Drunken Landings of a Small Aircraft in NYC City Streets by Thomas Fitzpatrick, the Unlicensed Aviator
In an extraordinary turn of events, Thomas Fitzpatrick, a native New Yorker born in the upper Manhattan neighbourhood of Washington Heights in 1930, found himself making front-page news not once, but twice, in the 1950s for his daring and unconventional landings of planes in the heart of New York City.
Before these dramatic incidents, Fitzpatrick served valiantly in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific Theatre. After an honourable discharge, he joined the U.S. Army and served in the Korean War, where he received a Purple Heart.
The first incident occurred on September 30, 1956, when Fitzpatrick, under the influence of alcohol, landed a single-engine plane on St. Nicholas Ave near 191st Street in uptown Manhattan. The impromptu landing made headlines in local news outlets like the New York Daily News and the Democrat and Chronicle.
The second landing took place two years later, on October 5, 1958. This time, Fitzpatrick piloted a red-and-cream single-engine Cessna 120 onto Amsterdam Ave near 187th Street. The landing was witnessed by several people, including local carpenter John Johnson, who had to pump on the brakes to avoid a collision, and bus driver Harvey Roffe, who instinctively dove to the floor, fearing the plane would tear open the top of his bus.
Following the second landing, Fitzpatrick fled the scene but later turned himself in at the Wadsworth Ave police station. He was charged with grand larceny, dangerous and reckless operation of a plane, making an unauthorized landing in city limits, and violation of Civil Aeronautics Administration regulations for flying without a valid license.
Judge John A. Mullen sentenced him to six months in jail for bringing the stolen plane into the city. After serving his sentence, Fitzpatrick returned to his life, working as a steamfitter for 51 years. He settled down with his wife, Helen, and their three sons in Washington Township, New Jersey, and passed away on September 14, 2009, at the age of 79.
Despite the notoriety he gained from these incidents, the specific details about Fitzpatrick's life before or after the military, or other personal background information, are not widely available. However, his story continues to captivate audiences, with social media recounts of the events tagged #TrueStory and shared widely on platforms like TikTok.
Thomas Fitzpatrick's incredible story transcended the military, capturing headlines not only in general-news outlets but also in history sections due to his unconventional landings in New York City. Apart from entertainment value, these events, such as the plane landing on St. Nicholas Ave and Amsterdam Ave, are also significant in the category of sports news, given the daring and high-risk nature of his actions.
