On this day, 98 years ago, on October 13, 1927 (September 18, 1927 in the lunar calendar), Ruth Elder failed to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Although Elder failed, he was rescued safely. On October 13, 1927, 23-year-old pilot Ruth Elder set a long-distance overseas flight record despite failing to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She took off with the co-pilot from Roosevelt Airport on Long Island and flew 2623 miles to the sea 520 miles west of Portugal. Their plane, the USS American Girl, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after a ruptured oil pipeline. The plane caught fire and sank within seconds. The pilot was uninjured and was rescued by an oil tanker.