Pan Am Clipper wreckage found more than 70 years after plane crash

The wreckage of a Pan Am flight that plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico more than 70 years ago in an accident that shaped commercial aviation safety procedures has been found. Last month, explorers discovered the wreckage of Flight 526A that crashed off San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April 1952, on its way to New York City, using a sonar drone to locate the fuselage, which was lying 2,000 feet below the water’s surface. 0:28 Missing commuter plane found crashed on Alaska sea ice, no survivors Story continues below advertisement The plane, the Clipper Endeavor, which was roughly the same size as a Boeing 737, was carrying 69 passengers and crew when it made a hard landing on water after losing both engines less than 10 minutes after takeoff, according to the Air Sea Heritage Foundation, which announced the discovery.Everyone initially survived the accident, but 52 died when the aircraft’s tail broke away and the fuselage sank. This undated image provided by the Pan Am Historical Foundation/John Johnson Collection on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, shows the Clipper Endeavor. Pan Am Historical Foundation/John Johnson Collection via AP The 17 passengers and crew who sur...