Pan Am Flight 526A

Uncommon card · No. 109092

Pan Am Flight 526A, a Douglas DC-4, took off from San Juan–Isla Grande Airport, Puerto Rico, at 12:11 PM AST on April 11, 1952, on a flight to Idlewild International Airport, New York City, with 64 passengers and 5 crew members on board. Due to inadequate maintenance, engine number 3 failed after takeoff, followed shortly by a loss of power from engine number 4. Nine minutes after takeoff, the aircraft ditched in rough seas 18 kilometers (11 mi) NW of San Juan Airport, broke apart, and sank after three minutes. Panicking passengers refused to leave the sinking wreck, resulting in 52 passenger deaths. The United States Coast Guard rescued 17 passengers and crew members. The accident led to the implementation of pre-flight safety demonstrations for over-water flights. The wreckage was discovered in June 2026.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Ralf Manteufel, GFDL 1.2