Douglas Corrigan
Douglas Corrigan (born Clyde Groce Corrigan; January 22, 1907 – December 9, 1995) was an American aviator, nicknamed "Wrong Way" in 1938. After a transcontinental flight in July from Long Beach, California, to New York City, he then flew from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn to Ireland, although his flight plan was filed to return to Long Beach.
Douglas Corrigan | |
|---|---|
Corrigan in 1938, beside his jerry-built aircraft | |
| Born | Clyde Groce Corrigan January 22, 1907 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 1995 (aged 88) Santa Ana, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fairhaven Memorial Park Santa Ana, California |
| Occupation(s) | Aviator, mechanic, orange grower |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Marvin Corrigan |
| Children | 3 sons |
Corrigan claimed his unauthorized transatlantic flight was due to a navigational error, caused by heavy cloud cover that obscured landmarks and low-light conditions, causing him to misread his compass. However, he was a skilled aircraft mechanic (he helped construct Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis) and had made several modifications to his own plane, preparing it for his transatlantic flight. He had been denied permission to make a nonstop flight from New York to Ireland, and his "navigational error" was seen as deliberate. Nevertheless, he never publicly admitted to having flown to Ireland intentionally.