This is a list ofaviation-related events from 1949:

• Aerolíneas Argentinas is established.
• Royal Jordanian Air Force is formed as the Arab League Air Force.
• Republic of Korea Air Force is formed.
• Lebanese Air Force is formed.
• Thede Havilland Sea Hornets ofNo. 801 Squadron,Fleet Air Arm, embark aboard theRoyal Navy aircraft carrierHMS Implacable, becoming the first British twin-engined single-seat aircraft to operate from an aircraft carrier.^[1]
• Bahrain-basedGulf Aviation, the forerunner ofGulf Air, is founded. It will begin flight operations inJuly 1950.
• The American Section of theInternational League of Aviators awards the National Trophy, aHarmon Trophy awarded from 1926 to 1938 to the outstanding aviator of the year in each of the 21 member countries of the now-defunct League and since 1945 by the American Section, for the last time. The trophies it presented from 1945 to 1949 stirred much controversy, with the awards going largely unrecognized.
• The crew of aMaszovletLisiunov Li-2P (registration HA-LIE) illegally flies the airliner out of Hungary and lands atMunich inAllied-occupied Germany.^[2]
• Early 1949 – The Royal Navy experiments with landingundercarriage-less aircraft aboard aircraft carriers, landing an experimentalde Havilland Sea Vampire F.21 with strengthened undersides with itslanding gear retracted aboardHMS Warrior.Warrior hasrubberized deck surfaces installed for the experiments.^[3]
• Mid-1949 – TheUnited States Air Force consists of 48groups.^[4]

• The United States' force ofatomic bomb assembly teams has risen from two in mid-1948 to seven. Each atomic bomb requires two days to be assembled for use.^[5]
• January 2 – Taking off fromBoeing Field inSeattle, in fog after an only partially successfulde-icing, aSeattle Air CharterDouglas C-47A-50-DL Skytrain (registration NC79025) drags its leftwing along the ground just after becoming airborne, lands outside the runway, crashes into ahangar, and bursts into flames, killing 14 of the 30 people on board.^[6]
• January 4 – Twenty-twohijackers commandeer aMaszovletDouglas C-47 Skytrain with 25 people aboard during a domestic flight over Hungary fromPécs toBudapest and force it to fly them toMunich in the American occupation zone inAllied-occupied Germany.^[7]
• January 7 – On the last day of the1948 Arab-Israeli War, fiveRoyal Egyptian Air ForceSupermarine Spitfires strafe anIsraeli motorized column nearRafah, setting three trucks on fire before departing. When fourRoyal Air Force (RAF) Spitfires ofNo. 208 Squadron arrive on the scene to investigate, the column mistakes them for additional Egyptian aircraft and shoots one down. TwoIsraeli Air Force Spitfires then arrive, mistake the three surviving RAF Spitfires for Egyptian aircraft, and shoot all three of them down. Seven BritishHawker Tempests ofNo. 213 Squadron, eight Tempests ofNo. 6 Squadron and four more Spitfires of No. 208 Squadron sent to search for the four missing No. 208 Squadron fighters encounter four Israeli Spitfires over Rafah, and in the ensuring dogfight the Israelis shoot down one No. 213 Squadron Tempest.^[8]
• January 9 –Chuck Yeager makes the only conventional take-off from a runway ever attempted in aBell X-1, then climbs to 23,000 feet (7,000 m) in 90 seconds.
• January 16 – During a one-hour domestic flight in India fromJammu toSrinagar, aDalmia Jain Airways Douglas C-47B-5-DK Skytrain (registration VT-CDZ) disappears nearBanihal Pass with the loss of all 13 people on board.^[9]
• January 17 – TheBritish South American AirwaysAvro Tudor IVStar Ariel (G-AGRE) disappears without trace on a flight fromBermuda toKingston, Jamaica, with the loss of all 20 people on board.
• January 30 – Six hijackers take over aChina National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) airliner during a domestic flight over China fromShanghai toQingdao (Tsingtao) and force it to fly them toTainan onTaiwan.^[10]

• El Al purchases its first airliners, twoDouglas DC-4s that it buys fromAmerican Airlines. Previously, El Al had used only leased airliners.
• February 1 – In the United Kingdom, theWomen's Auxiliary Air Force is renamed theWomen's Royal Air Force.^[11]
• February 3 – AUnited States NavyLockheed R6O Constitution sets a new record for the number of people carried on a single nonstop flight across thecontinental United States, taking 96 people – 74 members of the press, four other passengers, and a crew of 18 – on a 9-hour 35-minute flight fromMoffett Field,California, toWashington National Airport inArlington,Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.^[12] The flight also sets a new record for the number of passengers (exclusive of crew members) carried on such a flight.^[13]
• February 8
  • ADanish Air LinesVickers 628 Viking 1B (registration OY-DLU) disappears on approach toKastrup Airport inCopenhagen, Denmark, with the loss of all 27 people on board. Its wreckage is found a month later on the sea bottom in Swedish waters in theKattegat offBarsebäck, Sweden, at a depth of 23 meters (75 feet). At the time, it is both the deadliest aviation accident in Swedish history and the deadliest accident involving any model of theVickers Viking.^[14]
  • TheUnited States Air Force′s Boeing XB-47, prototype of theB-47 Stratojet bomber, flies fromMoses Lake Air Force Base,Washington, toAndrews Air Force Base,Maryland, in 3 hours 46 minutes at an average speed of 607 mph.^[15]
• February 9 – The U.S. Air Force'sNorthrop YB-49 jet-poweredflying wing bomber prototype flies fromMuroc Air Force Base, California, to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, in 4 hours 25 minutes at an average speed of 511 mph.^[15]
• February 10 – AFaucett PerúDouglas C-47B-15-DK Skytrain (registration OB-PAV-223) crashes into a mountain peak on approach toHuánuco Airport inHuánuco,Peru, killing all 16 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Peruvian history at the time.^[16]
• February 19 – ABritish European AirwaysDouglas Dakota and aRoyal Air ForceAvro Anson T21collide in clear weather overExhall, England. Both aircraft crash, killing all 10 people on the Dakota and the entire four-man crew of the Anson.
• February 24
  • After the crew of aCathay Pacific Airways Douglas C-47A-90-DL Skytrain (registration VR-HDG) aborts a landing atKai Tak Airport in Hong Kong and begins ago-around in poor visibility, the aircraft crashes into a hillside atNorth Point nearBraemar Reservoir, killing all 23 people on board. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in Hong Kong's history at the time.^[17]
  • The left main undercarriage of aTAM PerúDouglas DC-3 collapses during its takeoff roll atAlejandro Velasco Astete Airport inCusco,Peru, with 26 people aboard. The No. 1 propeller detaches and cuts through thefuselage, badly injuring thecaptain, and the airliner catches fire after sliding to a halt. The crash and fire kill 22 of the 26 people on board, including the captain, who later dies of his injuries. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Peruvian history at the time, exceeding the death toll in the Faucett Perú crash two weeks earlier.^[18]
• February 25
  • TheUnited States Air ForceBoeing B-50 SuperfortressGlobal Queen takes off fromCarswell Air Force Base nearFort Worth, Texas, and flies eastward to attempt to become the first airplane to make a non-stop flight around the world, but its attempt fails when an engine fire forces it to land atLajes Field in theAzores.^[19]
  • TheDouglas Skyrocket makes its first rocket-powered flight.^[20]
  • The U.S. NavyMartin JRM-2 Marsflying boatCaroline Mars sets a record for the number of people carried on a single flight, transporting 202 men and a crew of four fromAlameda toSan Diego, California. It then breaks the record on the return flight the same day, carrying 218 men and a crew of four from San Diego to Alameda.^[12]
• February 26 – ReplacingGlobal Queen, the B-50A SuperfortressLucky Lady II of the U.S. Air Force's43rd Bombardment Group takes off from Carswell Air Force Base and flies eastward to begin an attempt to become the first airplane to circle the world nonstop.^[19]

• March 2 – TheUnited States Air Force43rd Bombardment GroupBoeing B-50A SuperfortressLucky Lady II passes the control tower atCarswell Air Force Base nearFort Worth, Texas, becoming the first airplane to circle the world nonstop.Lucky Lady II had taken off from Carswell on February 26 and flown eastward at altitudes between 10,000 and 20,000 feet (3,000 and 6,100 meters), refueling fromKB-29M Superfortress tankers four times, and had made the flight in 94 hours 1 minute at an average ground speed of 249 mph (401 km/h; 216 kn), traveling 23,452 miles (37,742 kilometers).^[19]
• March 4 – The U.S. NavyMartin JRM-2 Marsflying boatCaroline Mars sets another record for the number of people carried on a single flight, transporting 263 passengers and a crew of six on a 2-hour 41-minute trip fromSan Diego toAlameda California.^[12]
• March 7 –Aden Airways is founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of theBritish Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It will begin flight operations inOctober.
• March 9 –Việt Minh leaderHo Chi Minh orders the organization of an Air Force Research Committee for theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam.
• March 10 – Itscentre of gravity too far aft for it to remain stable in the air, aQueensland AirlinesLockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registration VH-BAG)stalls immediately after takeoff fromCoolangatta Airport inBilinga, Queensland, Australia, and crashes into a swamp, killing all 21 people on board.^[21]
• March 18 – ANew Zealand National AirwaysLockheed C-60A-5-LO Lodestar (registration ZK-AKX) crashes into a hillside at an elevation of 2,000 feet (610 meters) on approach toParaparaumu Airport inParaparaumu, New Zealand, killing all 15 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in New Zealand's history.^[22]
• March 31 – The best single month of theBerlin Airlift concludes, with American aircraft having delivered 154,475short tons (140,139metric tons) of cargo toWest Berlin since March 1.^[12]

• TheFleet Air Arm re-formsNo. 702 Squadron atRoyal Naval Air Station Culdrose to spearhead the introduction of jet aircraft into Royal Navy service.^[23]
• April 1 –Tunisair begins flight operations.
• April 4 – TheNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is formed.
• April 20 –Robert L. Coffey, a member of theUnited States House of Representatives representingPennsylvania's26th Congressional District, dies duringUnited States Air Force Reserve training when hisLockheed F-80A-10-LO Shooting Star crashes on takeoff atKirtland Air Force Base inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, as he begins the second leg of a cross-country proficiency flight across thecontinental United States.
• April 20–21 – A Royal Air ForceShort Sunderlandflying boat flies medical personnel and supplies to the Royal NavysloopHMS Amethyst, which had been shelled by Chinese Communist forces on theYangtze River.
• April 26 – The firstAfrican Americannaval aviator,Jesse L. Brown, iscommissioned as anensign in the U.S. Navy.^[24]
• April 29
  • Flying over 100 kilometers (62 miles) off course during a domestic flight in the Soviet Union fromYakutsk toKirensk, anAeroflotLisunov Li-2 (registration CCCP-L4464) crashes into a mountain 117 kilometers (73 miles) east of Kirensk at an altitude of 1,300 meters (4,300 feet), killing 14 of the 24 people on board.^[25]
  • Ahijacker commandeers aTransporturi Aeriene Româno-Sovietice (TARS)Douglas DC-3 during a domestic flight overRomania fromTimișoara toBucharest and forces it to fly toThessaloniki, Greece.^[26]

• TheUnited States Marine Corps practices deploying by helicopter for the first time, inExercise Packard III.
• TheChief of Staff of the United States Air Force,GeneralHoyt Vandenberg, calls for an American atomic bomb inventory large enough to allow the United States to strike 220 targets.^[27]
• TheGovernment of Egypt acquires all capital and aircraft of Misr Airlines, the futureEgyptAir, becoming the company's sole stockholder. The airline's name changes to Misrair.
• May 4
  • AnAvio Linee Italiane ("Italian Airlines")Fiat G212.CP airlinercrashes into theSuperga hill nearTurin, Italy, killing all 31 people on board. Among the dead are 18 players and club officials of theTorino A.C. – also known asIl Grande Torino –football (soccer) team, journalists accompanying the team, and the plane's crew.
  • The CanadianBlue Devilsaerobatic team is formed.
• May 6
  • During aBristol Aeroplane Company test flight, aBristol 170 Freighter 31 loses part of one of itswings and crashes into theEnglish Channel offPortland, Dorset, England, killing all seven people on board.^[28]
  • Pacific Southwest Airlines begins flight operations. Its first flight is inCalifornia fromSan Diego toOakland viaBurbank, using a leasedDouglas DC-3, beginning once-a-week service on the route.^[29]
• May 7 – A time bomb planted by two ex-convicts explodes aboard aPhilippine Air LinesDouglas C-47B-35-DK Skytrain (registration PI-C98) during a domestic flight in thePhilippines fromManila toDaet. The airliner crashes into thePhilippine Sea, killing all 13 people on board.^[30]
• May 11 – TheRoyal Air Force'sNo. 28 Squadron flies fromMalaya to Hong Kong to help reinforce the island againstCommunist forces on mainland China.
• May 12 – A committee to study the effectiveness of American atomic attacks on the Soviet Union appointed by the U.S.Joint Chiefs of Staff and chaired by U.S. Air ForceLieutenant GeneralHubert R. Harmon reports that if the U.S. Air Force'sStrategic Air Command successfully struck 70 Soviet cities with a combined population of 34.7 million people with atomic bombs, the attack would kill 2.7 million people, injure 4 million, and greatly disrupt the lives of the other 28 million residents. However, it also finds that the attacks would not disrupt a Soviet ground and air offensive in Europe, and that Soviet industry damaged by the attacks would recover quickly, while the Soviet population's will to fight would be reinforced by anger over the attacks.^[31]
• May 13
  • The first flight of the first British jet bomber occurs, as theEnglish Electric EE.A1 –prototype of theEnglish Electric Canberra andMartin B-57 Canberra – flies for the first time.^[32]
  • ABell 47 sets an altitude record for helicopters, reaching 18,550 feet (5,650 meters).^[33]
• May 14 – The Soviet Union cancels theIlyushin Il-20 program.
• Mid-May – A committee of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff recommends that the American atomic weapon stockpile be expanded to triple the total number of weapons planned previously.^[31]
• May 19 – TheUnited States NavyMartin JRM-1 Marsflying boatMarshall Mars sets a new record for the largest number of people to be carried on a single aircraft, taking 308 – 301 passengers and a crew of seven – on a flight fromAlameda toSan Diego, California.
• May 21 – ASikorsky S-52 sets a new helicopter altitude record of 21,200 ft (6,500 m).

• June 6
  • During a domestic flight in Greece fromKavala toAthens, aTechnical and Aeronautical Exploitations (TAE)Douglas C-47A-1-DK Skytrain loses its rightwing in severe turbulence after entering acumulonimbus cloud. It crashes nearMalakasa, killing all 22 people on board.^[34]
  • After flying into heavy overcast just after takeoff fromFlorianópolis Air Force Base inFlorianópolis, Brazil, aBrazilian Air Force Douglas C-47B-50-DK Skytrain crashes intoCambirela Peak in the foothills of theSerra da Boa Vista, killing all 28 people on board. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Brazilian history at the time.^[35]
• June 7 – After its Number Two engine fails one minute after takeoff fromIsla Grande Airport inSan Juan, Puerto Rico, an overloadedStrato-FreightCurtiss C-46D-5-CU Commandoditches in the Atlantic Ocean 200 yards (180 meters) offPunta Salinas. The aircraft remains afloat for six minutes, but 53 of the 81 people on board either die in the crash or drown. It is the deadliest aviation accident in Puerto Rican history, and at the time it is the second-deadliest involving any variant of the C-46.^[36]
• June 23 – TheKLMLockheed L-749-79-33 ConstellationRoermond (registration PH-TER) loses its tail at an altitude of about 4,500 meters (14,800 feet) during a flight fromCairo,Egypt, toAmsterdam in the Netherlands and crashes into theAdriatic Sea just offBari, Italy, killing all 33 people on board. At the time, it both the deadliest aviation accident in Italian history and the deadliest accident involving the Lockheed L-749.^[37]
• June 24 – TheDouglas Skyrocket exceedsMach 1 for the first time.^[38]
• June 30 – TheUnited States Air Force signs an agreement with theDouglas Aircraft Company for Douglas to construct two Model 499D supersonic research aircraft under the service designationX-3.^[39]

• July 2 – TheMacRobertson Miller AviationDouglas DC-3 airlinerFitzroy,registration VH-MME,crashes on takeoff during a driving rain fromPerth, Australia, killing all 18 people on board.
• July 9 – AFrench Naval Aviation (Aéronavale)Junkers Ju 52 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean offZaouit Massa,French Morocco, killing all 18 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history ofMorocco.^[40]
• July 12
  • On approach toSantacruz Airport inBombay, India, in low clouds and poor visibility, aKLMLockheed L-749-79-33 Constellation (registration PH-TDF) crashes into a 205-meter (673-foot) hill, killing all 45 people on board. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in Indian history.^[41]
  • On approach toLockheed Air Terminal inBurbank, California, aStandard Air LinesCurtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando (registration N79978) crashes into high ground nearChatsworth, California, at an altitude of 1,890 feet (580 meters), about 430 feet (130 meters) below the crest ofSanta Susana Pass. The crash kills 35 of the 48 people on board.^[42]
• July 22 – A French Naval Aviation (Aéronavale)Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina amphibiousflying boat conducting a nighttime exercise to search for theFrench NavysubmarineAstrée crashes into the Atlantic Ocean offAgadir, French Morocco, and bursts into flames, killing all 17 people on board. It is the second-deadliest aviation accident in Morocco's history at the time.^[43]
• July 25 –Squadron LeaderRobert Kipp of the CanadianBlue Devilsaerobatic team is killed in a training accident.
• July 30 – AUnited States NavyGrumman F6F-5N Hellcatnight fighter performing aerobatics nearChesterfield, New Jersey, collides withEastern Airlines Flight 557, aDouglas DC-3-201D (registration NC19963) flying fromLa Guardia Airport inQueens,New York, toWilmington Airport inWilmington, Delaware. Both aircraft crash, killing the Hellcat pilot and all 15 people aboard the DC-3.^[44]
• July 31 –El Al makes its first international flight, a flight fromTel Aviv to Paris with a refueling stop in Rome.

• August 6 – ABristol 170 Freighter 21 (registration HC-SBU) operated by theShell Company ofEcuador crashes at Ecuador'sSalasaca Hill. killing all 34 people on board.^[45]
• August 7 – Using the probe-and-drogueaerial refueling system, aRoyal Air ForceGloster Meteor Mk 3 remains aloft continuously for 12 hours 3 minutes, with pilot comfort appearing to be the only factor limiting an ability to stay aloft even longer.^[46]
• August 9
  • United States NavyLieutenant J. L. Fruin loses control of hisF2H-1 Banshee and ejects, becoming the first American pilot to use anejector seat during an actual in-flight emergency.
  • ARoyal Air ForceDouglas Dakota C.4 flies into the ground on approach in clouds toSalalah Airport inSalalah,Muscat and Oman, killing all 12 people on board.^[47]
• August 10 – TheAvro Canada C102 Jetliner makes its first flight. becoming the first jet airliner designed and built in theWestern Hemisphere and the second jet airliner worldwide to fly.^[48]
• August 13 – During a domestic flight inColombia fromBogotá toIbagué, aSAETADouglas C-47 Skytrain (registration HK-1200) crashes in theAndes nearBojacá, killing all 32 people on board.^[49]
• August 15
  • Ade Havilland Tiger Moth makes the first service flight by an aircraft of theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam.
  • ATransocean Air LinesDouglas C-54A-DO Skymaster (registration N79998) flying from Rome, Italy, toShannon, Ireland, with 58 people on board flies well out over theNorth Atlantic Ocean when its crew fails to realize that they have already passed Shannon. Upon realizing their mistake, the crew attempts to fly back toward Shannon, but the aircraft runs out of fuel andditches off Ireland'sLurga Point. The aircraft remains afloat for 15 minutes and all passengers and crew escape, but seven passengers and one crew member drown or die of exposure before the Britishfishing trawlerStalberg rescues the survivors fromlife rafts.^[50]
• August 19 – TheBritish European AirwaysDouglas DC-3G-AHCYcrashes into a hill atOldham,Lancashire, England, killing 24 of the 32 people on board.
• August 21 – Flying in poor weather, aRoyal Canadian Air ForceCanadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso A amphibiousflying boat strikes trees on upsloping terrain nearBigstone Lake inManitoba, Canada, and crashes, killing all 21 people on board.^[51]
• August 23 –BOAC commences its first services toEast Asia to be flown entirely by landplanes.
• August 24 – Theflag carrier of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,JAT Jugoslovenski Aerotransport, inaugurates international service betweenBelgrade, Yugoslavia, andZürich, Switzerland. Previously, Yugoslavia's isolation from both theWestern world and theEastern Bloc had forced the airline to survive on just six routes, all domestic.

• Pan American Airways acquires an ownership stake in and management contract withMiddle East Airlines.
• September 9 – In order to kill his wife Rita,Albert Guay conspires with Généreux Ruest andMarguerite Pitre to plant adynamite bomb in Rita Guay's luggage aboardCanadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 108, aDouglas DC-3. The bomb explodes in mid-flight overCap Tourmente nearSault-au-Cochon, Quebec, Canada, en route fromQuebec City toBaie-Comeau, Quebec, killing Rita Guay and all of the other 22 people on board. Albert Guay, Ruest, and Pitre all will behanged for the crime, the worst mass murder in Canadian history at the time.
• September 15 –Central Airlines commences scheduled revenue flights.
• September 16 – Five Polishhijackers, four with loaded guns and one with a toypistol, force aLOT Polish AirlinesLisunov Li-2 making a domestic flight over Poland fromGdańsk toŁódź to fly toNyköping-F11 Air Force Base inNyköping, Sweden.^[52]
• September 17 – TheShuttleworth Collection'sBlackburn Type D monoplane of1912 makes its first flight after restoration, the oldest airworthy British aircraft.^[53]
• September 26 – During a domestic flight inMexico fromOaxaca toMexico City, aMexicanaDouglas DC-3A (registration XA-DUH)crashes into thestratovolcanoPopocatepetl, killing all 24 people on board.^[54]
• September 27 – Returning from a humanitarian mission to aid victims of arecent major earthquake inEcuador, aFlota Aérea Mercante Argentina (FAMA)Douglas C-54A-1-DO Skymaster (registration LV-ABI) catches fire in flight and crashes nearBuenos Aires,Argentina, killing five of the 27 people on board.^[55]
• September 30 – TheBerlin Airlift officially ends, with 2,325 tons (2,362 tonnes) of food and supplies having been flown into the city. The final flight is made a week later.

• Aerocar International completes the prototype of its first flying automobile, theAerocar I.^[56]
• October 1
  • Aden Airways, a wholly owned subsidiary of theBritish Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), begins flight operations, using a fleet of sixDouglas DC-3 airliners transferred from BOAC.
  • ACessna T-50 runs out of fuel and crashes onBeverly Boulevard inLos Angeles. Four of the men on board survive, but the fifth, American singerBuddy Clark, dies when he is thrown from the plane.^[57]
• October 10 – During a domestic flight inMexico fromMexico City toPiedras Negras, anAerovías CoahuilaDouglas DC-3-277B (registration XA-HOU) crashes intoSierra de Ovallos nearSaltillo, killing all eight people on board.^[58]
• October 26 –Costa Rica creates theDirección General de Aviación Civil ("General Directorate of Civil Aviation"), its nationalcivil aviation authority.
• October 28 –Air France Flight 009, off course and with its crew believing that they are on approach toSanta Maria Airport inVila do Porto onSanta Maria Island in theAzores, anAir FranceLockheed L-749-79-46 Constellation (registration F-BAZN) flying fromParisOrly Airport toNew York crashes intoPico da Vara onSão Miguel Island at an elevation of 900 meters (3,000 feet), killing all 48 people on board. Frenchboxing starMarcel Cerdan and French concertviolinistGinette Neveu are among the dead. At the time, it is the deadliest aviation accident in the history of Portugal.^[59]

• TheNew Tachikawa Aircraft Company is formed in Japan.
• November 1 –Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, aDouglas C-54B-10-DO, en route fromBoston, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. collides with aLockheed P-38 Lightning fighter on its final approach toNational Airport. Both planes crash, killing all 55 people on board the Douglas. The P-38 pilot, Eric Rios Bridaux (aBolivian Air Force pilot), survives. Among the dead are U.S. CongressmanGeorge J. Bates, former U.S. CongressmanMichael J. Kennedy, and American cartoonistHelen E. Hokinson.^[57]
• November 2 – ThePeople's Republic of China establishes the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China – forerunner of theCivil Aviation Administration of China – as its nationalcivil aviation authority. Initially, thePeople's Liberation Army Air Force manages it.
• November 16 –Chief of Staff of the United States Air ForceGeneralHoyt Vandenberg notes that in a few years the Soviet Union will have 50 to 60 atomic bombs and be able to devastate the United States. He recommends improvements in American air defense capabilities.^[60]
• November 18 – ADouglas C-74 Globemaster carries 103 passengers and crew over theNorth Atlantic Ocean, the largest number to have made thecrossing in a single flight.
• November 20 – TheAero HollandDouglas DC-3PH-TFAcrashes atHurum, Norway, while on approach toFornebu Airport outsideOslo, killing 34 of the 35 people on board. Of the 26Jewish children aboard on their way toIsrael, only one, a 12-year-old boy, survives.
• November 26 – During a domestic flight inColombia fromBucaramanga toCúcuta, aLimitada Nacional de Servicio Aéreo (LANSA)Douglas C-47 Skytrain (registration HK-305) crashes in mountainous terrain at an altitude of approximately 2,000 feet (610 meters) nearPáramo Bogueche, killing all 12 people on board.^[61]
• November 27 – AnAigle Azur Douglas C-47B-5DK Skytrain (registration F-OABJ) crashes in flames nearĐông Khê inFrench Indochina, killing 10 people on board. It is not clear whether it experienced a technical malfunction or was shot down by theViệt Minh.^[62]
• November 28 – On approach toLyon-Bron Airport inLyon, France, anAir FranceDouglas C-54A-15-DC Skymaster (registration F-BELO) strikes a tree and crashes, sliding to a halt in an open field and catching fire. Five of the 38 people on board die.^[63]
• November 29 –American Airlines Flight 157, aDouglas DC-6, strikes buildings atDallas Love Field after the flight crew loses directional control on landing; 28 of the 46 people on board die and 16 of the 18 survivors are injured.

• TheRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Arm takes delivery of its first British-built helicopter, aWestland Dragonfly.^[64]
• Monarch Airlines buys a controlling interest inChallenger Airlines.
• December 1 – Flying in bad weather on a domestic flight in Brazil fromSão Paulo toJacarezinho, aReal Transportes AéreosDouglas C-47-DL Skytrain (registration PP-YPM) crashes into a mountain nearRibeirão Claro, killing 20 of the 22 people on board.^[65]
• December 7 – During a flight inCalifornia fromOakland toSacramento, aCalifornia Arrow Airlines Douglas C-47A-1-DL Skytrain (registration NC60256) makes an unplanned descent from 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) and crashes into a hill east ofVallejo at an altitude of 782 feet (238 meters), killing all nine people on board.^[66]
• December 8 – Muroc Army Airfield is renamedEdwards Air Force Base in honor oftest pilotGlen Edwards.
• December 9
  • ACivil Air TransportCurtiss C-46D-20-CU Commando (registration XT-820) crashes nearLanzhou, China, killing all 38 people on board.^[67]
  • Fourhijackers aboard aTARSDouglas DC-3 making a domestic flight overRomania fromSibiu toBudapest carrying 20 passengers and five crew kill the on-boardair marshal and force the flight crew to fly toBeograd in theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.^[68]
• December 10 – A Civil Air Transport Curtiss C-46D-20-CU Commando (registration XT-820) crashes atHaikou, China, during a flight toHaikou Airport, killing 17 of the 40 people on board.^[69]
• December 12
  • After its crew makes a navigational error and begins a descent towardKarachi Airport inKarachi, Pakistan, too soon, aPakairDouglas C-53 Skytrooper (registration AP-ADI) crashes intoKaro Jabal Mountain nearJungshahi, Pakistan, at an altitude of about 1,185 feet (361 meters), killing 22 of the 26 people on board.^[70]
  • Capital Airlines Flight 500, aDouglas DC-3-313A (registration NC25691),stalls on approach toWashington National Airport inArlington, Virginia, and crashes into thePotomac River, killing six of the 23 people on board.^[71]
• December 16
  • Sixteenhijackers commandeer aLOT Polish Airlines airliner making a domestic flight over Poland fromŁódź toGdańsk with 18 people aboard and force it to fly toBornholm Airport onBornholm in Denmark.^[72]
  • During a domestic flight inMexico fromMexico City toMérida, aMexicana Douglas DC-3A (registration XA-DUK) crashes into the mountainCerro del Borrego nearOrizaba, killing all 17 people on board.^[73]
• December 18 – ASabenaDouglas C-47 Skytrain (registration OO-AUQ) crashes nearAulnay-sous-Bois, France, when itswing malfunctions just after departure fromParis – Le Bourget Airport. The crash kills all eight people on board.^[74]
• December 30 – Local villagers gather around aBharat AirwaysDouglas C-54A-DO Skymaster (registration VT-CYK) after it makes a forced landing atComilla,East Pakistan. All three people on board survive, but seven villagers are killed when the aircraft catches fire and its fuel tanks explode.^[75]
• December 31 – The U.S. Air Force'sStrategic Air Command has 837 aircraft, of which 521 are capable of delivering atomic bombs.^[76]

• Beriev Be-6 (NATO reporting name "Madge")^[77]
• Piper PA-20 Pacer
• Late 1949 –Aerocar Aerocar^[78]

• January 6 –Nord Noroit^[79]
• January 8 –Morane-Saulnier MS-700 Pétrel^[80]
• January 28 –SNCAC NC.271^[81]

• February 1 –CAB Minicab^[82]
• February 15 –Breguet 761^[83]
• February 24 –Eklund TE-1^[84]
• February 28 –Dassault Ouragan^[85]

• March 1 –Bréguet 892S Mercure^[86]
• March 7 –Sud-Ouest SO 1100 Ariel I^[87]
• March 9 –Avro Shackleton prototype^[88]VW126
• March 28 –SNCAC NC.860^[87]

• April 1 –SNCASO SO.8000 Narval^[89]
• April 2 –SNCASE Armagnac^[90]
• April 3 –Boisavia Mercurey^[91]
• April 10 –Armstrong Whitworth Apollo^[92]
• April 14 –Aero Ae 50
• April 14 –Helio Courier (by its"Helioplane No.1" demonstrator inCanton, Massachusetts)
• April 16 – Lockheed YF-94, prototype of theF-94 Starfire^[93]
• April 21 –Leduc 0.10 – powered flight^[94]

• May 9 –Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor^[95]
• May 13 –English Electric EE.A1VN799, prototype of theEnglish Electric Canberra, the first British jet bomber^[32]
• May 21 –Bréguet G.111^[96]

• June 4 –Lockheed XF-90
• June 4 –Fouga CM.8^[97]

• July 13 –Found FBA-1^[98]
• July 17 –Vickers Varsity
• July 27 –De Havilland Comet,^[99] the world's first jet-propelled airliner, atHatfield, Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom
• July 29 –SNCAC NC 1080^[100]

• August 1 – Northrop N-32 Raider, prototype of theNorthrop C-125 Raider^[101]
• August 10 –Avro Canada C102 Jetliner^[102]
• August 11 –Morane-Saulnier Alcyon^[103]

• September 1 –Avro Ashton^[104]
• September 2 –De Havilland Venom^[105]
• September 4
  • Avro 707^[104]
  • Bristol Brabazon^[106]
• September 10 –Nord Noratlas^[107]
• September 19 –Fairey Gannet^[108]
• September 20 –Blackburn B-54^[109]
• September 22 – Convair XAT-29, prototype of theConvair T-29^[110]
• September 24 – North American XT-28, prototype of theT-28 Trojan

• October 14 –Fairchild C-123 Provider^[111]
• October 28 –Millet Lagarde ML-10^[112]

• November 7 –Sikorsky S-55
• November 10 –Piasecki HRP-2 Rescuer, improved version of HRP helicopter which also will serve asH-21 Shawnee andH-21 Workhorse^[113]
• November 27 –C-124 Globemaster II

• December 14 – Cessna 305, prototype of theCessna O-1 Bird Dog
• December 16 –Rey R.1^[114]
• December 16 –Nord 2200^[115]
• December 22 – North American F-95A, prototype of theF-86D Sabre, also known as the "Sabre Dog", "Dog Sabre", and "Dogship"^[116]

• February 2 – Lockheed R6O Constitution (laterR6V Constitution) withUnited States NavyTransport Squadron 44 (VR-44)

• Vought F6U Pirate with theUnited States Navy^[117]

• April 1 –Boeing Stratocruiser withPan American World Airways

• F9F Panther withUnited States NavyFighter Squadron 51 (VF-51)

• Avro Athena withRoyal Air ForceCentral Flying School^[118]

• Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
• December 29 –Lockheed F-94 Starfire with theUnited States Air Force

• Saro A.37 Shrimp

• Bridgman, Leonard.Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd, 1951.
• Chillon, Jacques; Dubois, Jean-Pierre & Wegg, John.French Postwar Transport Aircraft,Air-Britain, 1980.ISBN 0-8513-0078-2.
• Jackson, Paul. "Ouragon: Ancestor of Rafale."Air Enthusiast, No. 37, September–December 1988, pp. 15–24, 75–78.ISSN 0143-5450.
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Janvier 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un réveillon copieux".Le Fana de l'Aviation, January 2009, No. 470. pp. 72–79 (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Février 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Diversité et contraste".Le Fana de l'Aviation, February 2009, No. 471. pp. 72–79 (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Mars 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Echecs et promesses".Le Fana de l'Aviation, March 2009, No. 472. pp. 76–79 (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Avril 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Grandes ambitions, grandes déceptions".Le Fana de l'Aviation, April 2009, No. 473. pp. 70–77 (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Mai 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: G111E, dernier hélicoptère Breguet".Le Fana de l'Aviation, May 2009, No. 474. p. 79. (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Juin 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Des graines d'avenir : la bonne et la mauvaise".Le Fana de l'Aviation, June 2009, No. 475. pp. 77–79. (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Juillet 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un succès qu'on n'attend pas".Le Fana de l'Aviation, July 2009, No. 476. pp. 77–79. (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Août 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Un réussite véritable".Le Fana de l'Aviation, August 2009, No. 477. pp. 78–79. (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Octobre 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Millet Lagarde ML-10: L'innovation manquée".Le Fana de l'Aviation, October 2009, No. 479. pp. 78–79. (in French).
• de Narbonne, Roland. "Décembre 1949, dans l'aéronautique française: Trois petirs tours et puis s'en vont...".Le Fana de l'Aviation, December 2009, No. 481. pp. 76–79. (in French).