Man Illegally Flies Under the Mackinac Bridge, 1959

It’s a good thing this event didn’t take place after planes crashed into the World Trade Centers back in September 2001.....otherwise witnesses would absolutely be freaking out.

On April 24, 1959, Captain John Lappo was taking part in a nighttime simulated bombing run. As they approached the Straits of Mackinac, Lappo thought this would be the perfect time to fulfill a fantasy – to fly under a bridge.

Lappo was piloting an Air Force B-47 Stratojet bomber, the world’s fastest bomber with a top speed of more than 600 miles per hour. While Lappo got more and more excited about his idea, his navigator wasn’t crazy about it...but too bad. Lappo was gonna do it anyway. The navigator pointed out the risks:
1) Putting the lives of people in the plane and on the bridge at risk
2) Chance of damaging government property
3) It’s illegal

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Whereas the Mackinac Bridge is almost 150 feet above the Straits, a B-47 is nearly 28 feet tall with a wingspan of 116 feet, approaching at terrific speed. Undaunted, as Lappo got closer to the bridge, he noticed only two vehicles on the bridge, heading north. He lowered the bomber and under he went.

It was a spur of the moment thing, and there is no recorded history of it – no photo, video...or even newspaper articles. Even so, the military’s top brass found out about it and made him pay the price. Lappo was removed from flying duty, slapped with a $300 fine (a lot of money in those days), and a salary cut to $660 per month.

Lappo believed he was ratted out by the navigator. He told the Free Press (via Yahoo News), “I didn’t know at the time that his father was the general and he was going to go rat on me when we got back.” Lappo would never fly for the Air Force again.

He passed away on November 15, 2003.