1 – U.S. Navy carrier-based jets are used as fighter-bombers for the first time as
F9F Panthers of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191) aboard attack a railroad bridge near
Songjin, Korea, with 100- and 250-pound (45- and 113-kg) bombs. • April 4 – U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of
Task Force 77 conclude 38 consecutive days of aerial interdiction in Korea, during which their aviators have claimed the destruction of 54 railroad and 37 highway bridges and to have ruptured railroad tracks in 200 other places. The railroad system along the east coast of North Korea has been reduced from carrying two-thirds to carrying one-third of North Korean and Chinese supplies since the attacks began on February 25. • April 6 – During a flight in
California from
Santa Maria Municipal Airport in
Santa Maria to
Santa Barbara Municipal Airport in
Santa Barbara,
Southwest Airways Flight 7 – a
Douglas C-47A-90-DL Skytrain (registration N63439) – crashes into the rising slope of a ridge at an altitude of in
Refugio Pass, killing all 22 people on board. • April 8 – A
United States Air Force C-47B-1-DK Skytrain (registration 43–48298) on instrument approach to
Kanawha Airport in
Charleston,
West Virginia, crashes into a tree-covered hill and catches fire, killing all 21 people on board. • April 9 – A
Siamese Airways Douglas DC-3 (registration HS-SAE0 diverts from
Kai Tak Airport in
Hong Kong to
Tainan Airport in
Tainan City,
Taiwan, due to deteriorating weather conditions at Kai Tak. Bad weather causes Tainan Airport to close, however, and the DC-3 returns to Kai Tak. On approach to Kai Tak, it crashes into the sea off
Cape D'Aguilar, killing all 16 people on board. • April 12 – Forty-eight U.S. Air Force
B-29 Superfortress bombers attack the
Sinuiju Railway Bridge on the
Yalu River. • April 14 – After a flight of
Soviet Air Forces 16th Air Army Ilyushin Il-10 (
NATO reporting name "Beast") aircraft stationed with the
Group of Soviet Forces in Germany departs
Reinsdorf Airfield in
East Germany for the bombing and strafing range at
Lieberoser Heide, 13 of them crash across a wide area in the vicinity of
Kemlitz, East Germany, killing 26 aircrew. • April 21 – Four
Yak-9 fighters attack two
U.S. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs of Marine Fighter Squadron 312 (VMF-312) near
Chinnampo, Korea. Marine Captain Philip C. DeLong shoots down two of them, while his
wingman, Lieutenant H. Deigh, destroys one and damages the fourth. • April 25 –
Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, a
Douglas DC-4,
collides in mid-air with a U.S. Navy
SNB-1 Kansan on an instrument training flight near
Naval Air Station Key West in
Key West,
Florida. Both planes crash, killing all 39 people on board the DC-4 and the entire four-man crew of the SNB-1. • April 26 – Testing of the prototype of the Northrop YRB-49A, the reconnaissance version of the
Northrop YB-49 jet-powered
flying wing bomber, ends abruptly after 13 flights, bringing the U.S. Air Force's YB-49 program to an end. The YRB-49A then is flown from
Edwards Air Force Base, California, to the
Northrop Corporation′s facility at
Ontario International Airport in
Ontario, California, where it lay abandoned at the edge of the airfield until scrapped in 1954. • April 28 –
United Airlines Flight 129, a Douglas DC-3A-197 (registration N16088), aborts its approach to land at
Baer Field/Fort Wayne Municipal Airport in
Fort Wayne,
Indiana, after a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain, winds of r) and gusts of up to strikes. Shortly thereafter, it encounters a severe downdraft that causes it to crash in a wooded area, killing all 11 people on board. • April 30 – Six aircraft from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier attack the
Hwachon Dam, attempting to destroy its
sluice gates to prevent North Korea from shutting them and allowing the
Pukhan River below to dry up so that North Korean and Chinese troops could cross the riverbed. Dropping one bomb each, they punch a hole in the dam but miss the sluice gates.
May • May 1 – The only combat use of
torpedoes during the
Korean War occurs when
U.S. Navy AD Skyraiders of Attack Squadron 195 (VA-195) from , escorted by
F4U Corsairs of Fighter Squadrons 192 and 193 (VF-192 and VF-193) from the same carrier, attack the
Hwachon Dam with torpedoes, wrecking the center
sluice gate and flooding the
Pukhan River. All aircraft return safely. It is the only occasion on which naval aircraft have used torpedoes to attack a dam. No aerial torpedo attack has been conducted by any country since. • May 6 –
Air Vietnam, the national flag carrier of
South Vietnam, is founded. • May 11 – Flying a
de Havilland Vampire over a closed circuit between
Istres and
Avignon,
France, French aviator
Jacqueline Auriol sets a women's world speed record of . She will win the first of her four
Harmon Trophies for the flight. • May 20 –
U.S. Air Force Captain
James Jabara becomes the first
fighter ace to score his five victories
in a jet (an
F-86 Sabre)
against jets (
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s). • May 25 –
No. 101 Squadron takes delivery of its first
English Electric Canberra B.Mk 2 bombers, becoming the first operational Canberra unit and the first jet bomber squadron of
Royal Air Force Bomber Command. • May 29 – Flying the privately owned
P-51 Mustang Excalibur III, U.S. Navy
Captain Charles F. Blair, Jr., makes the first solo flight over the
North Pole, flying nonstop from
Bardufoss,
Norway, to
Fairbanks,
Alaska. • May 31 –
Roosevelt Field closes. The historic airfield outside
Mineola,
New York, had opened in
1916.
June • The
United States Air Force takes delivery of its first
F-84G Thunderjet, the first fighter with a built-in
aerial refueling probe, the first single-seat aircraft capable of carrying a
nuclear bomb, and the last straight-wing aircraft to enter U.S. Air Force service. • June 9 – Freddie Bosworth, the founder of
Gulf Aviation, the forerunner of
Gulf Air, is killed during a demonstration flight at
Croydon,
England, while preparing for the introduction of the
de Havilland Dove into service with the airline. • June 20 • The first aircraft with
variable-sweep wings, the
Bell X-5, makes its first flight, at
Edwards Air Force Base,
California. No attempt is made to change the
sweep of its wings during the flight. • The first aircraft completely designed and built in
Canada, the first example of the
Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck Mark 2, flies for the first time. • June 22 – The
Pan American World Airways Lockheed L-049 Constellation Clipper Great Republic, operating as
Flight 151, crashes into a hill near
Sanoyie,
Liberia, killing all 40 people on board. • June 29 – A
Jat Airways Amiot AAC-1 Toucan (registration YU-ACE) crashes near
Rijeka in the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, killing all 14 people on board. • June 30 – The
Douglas DC-6 Mainliner Overland Trail, operating as
United Airlines Flight 610, crashes into
Crystal Mountain, north-northwest of
Denver,
Colorado, killing all 50 people on board.
July • The worlds first trials of a
steam catapult take place aboard the British aircraft carrier
HMS Perseus. •
No. 25 Squadron Royal Air Force becomes the world's first jet night-fighter squadron when it takes delivery of the
de Havilland Vampire NF10 night fighter. • Covered by the British
light cruiser Kenya and
frigate , a U.S. Navy landing craft equipped with a special crane recovers the pieces of a
MiG-15 that had crashed near
Cho-do in northwestern Korea. •
Pacific Southwest Airlines expands its route structure for the first time, adding service to
San Francisco,
California, from
San Diego and
Burbank. • July 3 – United States Navy Lieutenant junior grade
John K. Koelsch and his crewman, Aviation Mate Third Class George M. Neal, are shot down in an
HO3S helicopter by enemy ground fire while trying to rescue United States Marine Corps Captain James V. Wilkins, who had been shot down behind enemy lines and was badly burned. Koelsch and Neal rig a litter to carry Wilkins out of the area, but eventually are captured on July 12, and Koelsch dies on October 16, 1951, while in captivity. For his actions, Koelsch posthumously becomes the first helicopter pilot to receive the
Medal of Honor. • July 6 –
Aerial refueling is used under combat conditions for the first time, with a
KB-29 Superfortress tanker refueling four
RF-80 Shooting Star reconnaissance aircraft over
North Korea • July 12 – A
Lóide Aéreo Nacional Douglas C-47B-13-DK Skytrain (registration PP-LPG) abandons a landing attempt in adverse weather at
Aracaju Airport in
Aracaju,
Brazil, overflies the runway, and crashes after beginning a right turn, killing all 33 people on board. At the time, it is the second-deadliest aviation accident in Brazilian history and the third-deadliest worldwide involving any variant of the
Douglas DC-3. • July 16 – A
Qantas de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover passenger flight from
Wau to
Lae, with a stop at
Bulolo,
crashes into the
Huon Gulf on approach to
Lae Nadzab Airport, killing all 7 occupants. The investigation determined the crash was caused by a structural failure which caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.
August • The Royal Navy's first operational jet aircraft
squadron,
No. 800 Squadron, takes delivery of its first jets,
Supermarine Attackers. • The
Canadian Blue Devils aerobatic team is disbanded. • August 1 –
Japan Air Lines is formed. • August 7 –
Bill Bridgeman sets a new airspeed record in the
Douglas Skyrocket of Mach 1.88 (. • August 15 •
Bill Bridgeman sets a new altitude record in the Douglas Skyrocket of . •
British European Airways commences the world's first
turboprop freight services using a modified
Douglas DC-3 fitted with two
Rolls-Royce Dart engines. • August 22 – The aircraft carrier joins
Task Force 77 off the northeast coast of Korea. Embarked aboard
Essex is Fighter Squadron 172 (VF-172), equipped with
F2H-2 Banshee fighters. It is the first deployment of the Banshee to a war zone. • August 24 –
United Airlines Flight 615, a
Douglas DC-6B, crashes into
Tolman Peak near
Decoto,
California, killing all 50 people on board. • August 25 – For the first time in the
Korean War, U.S. Navy fighters escort U.S. Air Force
B-29 Superfortress bombers as
F9F Panthers of Fighter Squadron 51 (VF-51) and
F2H-2 Banshees of Fighter Squadron 172 (VF-172) from the aircraft carrier cover B-29s on a raid on
Rashin, Korea. They encounter no enemy aircraft. • August 26 –
Canadian National Hockey League player
Bill Barilko of the
Toronto Maple Leafs and his dentist, Henry Hudson, disappear while flying back to
Toronto in a
Fairchild 24 floatplane from a weekend fishing trip on the
Seal River in northern
Ontario,
Canada. The wreckage of their plane will not be found until
June 1962, when a helicopter pilot discovers it about north of
Cochrane, Ontario, about off course.
September • September 8 – A
VASP Douglas C-47B-20-DK Skytrain (registration PP-SPQ) strikes a house immediately after takeoff from
Congonhas Airport in
São Paulo,
Brazil, and crashes, killing all 10 people on board and three people on the ground. • September 12 – A
Société de Transports Aériens Alpes Provence (STAAP)
Douglas DC-3 (registration F-BEIZ) disappears over the
Mediterranean Sea in adverse weather during a flight from
Perpignan Airport in
France to
Oran Es Sénia Airport in
French Algeria with the loss of all 39 people on board. Wreckage is discovered in the water west of
Palma de Mallorc,
Mallorca, four days later. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident to occur over the Mediterranean Sea and the deadliest accident involving any variant of the Douglas DC-3 worldwide. • September 13 • The
United States Marine Corpss first transport helicopter
squadron,
Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161), conducts history's first mass helicopter resupply mission in Operation Windmill I, lifting of equipment to a U.S. Marine Corps
battalion on the front line in Korea and evacuating 74 casualties, all in one hour, using
Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters. • In Operation Windmill II, Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) lifts of equipment to a U.S. Marine Corps unit on the front line in Korea in 18 flights over the course of one hour, using Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters. • September 16 – A damaged
United States Navy F2H-2 Banshee attempting to land on crashes into a group of aircraft parked on the carriers deck, killing seven sailors. • September 17 – A
Real Transportes Aéreos Douglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration PP-YPX) disappears during a domestic flight in Brazil from
Santos Dumont Airport in
Rio de Janeiro to Congonhas Airport in São Paulo with the loss of all 10 people on board. Its wreckage is discovered two days later near
Ubatuba. • September 21 – In Operation Summit, the U.S. Marine Corps makes the worlds first mass combat deployment by helicopter, when Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) uses 12 Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters to land 224 U.S. Marines and of equipment onto Hill 844 near
Kansong, Korea. • A U.S. Air Force
Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando crashes into
Japan's
Mount Tanazawa, killing all 14 people on board. • September 28 – The U.S. Marine Corps loses a transport helicopter operationally for the first time in history when a Sikorsky HRS-1 of Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) is destroyed in a crash during a night training flight in Korea. All three men on board escape without injury.
October • Based on information supplied by Korean guerrillas, eight
AD Skyraiders from U.S. Navy Fighter Squadron 54 (VF-54) attack a meeting place of Communist leaders in
Kapsan, North Korea, with bombs and
napalm. Intelligence evaluation indicates that 500 Communists are killed. • A U.S. Navy helicopter from the
battleship flies inland to rescue a downed pilot from the aircraft carrier , a very lengthy rescue mission for the time. • Communist aircraft inflict significant damage on the
Royal Navy frigate HMS Black Swan while she is operating in the
Han River in Korea. • October 3 – Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 1 (HS-1), the
U.S. Navy's first
anti-submarine warfare helicopter squadron, is commissioned. • October 8 – An
Aero Transportes SA Douglas C-47A-30-DK Skytrain (registration XA-GOR) crashes into the mountain
Cerro Blanco in
Mexico during a domestic flight from
Mexico City to
Minatitlán, killing all 10 people on board. • October 11 – In Operation Bumble Bee, 12
Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters of
Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) relieve an entire U.S. Marine Corps
battalion on the front line in Korea, with each helicopter carrying six Marines at a time to the front and bringing six Marines at a time out to the rear area on the return trip. In under six hours, they transport a total of 958 Marines. • A
United States Air Force Boeing C-97A Stratofreighter disappears over the
North Atlantic Ocean during a flight from
Lajes Field in the
Azores to
Westover Air Force Base in
Massachusetts, with the loss of all 12 people on board. • October 17 • The pilot and copilot of a
JAT Douglas DC-3 making a domestic flight in the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from
Ljubljana to
Beograd instead land the airliner at
Zürich,
Switzerland, where they request
political asylum for themselves and members of their families who are aboard the plane as passengers. • During a domestic night flight in
British Columbia,
Canada, in adverse weather conditions,
Queen Charlotte Airlines Flight 102-17 – a
Consolidated Canso A flying boat (registration CF-FOQ) flying from
Kildala to
Vancouver – crashes into
Mount Benson on
Vancouver Island, killing all 23 people on board. The post-crash investigation finds that the pilot made a major navigational error and probably mistook
Nanaimo for Vancouver, leading him to fly into the mountain. • October 18 – The
Government of Colombia changes the name of
Colombia′s national
civil aviation authority from the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics to the National Department of Civil Aeronautics and resubordinates it from the Ministry of War to the Ministry of Public Works. • October 22 • In Operation Bushbeater, the U.S. Marine Corps makes the first use of
vertical envelopment tactics when patrol teams of the
1st Marine Division use -long knotted ropes to descend from Sikorsky HRS-1 helicopters of Marine Transport Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMR-161) in Korea. Two of the helicopters lose lift over rough terrain and crash, but no one aboard is injured. • During a domestic flight in the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from
Beograd to
Skopje, a
Jat Airways Douglas C-47A-20-DK Skytrain (registration YU-ACC) crashes near Skopje, killing 12 people. • October 23 – Ten U.S. Air Force
Boeing B-29 Superfortresses attack an airfield in North Korea; three are shot down, four make emergency landings in South Korea, and three badly damaged aircraft return to Okinawa. It is the last daylight combat mission flown by the B-29. • October 25 –
Japan Airlines launches commercial operations within Japan, using three
Northwest Airlines Martin 2-0-2 aircraft flown by Northwest crews. • October 27 – Just after takeoff from
Santa Elena Airport in
Flores,
Guatemala, a cabin fire breaks out aboard a
Guatemalan Air Force Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registration FAG0961) carrying 25 radio reporters to a military event. The aircraft crashes, killing 26 of the 28 people on board.
November • A
Royal Navy de Havilland Sea Hornet N.F. 21 night fighter of
No. 809 Squadron,
Fleet Air Arm, flies nonstop from
Gibraltar to
Lee-on-Solent,
England, at an average speed of . • Thanks to wartime mobilization of
United States Naval Reserve aviators, 75 percent of U.S. Navy Korean War sorties are being flown by Naval Reserve personnel. • November 5 –
Transocean Air Lines Flight 5763, a
Martin 2-0-2 (
N93039) with 29 people aboard, crashes in
fog at
Tucumcari Municipal Airport outside
Tucumcari,
New Mexico, killing one person. • November 12 – The
Uruguayan airline
PLUNA becomes wholly owned by the
Government of Uruguay. • November 13 – Flying at rather than the planned , a
United States Air Force Fairchild C-82A-FA Packet drifts off course in poor weather during a flight from
Rhein-Main Air Base in
West Germany to
Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport in
France and crashes into
Mount Dore southwest of
Clermont-Ferrand, France, killing all 36 people on board. It is the deadliest accident in history involving any variant of the C-82. • November 15 – After a
LOT Polish Airlines Lisunov Li-2P (registration SP-LKA) experiences engine trouble, its pilot decides not to take off from
Łódź-Lublinek Airport in
Łódź,
Poland, for a flight to
Kraków. Officers of the
Polish government's Department of Security force him to take off anyway, and the plane crashes southeast of the airport soon after takeoff, killing all 18 people on board. • November 17 – An
Overseas National Airways (ONA)
Douglas DC-4 (
N79992) on a training flight collided with a
California Eastern Airways DC-4 (
N4002B) near
Oakland Airport,
Oakland,
California, while both aircraft were on instrument check flights with hoods installed in the left-hand side of the cockpits. The collision resulted in the destruction of the ONA DC-4 and death of all three pilots aboard it and damage to the California Eastern aircraft but no deaths to those two pilots. Investigators determined that the cause of the collision was the failure of the training pilot and, in the case of California Eastern, the lack of an observer. • November 21 – A
Deccan Airways Douglas C-47A-25-DK Skytrain (registration VT-AUO) flies too low on approach in very poor visibility to
Dum Dum Airport in
Calcutta,
India, strikes trees, and crashes, killing 16 of the 17 people on board. • November 27 – A
Lineas Aéreas Unidas SA Douglas DC-2-243 (registration XA-DOQ) collides with an unidentified object during a night takeoff from
San Luis Acatlán,
Mexico, and crashes, catching fire. The crash and fire kill 13 of the 20 people on board. • November 30 – On a single mission, U.S. Air Force
F-86 Sabre pilot
George A. Davis, Jr., attacks nine
Tupolev Tu-2 (
NATO reporting name "Bat") bombers over the mouth of the
Yalu River and shoots down three of them in three passes, then shoots down a MiG-15 over
Korea Bay that had been pursuing another F-86 and lands at
Kimpo Airport with only five U.S. gallons (4.2 Imperial gallons; 19 liters) of fuel remaining. The four kills make him the fifth U.S. ace of the Korean War. With seven kills of Japanese aircraft during
World War II, he becomes the first U.S. pilot to become an ace in two wars. The day's victories also make him a double ace and an ace in both piston-engine aircraft and jet, and losses among the Tu-2 formation prompt the
Chinese Air Force to abandon bombing raids for the rest of the Korean War.
December • A
United States Air Force Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor becomes the first American combat aircraft to break the
sound barrier in level flight. • December 1 –
Flying Officer Bruce Gogerly of
No. 77 Squadron,
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), flying a
Gloster Meteor, shoots down a
Soviet-piloted MiG-15, the first of four air-to-air kills for RAAF pilots during the
Korean War. • December 6 – A U.S. Air Force
Douglas C-47A-65-DL Skytrain crashes into the
Sainte-Baume ridge east of
Marseille,
France, killing all 10 people on board. Its wreckage is found two days later. • December 12 –
Alaska Air becomes the first airline to fly over the
North Pole. • December 13 – U.S. Air Force
Major George Davis of the
334th Fighter Squadron shoots down four MiG-15s in a single day. • December 16 – A fire breaks out in the right engine nacelle of a
Miami Airline Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando (registration N1678M) as it takes off from
Newark Airport. As the plane attempts to return to the airport, it strikes a vacant house and a brick storage building in
Elizabeth,
New Jersey, and comes to rest inverted and partially submerged in shallow water along the bank of the
Elizabeth River, after which a severe
gasoline fire breaks out and spreads to the brick building. The crash and fire kill all 56 people on board and seriously injure one person on the ground. At the time, it is the second-deadliest aviation accident in United States history and the second-deadliest accident involving any variant of the C-46. • December 22 – Arriving at
Mehrabad Airport in
Tehran,
Iran, in a
snowstorm, a
Misrair SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc (registration SU-AHH) circles the airport twice and then crashes west of it, killing all 22 people on board. • December 27 – An
Aeroflot Lisunov Li-2 runs out of fuel and makes a forced landing in a clearing in the
Soviet Union near
Namtsev in the
Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic from
Yakutsk. It strikes trees, crashes, and catches fire, killing all 20 people on board. • December 28 – The U.S.
Joint Intelligence Committee reports that in an offensive against
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces, the Soviet Union would employ over 20,000 aircraft, which would be capable of attacking
Western Europe,
Scandinavia,
Italy, the
Balkans,
Turkey, the
Middle East,
Canada, and the
United States. • December 29 – Flying at low altitude in
instrument meteorological conditions so its crew can maintain visual reference with the ground, a
Continental Charters Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando on a charter flight from
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, to
Buffalo,
New York, strays off course and crashes into a wooded hill near
Little Valley, New York, killing 26 of the 40 people on board. • December 30 • A U.S. Air Force Douglas VC-47D Skytrain crashes in mountainous terrain north of
Globe,
Arizona, killing all 28 people on board. •
Transocean Air Lines Flight 501, a
Curtiss C-46 Commando (
N68963), crashes near
Fairbanks in the
Territory of Alaska, killing all four passengers and crew on board. The plane's wreckage is found on January 3, 1952. Investigators determine that the crash occurred due to spatial disorientation caused by pilot error. • December 31 – The U.S. Air Force's
Strategic Air Command has an inventory of 1,165 aircraft, including 658 bombers. ==First flights==