Wreckage of Pan Am plane that shaped aviation safety found 74 years on
Explorers have located the wreckage of a 1952 Pan Am flight off the coast of Puerto Rico using sonar-equipped drones. The discovery sheds light on a historical crash that was instrumental in establishing modern aviation safety regulations, including mandatory pre-flight briefings.
Why it matters
This discovery provides closure for a historical aviation disaster that fundamentally changed how commercial airlines manage passenger safety and emergency preparedness.
Image source, Air/Sea Heritage Foundation and Deep Sea Vision Image caption, Wreckage of the Clipper Endeavour was discovered more than seven decades after the aircraft disappeared
The wreckage of a Pan American Airways plane has been found 74 years after it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in a crash that prompted mandatory airline safety briefings.
The Clipper Endeavor was found 2,000ft (610m) below sea level off the coast of Puerto Rico with a sonar-equipped drone. It went down on 11 April 1952 following multiple-engine failure shortly after take-off.
Everyone onboard survived the impact - but passengers struggled to locate life vests and rafts as the plane rapidly sank. Of the 69 passengers and crew onboard, just 17 survived.
The disaster led to sweeping reforms in aviation safety, including compulsory pre-flight safety briefings on every commercial flight.
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