1921: In the worst airship disaster thus far, 44 people die when the British dirigible R.38 is destroyed during routine operations off the coast of Yorkshire, England, by fire started by electrical sparks that engulfed the airship.

1956: A U.S. Army helicopter becomes the first rotary-winged aircraft to fly non-stop across the United States.

1961: Beginning this day through October 12, U.S. aviatrix Jacqueline Cochrane flying a Northrop T-38A Talon sets a wide range of records for women (altitude of 56,071 ft., a distance of 1,492 mi., a 100-km (62.14 mi.) closed circuit speed record of 784.337 mph and 15-km (9.32 mi.) course speed of 844.2 mph).

1970: Two USAF Sikorsky HH-53C helicopters complete a non-stop trans-Pacific crossing from Eglin AFB, Florida to Da Nang, South Vietnam, aided by refueling encounters with Lockheed C-130 tankers.

1976: Shorts 330 enters service with Time Air.

1983: A Canadair Challenger 601 flies 4,364.2 miles from Calgary to London, setting a new distance record for a business jet.

2001: Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330-200, en route from Toronto to Lisbon with 306 crew and passengers, made an emergency landing in the Azores without engine power due to fuel starvation over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft safely landed at Lajes Air Base, on the island of Terceira. The aircraft was evacuated in 90 seconds. All 306 passengers on board survived. An investigation revealed that the cause of the accident was a fuel leak in the number two engine which was caused by an incorrect part installed in the hydraulics system by Air Transat maintenance staff. The part did not maintain adequate clearance between the hydraulic lines and the fuel line, allowing vibration in the hydraulic lines to degrade the fuel line and cause the leak. The aircraft involved in the incident was repaired and remains in service with Air Transat.

2004: In separate incidents, Volga-AviaExpress Flight 1303, a Tupolev TU-134A (RA-65080), and Siberia Airlines Flight 1047 (RA-85556), a Tupolev TU-154B, both explode while in flight south of Moscow. The Russian government blames Chechen suicide bombers for the disasters, which kill a total of 89 people on both aircraft.

2009: American Airlines retires its last Airbus A300 from scheduled service.