Wellman decided to make the first aerial crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He had the America enlarged again, and on October 15th 1910 took off from Atlantic City. The engines failed 38 hours into the flight, and America drifted. The crew threw off all excess weight, including one of the defunct engines. After another 33 hours, and having now travelled a total distance of 2,200 km, they sighted the Royal Mail steamship Trent near Bermuda and abandoned the America in a lifeboat. America drifted out of sight and was never seen again.
