On Nov. 23, 1994, the de Bara family of three — mom Theresa, dad Santiago, and 3-year-old Amanda — became a family of four when Theresa, who was seven months pregnant, unexpectedly went into labor aboard a TWA flight headed from New York to Florida.
The baby was delivered (with the help of several medically trained passengers) about an hour into the flight, just as the plane was beginning its descent into Virginia’s Dulles (pronounced DUH-luhs) International Airport, where it was making an emergency landing.
The baby boy was named Matthew Dulles de Bara.
The airport was named in honor of John Foster Dulles, who served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Eisenhower.
Sources:
- Fehr, Stephen C. “Air-Born Baby Flies Home for Christmas.” Washington Post 16 Dec. 1994.
- Payne, Jim. “Premature baby born on jetliner.” Daily Gazette [Schenectady, NY] 28 Nov. 1994: C5.
Image: Adapted from Air Canada Boeing 777-333ER by MarcusObal under CC BY-SA 3.0.
