2013 Event The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, completed his last shift as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force; he will now focus on Royal and community work 2013 Event No casualties are reported after a U.S. military Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter crashes near the South Korean border with North Korea 2011 Event At least 20 Navy SEALs and 17 others die when a NATO Chinook helicopter crashes after being shot down by the Taliban in Afghanistan 1994 Event Chinook helicopter crashes in North Scotland, 29 killed 1994 Death Frank Wells, president (Disney), dies in helicopter crash 1994 Event Helicopter crashes into office building in San Jose, California, 1 dead 1993 Death Wu Yi Shen, mayor of Shen Yang China, dies in helicopter 1992 Event 32 Cubans defect to the U.S. via helicopter 1990 Death Stevie Ray Vaughan, blues guitarist, dies in a helicopter crash at 35 1986 Death Jane Dornnacker, WNBC-AM New York City helicopter traffic reporter, dies doing a live traffic report as her copter crashes 1986 Event 52 die in plane and helicopter collision over Grand Canyon 1986 Event De Havilland Twin Otter and Bell 206 helicopter collide, kills 25 1983 Event Dick Smith makes 1st solo helicopter flight around the world 1983 Event 20 killed in Britain's worst helicopter accident 1982 Event Greatest helicopter lift, 56,888 kg, Podmoscovnoe, U.S.S.R. 1981 Event Boeing commercial Chinook 2-rotor helicopter is certified 1977 Event North Korea shoots down U.S. helicopter, killing 3 1977 Event 5 die as New York Airway helicopter topples on Pan Am building in New York City 1975 Event Last U.S. helicopter leaves U.S. embassy grounds, Saigon surrenders 1972 Death Igor Sikorsky, Russian/US helicopter builder, dies at 83 1965 Event 1st nonstop helicopter crossing of North America, JR Willford 1957 Event 1st President to fly in helicopter - Dwight Eisenhower 1956 Event 1st non-stop transcontinental helicopter flight arrived Washington D.C. 1954 Event 1st army helicopter battalion forms, Fort Bragg, NC 1953 Event 1st helicopter passenger service, New York City 1952 Event 1st transatlantic helicopter flight begins 1950 Event 1st helicopter rescue of American pilot behind enemy lines 1947 Event 1st helicopter air mail and express service 1946 Event 1st helicopter licensed for commercial use (New York City) 1946 Event 1st commercially designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport Connecticut 1942 Event Helicopter makes its 1st cross-country flight 1941 Event 1st helicopter flight of 1 hour duration, Stratford, Connecticut 1940 Event 1st successful helicopter flight, Stratford, Connecticut 1940 Event Igor Sikorsky unveils his helicopter invention 1940 Event 1st successful helicopter flight in US: Vought-Sikorsky US-300 1936 Event 1st flight of Fw61 helicopter 1928 Event 1st autogiro (predecessor of helicopter) flight in US 1923 Event Etienne Oehmichen sets helicopter distance record of 358 meters 1922 Event Henry Berliner demonstrates his helicopter to U.S. Bureau of Aeronautics 1907 Event French cyclist Paul Cornu flies 1st helicopter (twin rotor) 1905 Event French Dufaux brothers test helicopter 1889 Birthday Igor Sikorsky, developed a working helicopter
