On May 24th, 1936 a single engine aircraft bearing the name Leonardo da Vinci landed on Aberavon Beach. The two man crew, Capt. George Pond and Lieut. Cesare Sebelli, had intended making the first non-stop flight from New York to Rome. Although engine problems had forced them to make two stops in Ireland they were keen to complete the journey to Rome. A mechanic was flown from Cardiff aerodrome and the engine was repaired and the aircraft eventually reached Rome where the crew met Mussolini, who presented them with gold cigarette cases. On the return journey things went well until they were crossing the Irish Sea at night and bad weather forced them to turn back and hopefully circle until daylight allowed them to choose a suitable landing site. Unfortunately, they had insufficient height and crashed on Carn Ingli, Pembrokeshire. Luckily the crew survived but the aircraft had to be shipped back to America for repairs.