Record #:

8223

Author(s):

Thompson, Herb

Abstract:

On the night of June 12, 1928, the town of Mooresville welcomed an unexpected visitor. Captain Emilio Carranza, a famous Mexican pilot, attempted to fly non-stop from Mexico City to Washington, D.C. Flying in his plane, the “Excelsior-Mexico”, Carranza hoped to place Mexico in aviation history. This did not happen. While flying over North Carolina, Carranza ran into dense fog and made an emergency landing in Mooresville. The following day, the national press flooded the town before Carranza continued toward Washington D.C. Although he did not accomplish his goal, Carranza was welcomed as a hero when he landed in Washington. After staying in the United States for a month, Carranza decided to attempt another non-stop flight from New York to Mexico City. After taking off on July 13, 1928, Carranza failed to land in Mexico as expected. The wreckage of his plane was found soon found. He had flown only 100 miles before fatally crashing in New Jersey.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 52 Issue 7, Dec 1984, p10-12, por

Subject(s):

Air pilots--Mooresville