Discovery of Pan Am Flight 526A
In June of 2026, Eco Minerals' wholly owned subsidiary, Deep Sea Vision, led by Craig Wallace, successfully located the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 526A off the coast of Puerto Rico.
The Aircraft
On April 11, 1952, Pan American Airways' Clipper Endeavor, operating as Flight 526A, departed San Juan bound for New York. All 69 people aboard survived the forced water landing, but 52 passengers perished after the aircraft flooded and sank within minutes.
The accident led directly to the industry-wide mandate for the now-familiar preflight passenger safety briefing, and it remains the second-worst aviation disaster in Puerto Rican history.
The Search
Following years of archival research by the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation (ASHF) to define the most promising search area, Deep Sea Vision mobilized its AUV survey system and operations personnel to complete an extensive subsea search off the northern coast of Puerto Rico.
The survey conclusively identified the aircraft, found resting almost 2,000 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean and broken into two sections.
Locating an aircraft lost for nearly 75 years, in almost 2,000 feet of water, is an extraordinary technical achievement and demonstration of what our Deep Sea Vision team and technology can do.
National Coverage
Explorer and television host Josh Gates and a production crew embedded with the field team to document the mission for Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown. The discovery was also featured on NBC's TODAY Show in a segment reported by NBC News Senior National Correspondent Tom Costello.
