Pan American Airways Douglas DC-6B registered N5026K, named Clipper Panama[1] was delivered on 28 May 1954.

In 1958 it spent some time on lease to National Airlines but was returned to Pan Am.

Captain Robert Realm and First Officer Henry R. Hayes were onboard with a crew of four plus two passengers.

4 had separated from the wing and a fire erupted, destroying the aircraft just after the crew and passengers escaped in 30 seconds via the emergency chute.

According to lab results, the blade had previously been bent which resulted "in the disruption of the compressive stresses in the shot peened area of the propeller blade" being the probable cause because the unbalanced loads on the engine mounts resulted in the separation of the entire engine.