| Wreckage of Pan American plane that shaped aviation safety found 74 years on Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 23:20, 22nd July 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Wreckage of Pan Am plane that shaped aviation safety found 74 years on
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.
(BBC article continues)
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.
(BBC article continues)
