The wreckage of a Pan American Airways plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean more than seven decades ago has been located off the northern coast of Puerto Rico, bringing closure to one of the era’s most enduring aviation mysteries.
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, working with Deep Sea Vision and Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown,” announced Tuesday that it found the remains of the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor during a search conducted last month.
The Douglas DC-4 crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952. The aircraft was carrying 64 passengers and five crew members.
Although everyone survived the initial impact, only 12 passengers and all five crew members were rescued. The remaining passengers were lost after the plane came to rest in the water.
Search crews found the aircraft nearly 2,000 feet below the ocean’s surface using high-resolution sonar and autonomous underwater drones. Investigators said the plane had broken into two main sections before settling on the seabed.
The discovery ends decades of uncertainty over the aircraft’s final resting place and provides an opportunity to better document one of the deadliest ditching accidents in commercial aviation history.
According to the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, the tragedy also helped reshape airline safety. In its aftermath, the aviation industry adopted routine pre-flight safety briefings and emergency procedure demonstrations for passengers, practices that remain standard on commercial flights today.
Search team members said the find was both exciting and sobering, noting that the site remains a reminder of the lives lost in the disaster.
The discovery was announced Tuesday by Discovery Channel and the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation after the monthlong search successfully identified the long-lost wreckage.
Source: Reuters