Britain’s first supersonic aircraft
September 61948

Britain’s first supersonic aircraft

Milestone78 years ago
12historical events
52occurrences in earlier years
1926–2025years covered

Fact of the day

John Derry takes the de Havilland DH.108 beyond the speed of sound in a dive: the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1. The small tailless jet, an experimental cousin of the Comet, paid dearly for the lessons: all three prototypes were lost.

Also on this day · 11

1926First flight The Meyers Midget flies

The Meyers Midget flies, a small single-seater by Charles W. Meyers.

1948Record Derry breaks the sound barrier in the DH 108

John Derry probably exceeds the speed of sound in a dive in the de Havilland DH 108: the first British aircraft to do so.

1952Accident The Farnborough tragedy

A DH.110 prototype breaks up in flight during the Farnborough air show and falls into the crowd; 29 spectators and the two crew die.

1962Airline Merpati is born

Merpati Nusantara Airlines is founded and begins flying, the airline that would link Indonesia’s remote islands.

1970Accident The Dawson’s Field hijackings

On the same day the PFLP hijacks a TWA 707 and a Swissair DC-8, flown to an airstrip in the Jordanian desert, and a Pan Am 747, diverted to Cairo.

1971Accident Paninternational 112 on the Hamburg motorway

A One-Eleven loses both engines after take-off from Hamburg and force-lands on the A7 motorway, where it strikes a bridge: 22 lives lost.

1973First flight Peter Garrison’s Melmoth flies

The Melmoth flies, the aircraft journalist Peter Garrison designed and built from scratch; he would cross the Atlantic and the Pacific in it.

1985Accident Midwest Express 105 at Milwaukee

An engine fails on take-off from Milwaukee, the aircraft stalls and comes down beside the airport: all 31 people on board die.

1986First flight Lithuania’s LAK-16 flies

The LAK-16 flies, a Lithuanian single-seat primary glider with a wooden wing.

1997Accident A Royal Brunei Dornier 228 crashes in Malaysia

A Royal Brunei Dornier 228 crashes on approach to Miri; all ten aboard are killed.

2010First flight The Eurocopter X³ flies

The X³ takes off, the hybrid helicopter with wing-mounted propellers that would exceed 470 km/h.

This day in earlier years · 52

Occurrences recorded on September 6 in earlier years across the fleet we document; this year’s are in News. Each one opens the record of the aircraft involved.

N639RW · Republic Airways Incident · Sep 6, 2025On September 6, 2025, the Embraer ERJ 170-100 SE aircraft (registration N639RW), operated by Republic Airways, was involved in an incident at Rochester. Source: Republic Airways.USN639RWRepublic Airways Embraer E170 / E175OE-IBO · ASL Belgium Incident · Sep 6, 2025On September 6, 2025, the Boeing Boeing 737-490F aircraft (registration OE-IBO), operated by ASL Belgium, was involved in an incident at Helsinki. Source: ASL Belgium.ATOE-IBOASL Belgium Boeing 737AP-BMN · Airblue Incident · Sep 6, 2024On September 6, 2024, the Airbus A321-211 (WL) aircraft (registration AP-BMN), operated by Airblue, was involved in an incident at Karachi-Jinnah (KHI) International Airport (Pakistan) due to a bird strike. Source: Airblue.PKAP-BMNAirblue Airbus A3219V-OJD · Scoot Incident · Sep 6, 2024On September 6, 2024, the Boeing 787 9 aircraft (registration 9V-OJD), operated by Scoot, was involved in an incident at Guangzhou, leaving 11 injured. Source: Scoot.SG9V-OJDScoot Boeing 787 DreamlinerD-AIGN · Lufthansa Incident · Sep 6, 2023On September 6, 2023, the Airbus A340-313 aircraft (registration D-AIGN), operated by Lufthansa, was involved in an incident at Frankfurt. Source: Lufthansa.DED-AIGNLufthansa Airbus A340C-GSUI · North Cariboo Flying Service Incident · Sep 6, 2023On September 6, 2023, the Avro RJ100 aircraft (registration C-GSUI), operated by North Cariboo Flying Service, was involved in an incident near Hay River Airport, NT (YHY) (Canada) due to an engine failure. Source: North Cariboo Flying Service.CAC-GSUINorth Cariboo Flying Service BAe 146 / Avro RJHZ-NS58 · flynas Incident · Sep 6, 2023On September 6, 2023, the aircraft (registration HZ-NS58), operated by flynas, was involved in an incident at Trabzon. Source: flynas.SAHZ-NS58flynas Airbus A320C-GJZF · Air Canada Jazz Incident · Sep 6, 2023On September 6, 2023, the DHC-8-402 (Dehavilland) aircraft (registration C-GJZF), operated by Air Canada Jazz, was involved in an incident at Toronto due to a precautionary engine shutdown. Source: the TSB (Canada).CAC-GJZFAir Canada Jazz De Havilland Canada Dash 8N171DN · Delta Air Lines Incident · Sep 6, 2022On September 6, 2022, the Boeing 767-332ER (WL) aircraft (registration N171DN), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident near Barstow (United States) due to an engine failure. Source: Delta Air Lines.USN171DNDelta Air Lines Boeing 767VT-IZF · IndiGo Incident · Sep 6, 2021On September 6, 2021, the Airbus A20N aircraft (registration VT-IZF), operated by IndiGo, was involved in an incident at Guwahati. Source: IndiGo.INVT-IZFIndiGo Airbus A320C-FOAI · Inuit Incident · Sep 6, 2020On September 6, 2020, the DHC-8-314 (Dehavilland) aircraft (registration C-FOAI), operated by Inuit, was involved in an incident at Kuujjuaq. Source: Inuit.CAC-FOAIInuit De Havilland Canada Dash 8F-GZCF · Air France Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Airbus A330-203 aircraft (registration F-GZCF), operated by Air France, was involved in an incident at Gander due to an engine oil system failure in cruise. Source: the TSB (Canada).FRF-GZCFAir France Airbus A330PH-HSJ · Transavia Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Boeing 737-8K2(WL) aircraft (registration PH-HSJ), operated by Transavia, was involved in an incident at Amsterdam. Source: DSB.NLPH-HSJTransavia Boeing 737N420AW · Wisconsin Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Bombardier CL-600-2B19 aircraft (registration N420AW), operated by Wisconsin, was involved in an incident at Washington. Source: Wisconsin.USN420AWWisconsin Bombardier CRJVH-EBE · Qantas Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Airbus A330-202 aircraft (registration VH-EBE), operated by Qantas, was involved in an incident at Perth. Source: Qantas.AUVH-EBEQantas Airbus A330N8507C · Southwest Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Boeing 737-800(WL) aircraft (registration N8507C), operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an incident at Baltimore. Source: Southwest Airlines.USN8507CSouthwest Airlines Boeing 737N515NK · Spirit Airlines Accident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Airbus A319 aircraft (registration N515NK), operated by Spirit Airlines, was involved in an accident at Fort Myers, Florida (United States), leaving 1 injured. Source: the NTSB (United States).USN515NKSpirit Airlines Airbus A319OK-SWT · Smartwings Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Boeing 737NG 7Q8 aircraft (registration OK-SWT), operated by Smartwings, was involved in an incident. Source: Smartwings.CZOK-SWTSmartwings Boeing 737PK-GPG · Garuda Indonesia Airways Incident · Sep 6, 2019On September 6, 2019, the Airbus A330-341 aircraft (registration PK-GPG), operated by Garuda Indonesia Airways, was involved in an incident at Ahmedabad-Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (India) due to a runway excursion. Source: Garuda Indonesia Airways.IDPK-GPGGaruda Indonesia Airways Airbus A330CN-ROP · RAM Incident · Sep 6, 2018On September 6, 2018, the Boeing 737NG 8B6/W aircraft (registration CN-ROP), operated by RAM, was involved in an incident at Porto. Source: RAM.MACN-ROPRAM Boeing 737VP-BML · Aeroflot Incident · Sep 6, 2018On September 6, 2018, the Boeing 737NG 800/W aircraft (registration VP-BML), operated by Aeroflot, was involved in an incident at Novosibirsk. Source: Aeroflot.BMVP-BMLAeroflot Boeing 737YR-BGG · TAROM Incident · Sep 6, 2018On September 6, 2018, the Boeing 737NG 78J/W aircraft (registration YR-BGG), operated by TAROM, was involved in an incident. Source: TAROM.ROYR-BGGTAROM Boeing 737N173AN · American Airlines Accident · Sep 6, 2018On September 6, 2018, the Boeing 757 aircraft (registration N173AN), operated by American Airlines, was involved in an accident at New York, New York (United States), leaving 3 injured. Source: the NTSB (United States).USN173ANAmerican Airlines Boeing 757G-VIIH · British Airways Incident · Sep 6, 2017On September 6, 2017, the Boeing 777-236(ER) aircraft (registration G-VIIH), operated by British Airways, was involved in an incident at London. Source: British Airways.GBG-VIIHBritish Airways Boeing 777N686DA · Delta Air Lines Incident · Sep 6, 2017On September 6, 2017, the Boeing 757 232 aircraft (registration N686DA), operated by Delta Air Lines, was involved in an incident at Las Vegas, Nevada (United States). Source: the NTSB (United States).USN686DADelta Air Lines Boeing 757C-GTQB · Air Transat Incident · Sep 6, 2017On September 6, 2017, the aircraft (registration C-GTQB), operated by Air Transat, was involved in an incident at Montreal due to a performance degradation during initial climb. Source: the TSB (Canada).CAC-GTQBAir Transat Boeing 737C-GWEF · WestJet Encore Incident · Sep 6, 2016On September 6, 2016, the DHC-8-402 (Dehavilland) aircraft (registration C-GWEF), operated by WestJet Encore, was involved in an incident at Boston due to a hydraulic system failure. Source: the TSB (Canada).CAC-GWEFWestJet Encore De Havilland Canada Dash 8A6-EGV · Emirates Incident · Sep 6, 2016On September 6, 2016, the Boeing 777 31HER aircraft (registration A6-EGV), operated by Emirates, was involved in an incident at Dubai. Source: Emirates.AEA6-EGVEmirates Boeing 777N33294 · United Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2015On September 6, 2015, the Boeing 737-824 (WL) aircraft (registration N33294), operated by United Airlines, was involved in an incident at 122km east of Narita (NRT) International Airport, Japan due to turbulence. Source: United Airlines.USN33294United Airlines Boeing 737OO-SNC · Brussels Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2015On September 6, 2015, the Airbus A320 214 aircraft (registration OO-SNC), operated by Brussels Airlines, was involved in an incident at Bologna. Source: Brussels Airlines.BEOO-SNCBrussels Airlines Airbus A320N197UA · United Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2015On September 6, 2015, the Boeing 747-422 aircraft (registration N197UA), operated by United Airlines, was involved in an incident at San Francisco. Source: United Airlines.USN197UAUnited Airlines Boeing 747N835AW · American Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2015On September 6, 2015, the Airbus A319-132 aircraft (registration N835AW), operated by American Airlines, was involved in an incident at Phoenix. Source: American Airlines.USN835AWAmerican Airlines Airbus A319EC-LZZ · Vueling Incident · Sep 6, 2015On September 6, 2015, the Airbus A320 214 aircraft (registration EC-LZZ), operated by Vueling, was involved in an incident at Genoa. Source: Vueling.ESEC-LZZVueling Airbus A320AP-BKN · Shaheen Incident · Sep 6, 2014On September 6, 2014, the Airbus Airbus A330 301 aircraft (registration AP-BKN), operated by Shaheen, was involved in an incident at Lahore. Source: the NTSB (United States).PKAP-BKNShaheen Airbus A330C-FIVK · Air Canada Incident · Sep 6, 2014On September 6, 2014, the Boeing 777-233LR (Boeing) aircraft (registration C-FIVK), operated by Air Canada, was involved in an incident due to the incapacitation of a crew member for medical reasons. Source: the TSB (Canada).CAC-FIVKAir Canada Boeing 777VT-ALM · Air India Incident · Sep 6, 2014On September 6, 2014, the Boeing 777 337ER aircraft (registration VT-ALM), operated by Air India, was involved in an incident at Toronto. Source: India.INVT-ALMAir India Boeing 7779V-STC · Singapore Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2014On September 6, 2014, the Airbus A330 343E aircraft (registration 9V-STC), operated by Singapore Airlines, was involved in an incident at Male. Source: Singapore Airlines.SG9V-STCSingapore Airlines Airbus A330D-AIQL · Lufthansa Incident · Sep 6, 2013On September 6, 2013, the Airbus A320 211 aircraft (registration D-AIQL), operated by Lufthansa, was involved in an incident at Barcelona. Source: Lufthansa.DED-AIQLLufthansa Airbus A320TS-LBC · Tunisair Express Incident · Sep 6, 2013On September 6, 2013, the ATR ATR 72 202 aircraft (registration TS-LBC), operated by Tunisair Express, was involved in an incident at Túnez. Source: Tunisair Express.TNTS-LBCTunisair Express ATR 42 / 72EI-EBL · Ryanair Incident · Sep 6, 2012On September 6, 2012, the Boeing 737-8AS(WL) aircraft (registration EI-EBL), operated by Ryanair, was involved in an incident at Rome. Source: Ryanair.IEEI-EBLRyanair Boeing 737SU-GCR · EgyptAir Incident · Sep 6, 2012On September 6, 2012, the Boeing 737NG 866/W aircraft (registration SU-GCR), operated by EgyptAir, was involved in an incident at Abuja. Source: EgyptAir.EGSU-GCREgyptAir Boeing 737UR-WOG · Aerostar Incident · Sep 6, 2012On September 6, 2012, the Do 328 Jet 300QC aircraft (registration UR-WOG), operated by Aerostar, was involved in an incident at Prague. Source: Aerostar.UAUR-WOGAerostar Dornier 328N704US · US Airways Incident · Sep 6, 2012On September 6, 2012, the Airbus A319-112 aircraft (registration N704US), operated by US Airways, was involved in an incident at Philadelphia. Source: American Airlines.USN704USUS Airways Airbus A319G-CELZ · Jet2.com Incident · Sep 6, 2012On September 6, 2012, the Boeing BOEING 737-377 aircraft (registration G-CELZ), operated by Jet2.com, was involved in an incident at Faro. Source: Jet2.com.GBG-CELZJet2.com Boeing 737CS-TOK · TAP Air Portugal Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Airbus A330 223 aircraft (registration CS-TOK), operated by TAP Air Portugal, was involved in an incident at Lajes. Source: TAP Air Portugal.PTCS-TOKTAP Air Portugal Airbus A330N485HA · Hawaiian Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Boeing 717-22A aircraft (registration N485HA), operated by Hawaiian Airlines, was involved in an incident at San Francisco. Source: Hawaiian Airlines.USN485HAHawaiian Airlines Boeing 717N18112 · United Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Boeing 757-224(WL) aircraft (registration N18112), operated by United Airlines, was involved in an incident at Newark. Source: United Airlines.USN18112United Airlines Boeing 757EI-DLX · Ryanair Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Boeing 737-8AS(WL) aircraft (registration EI-DLX), operated by Ryanair, was involved in an incident at Dublin. Source: Ryanair.IEEI-DLXRyanair Boeing 737N936WN · Southwest Airlines Accident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Boeing 737 7H4 aircraft (registration N936WN), operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an accident at Cape Coral, Florida (United States), leaving 1 injured. Source: the NTSB (United States).USN936WNSouthwest Airlines Boeing 737JA16AN · All Nippon Airways - ANA Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Boeing 737-781 (WL) aircraft (registration JA16AN), operated by All Nippon Airways - ANA, was involved in an incident 43 km south of Hamamatsu (Japan). Source: All Nippon Airways - ANA.JPJA16ANAll Nippon Airways - ANA Boeing 737CS-TKN · SATA Incident · Sep 6, 2011On September 6, 2011, the Airbus A310 325 aircraft (registration CS-TKN), operated by SATA, was involved in an incident at Lajes. Source: SATA.PTCS-TKNSATA Airbus A3104X-AXK · El Al Israel Airlines Incident · Sep 6, 1995On September 6, 1995, the Boeing 747-245F aircraft (registration 4X-AXK), operated by El Al Israel Airlines, was involved in an incident at Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS) Airport (Netherlands) due to an engine failure. Source: El Al Israel Airlines.IL4X-AXKEl Al Israel Airlines Boeing 747

Photo: Original image taken by a British government employee prior to 1956. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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