Twenty-seven planes were flying over Vermont on this day in 1936. They were participating in an international goodwill flight from Roosevelt Field in New York City to Montreal, Quebec Canada.

One of the 27 planes wouldn’t make it. While flying over Lake Champlain, something went wrong, the plane lost altitude and crashed into the lake, just offshore from Essex, New York.

Police gathered in Essex to strategize about how best to reach the wreckage. Floating debris and oil marked the scene of the tragedy. Four people on board the plane lost their lives. Much of the wreckage is believed to be at the bottom of the lake.

The Vermont Book Of Days photo.