Plane Found on Atlantic Ocean Floor 74 Years After Puerto Rico Crash

• The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation and Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown located the wreckage of a Pan Am flight that disappeared in 1952
• The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico's northern coast shortly after takeoff, killing 52 of the 69 people on board
• The discovery ends decades of mystery and has brought emotional closure to families and the crash's two known living survivors

Seventy-four years after a Pan Am aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off Puerto Rico, killing 52 people, its wreckage has finally been located on the ocean floor. The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, working alongside Deep Sea Vision and the Discovery Channel's 'Expedition Unknown,' announced the find on Tuesday.

The aircraft, which had been bound for New York, lost both its right-side engines shortly after departing Puerto Rico on 11 April 1952. With 64 passengers and five crew members on board, the pilot was forced into a violent emergency water landing within minutes. All passengers survived the initial impact, but the plane sank in under three minutes. Only 17 people were ultimately rescued.

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A discovery decades in the making

Investigators at the time attributed much of the death toll to the absence of a preflight safety briefing, a language barrier among passengers, and the lack of any coordinated evacuation procedure. The tragedy prompted the Civil Aeronautics Board, a forerunner to today's Federal Aviation Administration, to push for major changes in aviation safety rules, including the passenger briefings that have since become standard practice.

Watch the TikTok video below:

People applaud the team responsible

According to @nbcnews page here are no plans to raise the wreckage. The site will remain undisturbed as a grave for those who perished. People online had plenty to say about the discovery, with MH370 comparisons flooding the comments:

Trevor pointed out:

"But still can't find MH370!"

Mitchrich91 asked:

"Wait 17 people survived? Umm, hello, can we talk to them please?"

Forever__asia wrote:

"My great Aunt Zoila Robledo 🇵🇷 was 1 of the 17 survivors! My family is very excited to share her amazing survival story with Nat Geo. Stay tuned!"

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Emilyboba shared:

"Omg, y'all can we at least acknowledge that they brought answers to a generation of families? Yes, the MH370 is still out there (I guess some airplane crashes matter more???, but I haven't read a single comment congratulating them on solving a decades-long mystery. Thank you for your hard work and determination!"

Gigvah7 added:

"Here's why we clap after landing because nothing says 'thank you' like applauding the pilot for not turning us into a Discovery Channel documentary called 'When Aluminum Birds Give Up.'"

Katie said:

"Expedition unknown was my show back in the day!! It's so cool to see he finally solved something. haha."

3 Other Briefly News stories about plane crashes

• Eleven people survived a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean after spending five hours stranded on a life raft near Florida.
• A pilot and co-pilot from the United States died after their aircraft crashed while attempting an emergency landing near La Romana in the Dominican Republic.
• A twin-engine aircraft travelling in the Bahamas crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after reportedly experiencing engine problems.

Source: Briefly News