Updated on: July 22, 2026 / 6:52 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
Add CBS News on Google
Searchers have found the wreckage from a Pan Am flight that plunged into the ocean off Puerto Rico in 1952, an accident that killed 52 and led to requirements for the passenger safety briefings given on every commercial flight. The New York-bound plane, the Clipper Endeavor, made a hard landing after losing engine power shortly after takeoff. The 17 passengers and crew who survived told investigators everyone lived through the landing, but panic set in as many passengers struggled to find life vests and the crew had a hard time pulling out life rafts. According to the Pan Am Historical Foundation, the cabin crew tried to calm the 64 passengers."Although the Clipper was equipped with life rafts and personal floatation for all aboard, most of the passengers remained glued to their seats, more afraid of facing the reality of their situation than the momentary mirage of safety offered by remaining in the plane's cabin," the foundation said. "It would prove a fatal mistake for 52 of them."Within minutes, the plane sank. Explorers found the wreckage of the DC-4 last month by using an autonomous sonar drone to locate the fuselage and tail in 2,000 feet of water.
