Full story
Clipper Endeavor found
Searchers have found the wreckage of the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor, a Douglas DC-4 that plunged into the ocean off Puerto Rico in 1952, an accident that killed 52 people and led to passenger safety briefings on every commercial flight.
“Waterloo Lambeth Around the Globe Although all passengers survived the initial impact, only 17 people would be rescued, and the rest would be lost with the quickly sinking plane – a result that investigators would blame in part on a lack of safety briefings and that would spur changes in the aviation industry”
The New York-bound plane departed from Puerto Rico on April 11, 1952, and shortly after takeoff the crew lost both of its right-hand engines, with the aircraft going down into the sea within minutes.
The wreck was located at a depth of about 610 meters, or about 2,000 feet, and it was found by an underwater drone that spotted the fuselage and tail in June.
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation said the wreckage was spotted on the evening of June 2, and the Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown team captured the first images of the wreckage 74 years after it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean.
The BBC reported that of the 69 passengers and crew onboard, just 17 survived, and the disaster led to sweeping reforms in aviation safety, including compulsory pre-flight safety briefings on every commercial flight.
Survivors, panic, and reforms
Survivors described panic as the plane rapidly sank, with passengers struggling to find life vests and the crew struggling to pull out life rafts within minutes.
The Guardian said the 17 passengers and crew who survived told investigators everyone lived through the splashdown but panic set in as many passengers struggled to find life vests and the crew struggled to pull out life rafts.
CBS News reported that the cabin crew tried to calm the 64 passengers, but “most of the passengers remained glued to their seats,” and it said “It would prove a fatal mistake for 52 of them.”
Aviation safety expert John Cox, a pilot and founder of Safety Operating Systems, said the discovery “became a catalyst, and it helped drive safety steps forward of better flotation equipment and the preflight briefings,” describing it as “a rallying cry at the time.”
CBS News added that the accident “led to sweeping changes, including the introduction of the now mandatory safety briefing every time you fly,” with flight attendants instructing passengers about exit locations and where life vests are located and how to inflate them.
Families, site protection
The discovery is now prompting work to protect the wreck site and contact families and survivors, with the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation working with the government of Puerto Rico to strengthen protection of the site.
“Moment research team gets first look at Pan Am plane wreckage after 74 years A research team captured the first images of the wreckage of a Pan American Airways plane 74 years after it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean”
Paris Match reported that the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation is now working with the government of Puerto Rico to strengthen protection of the site and is calling for a memorial for the victims, and it said the families and the two known survivors have been contacted.
People reported that Russ Matthews, the aviation and maritime historian and president of Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, told the outlet, “Every plane passenger is safer today because of this tragedy.”
People also said the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation announced on Tuesday, July 21, that the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor was found almost 2,000 feet under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean on June 2.
The Guardian said the discovery could offer new hope to families who lost loved ones in ocean crashes like flight MH370, which disappeared 12 years ago with 269 people on board, and it added that the search for the Clipper Endeavor will be featured in a future episode of Expedition Unknown.
