On This Day in Aviation History

On This Day in Aviation History

1896 – Birth of Viktor von Pressentin von Rautter, German World War I fighter ace.

1919 – A U.S. Navy flying boat, NC-4, begins an Atlantic crossing, flying by short stages from Long Island, N.Y., to Lisbon, Portugal; it will arrive 19 days later on May 28.

1935 – American aviatrix Amelia Earhart makes a non-stop flight from Mexico City to Newark, N.J., in 14 hours, 19 minutes.

1943 – First flight of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.95, an Italian four-engine transport.

1987 – American Eagle Flight 5452, a CASA C-212, crashes while landing at Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, due to maintenance issues and pilot error. All four passengers survive, while both crew are killed.

1987 – Death of Hugh William Lumsden “Dingbat” Saunders (shown), South African World War I fighter ace, high-ranking officer during and post-World War II.

Updated: May 1, 2018 — 2:26 PM
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