Artur de Sacadura Freire Cabral, GCTE

Order of the Tower and Sword

The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit is a Portuguese order of knighthood and the pinnacle of the Portuguese honours system. It was created by King Afonso V in 1459....

 (23 May 1881 – 15 November 1924), known simply as Sacadura Cabral (sɐkɐˈduɾɐ kɐˈbɾaɫ), was a Portuguese aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

 pioneer who in 1922, together with Gago Coutinho

Gago Coutinho

Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho, GCTE, GCC, generally known simply as Gago Coutinho was a Portuguese aviation pioneer who, together with Sacadura Cabral , was the first to cross the South Atlantic Ocean by air, from March to June 1922 , from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.The Fairey IIIB seaplane used by...

 (1869–1959), conducted the first flight across the South Atlantic Ocean

First aerial crossing of the South Atlantic

The first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic was made by the Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral in 1922, to mark the centennial of Brazil's independence...

, and also the first using astronomical navigation only, from Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, to Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. He disappeared on 15 November 1924 while flying over the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, along with his co-pilot, Mechanical Corporal José Correia, due to fog and his shortening eyesight (which never kept him from flying). The remains of the plane were found four days later, but there was no sign of the bodies.

A statue dedicated to these brave men is located in Lisbon. Another statue is located in his hometown, Celorico da Beira. Descendants of Sacadura Cabral can still be found in aviation, including an American flight medic in the U.S. Air Force.

He was the granduncle of Portuguese politicians Miguel Portas

Miguel Portas

Miguel de Sacadura Cabral Portas is a Portuguese politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Left Bloc; part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group...

 and Paulo Portas

Paulo Portas

Paulo de Sacadura Cabral Portas , commonly known just by Paulo Portas , is a Portuguese politician, party leader of the Democratic and Social Centre – People's Party , a member of the Portuguese Parliament and former Portuguese minister of State, National Defense and Sea Affairs.In 2011, after he...

.