Berk Kutay Gokmen
22 July 2026•Update: 22 July 2026
Seventy-four years after a Pan Am flight crashed off Puerto Rico, killing 52 people and prompting major aviation safety reforms, an underwater search team has located the wreckage on the Atlantic seafloor, CNN reported Tuesday.
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, working with partners including Discovery Channel and Deep Sea Vision, found the remains of the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor about 2,000 feet below the surface using high-resolution sonar and an autonomous underwater drone, Discovery said Tuesday.
The Douglas DC-4 crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952, carrying 64 passengers and five crew members.
Although everyone survived the impact, only 17 people were rescued before the aircraft sank in less than three minutes, which led to the death of 52 others.
Investigators later cited the lack of passenger safety briefings, language barriers, and the absence of an organized evacuation procedure as contributing factors, leading to significant changes in aviation safety regulations.
“We are all stunned and elated by this discovery yet also humbled to remember what happened in that place so long ago,” said Russ Matthews, president and co-founder of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation.
The wreckage, split into two sections, was confirmed through a photographic survey that revealed the Pan American logo and aircraft name still visible. Discovery Channel plans to feature the find in a future episode of “Expedition Unknown.”
The site will remain undisturbed as a grave for those who died. The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation is working with Puerto Rican authorities to strengthen protections for the site and establish a memorial. Families of the victims and the crash’s two known living survivors have been notified.
