Seventy-four years after a Pan American Airways flight plunged into the waters near Puerto Rico, an aviation search team reports discovering the wreckage on the ocean floor.
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, along with Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown, has located the remains of the Pan Am “Clipper Endeavor” at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico’s northern coast. This finding was announced by Discovery on Tuesday.
The Douglas DC-4 aircraft broke apart into two sections after crashing into the ocean shortly after departing from Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952. There were 64 passengers and five crew members on board at the time.
While all aboard initially survived the impact, only 12 passengers and all five crew members were rescued. The remaining passengers were lost with the plane.
This tragic event prompted major changes in aviation, leading to the implementation of pre-flight safety briefings and demonstrations of emergency procedures.
“We are all stunned and elated by this discovery yet also humbled to remember what happened in that place so long ago,” commented Russ Matthews, president of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation.
The search, conducted with Deep Sea Vision, employed high-resolution sonar to locate the wreckage, which was found nearly 2,000 feet (609 meters) deep in the Atlantic.
The operation also utilized autonomous underwater drones, finally resolving the mystery of the plane’s resting place.
