Wreckage of Pan Am plane crash that killed 52 finally found 2,000ft underwater more than seven decades after disaster

THE wreckage of a Pan Am plane crash that killed 52 people has finally been found 2,000ft underwater after nearly three quarters of a century. The Clipper Endeavour lost both its right-side engines and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the northern coast of Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952. The wreckage of a Pan Am plane crash has been found off Puerto Rico’s northern coast Credit: AP The Douglas DC-4 aircraft was carrying 64 passengers and five crew members when it went down in the Atlantic on April 11, 1952 Credit: AP It crashed only ten minutes after taking off, bound for what is now JFK International Airport in New York. The Douglas DC-4 aircraft, which is roughly the same size as a modern Boeing 737, was carrying 64 passengers and five crew members. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! While everyone survived the violent impact, only 12 passengers and the five crew survived. Pre-flight safety briefings were not standard at the time, leading to mass panic and confusion in the cabin. As such, many passengers struggled to find their life vests and the crew struggled to pull rafts out. The fuselage was pulled under the surface within just three minutes and 52 people drowned. Its wreckage has been unreachable for 74 years due to its depth, but after years of trying, explorers finally made a breakthrough. The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, as well as Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown series, found the wreckage off the coast of Puerto Rican capital San Juan on June 2, Discovery said on Tuesday. Most read in The Sun Autonomous underwater vehicles returned photographs of the stricken fuselage Credit: AP The Foundation partnered with an Eco Minerals Company called Deep Sea Vision who provided the high-resolution sonar capable of scanning to incredible depths. They used autonomous underwater vehicles that were able to search at depths of up to 20,000ft while staying submerged for up to four days at a time. Russ Matthews, president of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, said: “We are all stunned and elated by this discovery yet also humbled to remember what happened in that place so long ago.” In 2019, Russ launched his search for the Clipper Endeavour after stumbling on a blurb about a luggage tag from the flight washing up on Florida’s shores. He teamed up with Expedition Unknown host Josh Gates in 2024 for an episode, uncovering crucial hidden evidence that included a chart map created by US Air Force pilots who saw the crash. Josh said in a statement: “Seeing the bright aluminium fuselage shining back at us from the ocean floor was a hugely emotional moment.” It was found broken in two sections, with the Pan Am logo still clearly visible. While the plane disappeared for decades, the disaster led to major aviation reforms, making pre-flight safety briefings standard and emergency procedure demonstrations. Thousands of lives are believed to have been saved by the reforms in the ensuing 74 years. Josh said: “Every time you step on board an aeroplane today, you are safer because of what happened to Clipper Endeavour and her passengers three quarters of a century ago. “This aircraft vanished beneath the waves, and the legacy of those aboard was at risk of being lost with it. “I hope this historic discovery brings some peace to the families of those aboard and serves to remind the flying public today of the debt of remembrance we owe to this fateful flight.” An episode of its “Expedition Unknown” series is expected to cover the discovery later this year. Comment now