1934: French pilot Raymond Delmotte sets a new world speed record for landplanes of 314.33 mph, flying a Caudron 460.

1946: Today is nicknamed “Black Christmas” as three airlines crash trying to land in bad weather, killing 72 people. It is the worst day so far in the history of Chinese civil aviation.

1979: Antonov An-12s and An-22s airlift the first Soviet troops into Afghanistan. 5,000 arrive in the first 24 hours.

1985: USAF lieutenant Thomas Tiller is rescued from the Atlantic Ocean by a boat after his plane, a F-4 Phantom had an accident seven days before.

2009: Northwest Airlines Flight 253, operated by Airbus A330-323E N820NW is subjected to an attempted terrorist attack. The terrorist, Nigerian Islamist Abdulfarouk Umar Muttalab, is overpowered by other passengers and is arrested when the aircraft lands at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

2024: Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny, an Embraer ERJ-190 registration 4K-AZ65, is fired upon by Russian air defence systems. It subsequently crash-lands near Aktau, Kazakhstan. Of the 67 on board, 32 survive. Read more...