It's April 14th, and on this day in 1956, Elvis Presley was in Amarillo, Texas, performing two shows at the Municipal Auditorium. Shortly after midnight, Elvis and his band boarded a twin-engine plane to head for Nashville, where a recording session awaited. However, the flight took a dramatic turn when the pilot got lost and the plane began running low on fuel. In a tense moment, the pilot had to make an emergency stop at an airstrip in El Dorado, Arkansas, to refuel. But just as the plane was about to leave, disaster nearly struck—Elvis was almost taken on a terrifying ride when the pilot forgot to switch the plane’s fuel system from the empty tank to the full one.
This incident left a lasting impact on Elvis, sparking a deep-seated fear of flying that would stay with him for years. In fact, Elvis made a promise to his mother to avoid flying, and he would later favor travel by train or motor home instead. This event marked a pivotal moment in his personal life, shaping his future preferences for travel and introducing a sense of vulnerability amidst his rise to superstardom.
