The wreckage of the Pan American Airways passenger plane Clipper Endeavor has been located nearly 2,000 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean off the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The Douglas DC-4 aircraft was found on June 2, 2026, by an investigation team led by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation in partnership with Deep Sea Vision and Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown.
High-resolution sonar and follow-up photography confirmed the identity of the aircraft, which rested in two sections with its iconic Pan American winged logo and name still legible on the fuselage. The airliner crashed on April 11, 1952, shortly after departing San Juan for New York’s Idlewild Airport, following multiple engine failures.
Though all 69 passengers and crew members survived the initial water landing, the aircraft sank in less than three minutes in heavy seas. Lacking safety briefings, a coordinated evacuation plan, and facing language barriers, 52 people lost their lives, while 12 passengers and five crew members were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force.
Known in Puerto Rico as La Tragedia del Viernes Santo, the disaster prompted the Civil Aeronautics Board to institute sweeping reforms, including mandatory pre-flight safety briefings and emergency demonstrations. Search efforts relied on autonomous underwater vehicle technology from Deep Sea Vision and historical research, including a crash map uncovered at the General Archives of Puerto Rico.
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation is currently working with the government of Puerto Rico to secure site protections and advocate for a permanent memorial honoring the victims. The search and discovery process will be featured in an upcoming episode of Expedition Unknown later this year.
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