Wreckage of doomed Pan Am flight found on ocean floor 74 years after crash

52 people died on board the plane after its engines failed and it ditched into the sea The wreckage of a Pan American Airways flight that crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico has been found sitting on the ocean floor, 74 years on. The remains of the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor were found in June at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, the Discovery Channel said on Tuesday. It was located by the channel’s series Expedition Unknown, along with the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation and other groups.

The Douglas DC-4 plane took off from Puerto Rico on 11 April 1952, as Pan Am Flight 526A to Idlewild Airport (now known as JFK) in New York City. Sixty-four passengers and five crew members were on board. It crashed into the sea shortly afterwards, breaking into two sections and coming to rest on the ocean floor.

Everyone on board survived the initial impact, but 52 passengers subsequently drowned. Twelve passengers and all five crew members were rescued. The disaster led to sweeping reforms in the aviation industry, and pre-flight safety briefings and demonstrations of emergency procedures were instituted shortly afterwards.

“We are all stunned and elated by this discovery yet also humbled to remember what happened in that place so long ago, Russ Matthews, the president of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, said. The search, which involved the Deep Sea Vision company, used high-resolution sonar and autonomous underwater drones. The wreckage was found almost 2,000ft under the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the engines on the plane’s right wing failed just after takeoff, and the pilots decided to return to San Juan Airport. As they climbed to 550 feet, the other right-wing engine failed. The flight’s captain, experienced pilot John C. Burns, declared an in-flight emergency and told the control tower that he planned to attempt a water landing.

Clipper Endeavor ditched in the Atlantic Ocean nine minutes after take-off. The plane broke in two and the wreckage sank less than three minutes later. Survivors later reported that many passengers had panicked, fearing the rough seas and sharks, and had refused to leave the sinking aircraft to board life rafts.

An investigation and subsequent legal proceedings found that the crash was caused by inadequate maintenance and faulty plane parts. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies.