He'd had a few drinks, made a bet he probably shouldn't have, and somehow ended up landing a stolen plane on a New York City street at 3 a.m. Two years later, someone doubted the story -- so he did it again.
Who Thomas Fitzpatrick Was
Thomas Fitzpatrick was born in New York City in 1930, likely in the Washington Heights neighborhood where he later grew up. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and later in the Army during the Korean War, where he was wounded rescuing American soldiers pinned down by enemy fire and was awarded a Purple Heart. Somewhere along the way, he'd also taken an interest in flying, enrolling at the Teterboro School of Aeronautics in New Jersey and working as an airplane mechanic.
The First Flight
In the early hours of September 30, 1956, Fitzpatrick was drinking at a bar in Washington Heights, reportedly during a bachelor party, when he got into an argument with another patron over whether he could travel from New Jersey to New York City in under 15 minutes. Rather than let it go, he left the bar, drove to Teterboro Airport, and took a single-engine Cessna 140 belonging to his old flight school -- he apparently knew one of its owners. Flying without lights or radio while intoxicated, he'd reportedly intended to land at a nearby high school football field, but the lack of lighting there forced a change of plans. Around 3 a.m., he landed the plane on St. Nicholas Avenue, directly in front of the bar he'd just left.
The Aftermath of Flight One
Fitzpatrick initially told police the landing was due to engine trouble, but investigators were skeptical, and the story of the barroom bet soon came out. He was charged with grand larceny for taking the plane, but the aircraft's owner declined to press charges, and the larceny count was dropped; he was fined for the incident, though accounts differ on the exact amount. The New York Times covered the landing the next day, reportedly describing it as a "feat of aeronautics" and "a fine landing."
The Second Flight
Two years later, in the early hours of October 4, 1958, Fitzpatrick was drinking again and found himself in another argument -- this time with a bar patron who didn't believe his story about the first flight. To prove it, he did it again: taking another plane from the same airfield and landing it on Amsterdam Avenue near 187th Street. This time, he initially tried to deny he was the pilot, only admitting it after witnesses identified him.
The Consequences
The second incident didn't end as lightly as the first. Fitzpatrick was sentenced to six months in prison. At his arraignment, the presiding magistrate reportedly said he'd "come down like a marauder from the skies." Fitzpatrick later said it was "the lousy drink" that led him to do it a second time.
Later Life
Fitzpatrick died of cancer on September 14, 2009, at age 79. Decades later, his story continues to circulate online, often cited as an early real-world example of the "hold my beer" genre of stories -- people who caused real, if sometimes darkly comic, trouble after being challenged to prove a boast.
FAQ
Did Thomas Fitzpatrick go to prison?
Not for the first theft, since the plane's owner declined to press charges. He served six months in prison for the second theft in 1958.
Was Thomas Fitzpatrick a licensed pilot?
He held a pilot's license at the time of the first flight, though it was suspended afterward and he never renewed it before the second incident.
Where was Thomas Fitzpatrick born?
New York City, likely in the Washington Heights neighborhood -- not Washington state or D.C., as has sometimes been mistakenly reported.