Pan Am Plane Wreckage Found 74 Years After Historic Crash That Took the Lives of 52 Passengers

Nearly 75 years after a Pan Am passenger plane crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico, wreckage from the historic accident has been uncovered.

In 1952, a plane bound for New York lost engine power on the right side shortly after takeoff from San Juan’s Isla Grande Airport. The plane’s tail section broke off as it crashed into the ocean and began to sink.

According to the 17 survivors on board the Clipper Endeavor, everyone survived the initial landing. However, panic among the 69 souls on board would prove fatal.

“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 Pan Am Historical Foundation explained. “It would prove a fatal mistake for 52 of them.”

According to the foundation, the US Coast Guard was quick to respond to the captain’s distress call and were en route within minutes. However, many passengers “refused to leave the rapidly sinking airplane, and went down with it.”

Following the tragedy, commercial aviation changed forever with regulations put in place to educate passengers on safety protocols before takeoff.

“This accident changed aviation forever,” Expedition Unknown‘s Josh Gates announced via social media on Tuesday, July 21. “It led to sweeping changes, including the introduction of the now mandatory preflight safety briefing. Every time you fly, you are safer because of this incident.”