The Old Glory was a Fokker F.VIIa

Fokker F.VII

The Fokker F.VII, also known as the Fokker Trimotor, was an airliner produced in the 1920s by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, Fokker's American subsidiary Atlantic Aircraft Corporation, and other companies under licence....

 trimotor

Trimotor

A trimotor is an aircraft powered by three piston engines.Trimotor designs were relatively common in the early days of aviation, as engines were less powerful and less reliable.-Notable types:* Armstrong Whitworth Argosy...

 monoplane

Monoplane

A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...

 that was used in 1927 on an attempted transatlantic flight

Transatlantic flight

Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...

 from the New York, United States to Rome, Italy. The flight was sponsored by William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst

William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...

 to promote his newspaper the New York Daily Mirror

New York Daily Mirror

The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...

. The flight was originally to have departed form Roosevelt Field, New York, but due to the weight of the aircraft it was decided to use a landing field at Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Old Orchard Beach is a town and census-designated place in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,856 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, which offered a longer takeoff run.

At 12:33 EST

Eastern Standard Time

Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...

 on 6 September 1927 the Old Glory departed from Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Old Orchard Beach, Maine

Old Orchard Beach is a town and census-designated place in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,856 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area....

 for Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

; it was piloted by James DeWitt Hill

James DeWitt Hill

James DeWitt Hill was an early US air mail pilot, who died while attempting one of the first transatlantic flights, with Lloyd W. Bertaud in a Fokker F.VIIA monoplane named Old Glory.-Early life and education:...

 along with fellow-aviator Lloyd W. Bertaud

Lloyd W. Bertaud

Lloyd W. Bertaud was an American aviator. Bertaud was selected to be the copilot in the WB-2 Columbia attempting the transatlantic crossing for the Orteig Prize in 1927. Aircraft owner Charles Levine wanted to fly in his place, and a injunction by Bertaud against Levine prevented the flight...

 as radio operator and the editor of the New York Daily Mirror

New York Daily Mirror

The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...

 Philip Payne as a passenger. Bertaud reported by radio at 14:55 that all was well, but at 15:55 he reported that the aircraft was heavy. The Old Glory was last sighted by the steamship California at 23:57 the same day 350 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

At 03:57 and 04:03 the aircraft sent out distress signals; the nearest ship was the Transylvania, which triangulated the position from the two messages and altered course to the estimated location, 65 miles away. The weather was bad with strong winds and rain when the Transylvania arrived at the location five hours later. Another four ships joined the search, but after thirty hours it was abandoned. Hearst hired the SS Kyle

SS Kyle

The SS Kyle is a 220 foot sailing vessel that is currently couched in the harbour of the Town of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador. It ran ashore in February of 1967 and has remained in that state since...

to search the area again, and on 12 September they found wreckage of the aircraft, but no sign of the crew.