Historical eventNovember 61986

1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash

Sumburgh disaster: A British International Helicopters Boeing 234LR Chinook crashes 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Sumburgh Airport killing 45 people. It is the deadliest civilian helicopter crash on record.

40th anniversary in 2026

Everything on November 6Original source

In context

When
Thursday, November 6 198640 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Anniversary
40th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1986.

What happened

Sumburgh disaster: A British International Helicopters Boeing 234LR Chinook crashes 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Sumburgh Airport killing 45 people. It is the deadliest civilian helicopter crash on record.

November 6 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1985Colombian conflict
  2. 19861986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash
  3. 19881988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes
  4. 1995Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
  5. 2002Fokker 50
  6. 2002Jiang Lijun
  7. 2004Ufton Nervet rail crash
  8. 2004Ufton Nervet
  9. 2012Tammy Baldwin
  10. 2016Syrian civil war
  11. 20252025 Canadian ostrich culling controversy

Also in 1986

  • September 131986 Kalamata earthquakeA magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and ca…
  • September 5Pan Am Flight 73Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.
  • November 17Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628The flight crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 are involved in a UFO sighting incident while flying over Alaska.
  • October 20Aeroflot Flight 6502Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashed on approach to Kurumoch Airport in Samara, Russia (then Kuybyshev in the Soviet Union), killing 70 people on…
  • May 25Hands Across AmericaThe Hands Across America event takes place.
  • June 14Mindbender (Galaxyland)The Mindbender derails, killing three riders and severely injuring one at the Fantasyland (known today as Galaxyland) indoor amusement pa…
  • November 5USS RentzUSS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao, China; the first US naval visit to China since 1949.
  • July 9New Zealand ParliamentThe New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.

Everything we record for 1986 →

Sources

Cite this page

“1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/1986-british-international-helicopters-chinook-crash-1986-november-6, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did 1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash happen?

November 6 1986 — 40 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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