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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Guardian staff and agencies

Wreckage of 1952 Pan Am plane crash that changed air safety found near Puerto Rico

View of the Clipper Endeavor wreck on the seabed showing the deteriorated hull structure
The Clipper Endeavor wreck as imaged by an undersea drone. Seventeen of the 69 on board survived the 1952 crash, with 39 bodies never recovered. Photograph: Air/Sea Heritage Foundation and Deep Sea Vision/AP

Searchers have found the wreckage of a Pan Am flight that plunged into the ocean off Puerto Rico in 1952, in an accident that killed 52 people and led to the passenger safety briefings given on modern-day commercial flights.

The Clipper Endeavor went down when two engines failed shortly after takeoff. 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.

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