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Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh was deeply involved in commercial aviation's development and early airline planning. He chaired the technical board of Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), popularly known as the "Lindbergh Line," and tested new transport airplanes on its behalf. On March 23, 1929, at SFO, or Mills Field as it was known then, Lindbergh set out to take a distinguished group of local citizens on a TAT promotional air tour in a Keystone K-78 Patrician. With his party aboard, Lindbergh taxied the nearly eight-ton tri-motor to the southern end of the airfield for take-off. However, the right tire broke through the airfield's surface, the landing gear dug in, and the Patrician stopped dead in its tracks-Lindbergh was stuck in the mud! After digging out, the flight eventually got underway, but repercussions from the "Lindbergh Incident," as reported, contributed to administrative changes and improvements in the airport's facilities. Image: Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), Charles Lindbergh next to Ford Tri-Motor, c. 1929. Gift of TWA Clipped Wings International, Inc. 2002.113.350
This image was posted on March 23, 2018.