This is a list of aviation-related events from 1961:
Events
January
January 3 – Aero Flight 311 (Koivulahti air disaster): Douglas DC-3C OH-LCC of Finnish airline Aero crashes near Kvevlax (Koivulahti) on approach to Vaasa Airport in Finland killing all 25 on board, due to pilot error: an investigation finds that the captain and first officer were both exhausted for lack of sleep and had taken excessive alcohol at the time of the crash. It remains the deadliest air disaster to occur in the country.
January 24 – A United States Air ForceB-52G Stratofortress carrying two Mark 39thermonuclear bombsbreaks up in mid-air over Faro, North Carolina, and crashes, killing three of its eight-man crew. The bombs do not arm themselves and one bomb is recovered. Travelling at over 700 miles per hour (1,127 km/hr), the second bomb lands in a swamp and buries itself to a depth of over 75 feet (23 meters); flooding prevents its recovery.