January 28

What happened on January 28 in aviation and space history.

• January 28, 1986

  Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

  Accident — On 28 January 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated about 46,000 feet (14 km) above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 16:39:13 UTC. It was the first fatal accident involving an American spacecraft in flight and grounded the programme for nearly three years.

• January 28, 2025

  An F-35A crashes at Eielson and the pilot ejects in full view of the base

  Accident — An F-35A of the 354th Fighter Wing crashed close to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, after a failure on approach. The pilot ejected and was recovered alive; footage of the aircraft coming down while the parachute drifted over the runway travelled the world. The investigation pointed to hydraulic fluid in the landing gear freezing in the extreme conditions of interior Alaska.