Search Team Finds Pan Am DC-4 Wreckage 2,000 Feet Down 74 Years After 1952 Crash
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 21
Search Team Finds Pan Am DC-4 Wreckage 2,000 Feet Down 74 Years After 1952 Crash
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 21
Summary
June 2 brought the first exact identification of Pan Am's Clipper Endeavor on the seabed off Puerto Rico, ending a 74-year search for the 1952 crash site.
Autonomous underwater drones used by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, Deep Sea Vision and Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown found the Douglas DC-4 in two sections about 2,000 feet below the surface.
Images showing the Pan American logo and the aircraft's name confirmed the wreck, which had crashed minutes after takeoff from San Juan for New York after both right-side engines failed.
The April 11, 1952 disaster killed 52 of the 69 people aboard; 17 survived, and many victims were reported to have remained in their seats despite rafts and flotation devices onboard.
The foundation is now seeking Puerto Rico government protections for the site and a memorial for the dead, while Discovery plans an episode later this year and has contacted families and the only two known living survivors.