Wreckage of Pan Am plane found 74 years after it crashed off Puerto Rico

Seventy-four years after a Pan Am flight crashed into the water off Puerto Rico, costing 52 passengers their lives, an aviation search team partnering with the Discovery Channel found the wreckage sitting on the ocean floor.

The Pan Am plane, named the “Clipper Endeavor,” had taken off from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 11, 1952, and was bound for New York. On board were 64 passengers and five crew members, but shortly after takeoff, the pilots lost both right-side engines and the plane crashed into the ocean minutes later.

Though the plane had life rafts and personal flotation devices, many passengers remained in their seats, and 52 people went down with the plane and died, according to the Pan Am Historical Foundation. Only 17 people survived.

While the general location of the crash was known, the exact location of the wreckage at the bottom of the ocean wasn’t.

Last month, the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, in partnership with the Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” show and the Deep Sea Vision company, used an autonomous underwater drone to locate the wreckage on the ocean floor some 2,000 feet below the surface. NBC first reported the finding on the “Today” show Tuesday morning.

The Douglas DC-4 aircraft was found the evening of June 2, broken into two sections, and was identified with images clearly showing the iconic winged Pan American logo and aircraft name still legible, according to a release from Discovery.

The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation is now working with the government of Puerto Rico to expand protections for the wreck site and is advocating for a memorial honoring those lost in the crash, according to the release.

Families directly impacted by the tragedy and the accident’s only two known living survivors have also been contacted, the release said.

Discovery Channel intends to cover the finding in an “Expedition Unknown” episode later this year.