If you drink, don't fly: The drunk pilot who drove New York crazy

The story of Thomas Fitzpatrick, a former Marine mechanic and pilot, who got drunk at a Manhattan bar on the night of September 30, 1956, bet friends he could reach the bar within 15 minutes, stole a Cessna 140 from a New Jersey airfield, and landed it on the street in front of the bar. The act received sympathetic media coverage and was hailed as an aviation feat. Two years later, he repeated the act under the influence of alcohol, was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine.

On the night of September 30, 1956, Thomas Fitzpatrick, a former Marine mechanic and pilot, got drunk at a bar in Manhattan. After an argument with friends about travel time from New Jersey, he bet he could reach the bar within 15 minutes. He drove to New Jersey, stole a red-and-white Cessna 140 from Teterboro Airport, and flew to Manhattan. Fitzpatrick landed the plane on the street in front of the bar, weaving between cars and lampposts. The act received sympathetic media coverage, was hailed as an aviation feat, and the plane's owner did not file a lawsuit. Fitzpatrick received a $100 fine for improper parking. In October 1958, he again got drunk, bet another drunk who didn't believe the story, stole another Cessna, flew to Manhattan, and landed it in front of the bar. This time, the judge was less lenient: Fitzpatrick received six months in prison and a large fine. The article notes his background as a Marine liaison pilot, which included landings on improvised fields, and estimates this experience helped him. However, it emphasizes he had more luck than skill, and the act could have ended in disaster.