A chartered flight crashed in the remote Andes, stranding 45 people for 72 days and forcing survivors to resort to cannibalism before rescue.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- 13 October 1972
- Passengers and crew aboard
- 45
- Days stranded
- 72 days
- Survivors rescued
- 14
- Crash site elevation
- 3,660 metres
- Search effort duration
- 8 days
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The inexperienced co-pilot, Lieutenant-Colonel Dante Héctor Lagurara, mistakenly believed the aircraft had passed the turning point of Curicó and began descending prematurely. He failed to account for instrument readings showing he was still 60–69 km east of Curicó, and upon regaining visual conditions, was too close to the mountains to avoid collision.
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a Fairchild FH-227D carrying 45 passengers and crew, struck a mountain ridge in the Andes on 13 October 1972, shearing off both wings and the tail cone. The fuselage slid down a glacier at roughly 350 km/h before coming to rest at 3,660 metres elevation in a remote area of western Argentina, near the Chilean border.
Twelve people died at impact or shortly after, and 13 more perished during the 72-day ordeal from cold, injuries, and an avalanche. Survivors resorted to consuming the flesh of the dead to survive. On 22–23 December 1972, the remaining 14 survivors were rescued after Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa crossed the mountains to alert authorities, bringing worldwide attention to the event.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 29 (other)