The wreckage of Pan American Airways Flight 15, the Clipper Endeavor, which crashed in 1952 killing 52 people, has been discovered 2,000 feet underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery follows a seven-year investigation by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation in partnership with Deep Sea Vision and the Discovery Channel's series Expedition Unknown.
On Good Friday in 1952, the Douglas DC-4 aircraft departed Puerto Rico bound for New York City's JFK International Airport with 64 passengers and five crew members. Shortly after takeoff, the plane lost both right-side engines and ditched into the ocean approximately 10 minutes into its flight. While all 69 individuals initially survived the water landing, panic ensued in the cabin as passengers struggled with life vests and rafts. Within three minutes, 52 people had drowned as the aircraft submerged.
US Coast Guard and rescue crews were able to save 12 passengers and five crew members. The location of the aircraft's wreckage was lost for 74 years until its recent discovery on June 2.
Russ Matthews, president and co-founder of the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, began searching for the Clipper Endeavor in 2019 after finding a luggage tag from the flight that had washed ashore in Florida. He later teamed up with Expedition Unknown host Josh Gates for an episode, uncovering evidence that included a chart map created by US Air Force pilots who witnessed the crash. This map helped narrow the search area.
A research vessel named Fugro Brasilis, equipped with an advanced autonomous underwater vehicle capable of scanning the ocean floor at depths up to 20,000 feet, was instrumental in the discovery. On its first run, the vehicle located the Clipper Endeavor, broken into two sections. Subsequent photographic surveys revealed the Pan American logo and the plane's name, Clipper Endeavor, still legible on the fuselage, confirming the identification.
'Seeing the bright aluminum fuselage shining back at us from the ocean floor was a hugely emotional moment,' said Josh Gates. The discovery of the crash site has prompted discussions about honoring victims of historic air disasters and improving safety. The crash of the Clipper Endeavor is credited with leading to major aviation safety reforms, including the mandatory pre-flight safety briefings and emergency demonstrations that are standard today. The Civil Aeronautics Board, the forerunner to the Federal Aviation Administration, implemented these changes following the tragedy.
'Every time you step onboard an airplane today, you are safer because of what happened to her and her passengers three quarters of a century ago,' Gates stated. The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation is working with the Puerto Rican government to protect the crash site and is in contact with the two known living survivors of the incident. The full story will be featured in an upcoming episode of Expedition Unknown.
