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Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

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Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
align="center" colspan="2" class="hiddenStructure |- !align="center" bgcolor="#ffcc99" colspan="4"|Summary |- !align="right" valign="top"|Date |align="left" valign="top"|October 13, 1972 - December 23, 1972 |- !align="right" valign="top"|Type |align="left" valign="top"|Crash into Andes mountains |- !align="right" valign="top" |Site |align="left" valign="top" |Remote mountainous border between Chile and Argentina |- !align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Fatalities |align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|29 |- !align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Injuries |align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|? |- !bgcolor="#ffcc99" colspan="4"|Aircraft |- ! align="right" valign="top" |Aircraft type | align="left" valign="top" width=100% |twin turboprop Fairchild FH-227D |- ! align="right" valign="top" |Operator | align="left" valign="top" |Air Force |- ! align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Tail number | align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"| |- ! align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Passengers | align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|40 |- ! align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Crew | align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|5 |- ! align="right" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|Survivors | align="left" valign="top" class="hiddenStructure"|16 |}

Postage stamp issued by Uruguay to honor those on the doomed flight
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Postage stamp issued by Uruguay to honor those on the doomed flight

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known less formally as the Andes flight disaster, was an airline flight carrying 45 people that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972. The event was concluded by December 23, 1972 when the last of 16 survivors were rescued.

Contents

The crash and rescue

On Friday the 13th of October, 1972, an Uruguayan Air Force twin turboprop Fairchild FH-227D was flying over the Andes carrying Stella Maris College (Montevideo)'s "Old Christians" rugby team from Montevideo, Uruguay to play a match in Santiago, Chile.

The trip had started the day before, October 12, when the Fairchild departed from Carrasco International Airport, but inclement mountain weather forced an overnight stop in Mendoza, Argentina. After resuming the flight on the afternoon of October 13, the plane was soon flying through a pass in the mountains. Due to a curious navigation error, the pilot notified air controllers in Santiago that he was over Curicó, Chile and was cleared to descend.

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Dipping into the cloud cover while still over the mountains, the Fairchild soon crashed on an unnamed peak (later called Cerro Seler), located between Cerro Sosneado and Volcan Tinguiririca at [34°44′S 69°59′W] [[Citing sources citation needed]], straddling the remote mountainous border between Chile and Argentina. The plane clipped the peak at 4200m, neatly severing the right wing, which was thrown back with such a force that it cut off the vertical stabilizer, leaving a gaping hole in the rear of the fuselage. The plane then clipped a second peak which severed the left wing and left the plane as just a fuselage flying through the air. The fuselage hit the ground and slid down a steep mountain slope before finally coming to rest in a snow bank.

Early days

Of the 45 people on the plane, twelve died in the crash or shortly thereafter; another five had died by the next morning, and one more succumbed to injuries on the eighth day. The remaining 27 faced hard survival issues high in the freezing mountains. Many had suffered injuries from the crash including broken legs from the aircraft's seats piling together. The survivors lacked equipment such as mountaineering goggles to prevent snow blindness (although Fito devised a couple of sunglasses by using the sun visors in the pilot's cabin which did help protect their eyes from the sun), cold-weather clothing and footwear suitable for the area. Most gravely, they lacked any kind of medical supplies, leaving the two freshman medical students on board who had survived the crash to improvise splints and braces with salvaged parts of what remained of the aircraft.

The Search

Search parties from three countries looked for the missing plane. However, since the plane was white, it blended in with the snow. It was thus impossible to see from the sky and the search was cancelled after 8 days. The boys had found a small transistor radio on the plane and Roy first heard the news that the search was cancelled on their eleventh day on the mountain. Piers Paul Read in (a text based upon interviews with the survivors) described the moments after this discovery:

The others who had clustered around Roy, upon hearing the news, began to sob and pray, all except Parrado, who looked calmly up the mountains which rose to the west. Gustavo [Coco] Nicolich came out of the plane and, seeing their faces, knew what they had heard...[Nicolich] climbed through the hole in the wall of suitcases and rugby shirts, crouched at the mouth of the dim tunnel, and looked at the mournful faces which were turned towards him. 'Hey boys,' he shouted, 'there's some good news! We just heard on the radio. They've called off the search.' Inside the crowded plane there was silence. As the hopelessness of their predicament enveloped them, they wept. 'Why the hell is that good news?' Paez shouted angrily at Nicholich. 'Because it means,' [Nicholich] said, 'that we're going to get out of here on our own.' The courage of this one boy prevented a flood of total despair (pp.88-9, first edition).

Food and water

The survivors had a small amount of food: a few chocolate bars, other assorted snacks, and several bottles of wine. During the days following the crash they divided out this food in very small amounts so as not to exhaust their meager supply. Fito also devised a way to melt snow into water.

Even with this strict rationing, their food stock dwindled quickly. Furthermore, there was no natural vegetation or animals on the snow-covered mountain. The group thus survived by collectively making a decision to eat flesh from the bodies of their dead comrades. This decision was not taken lightly, as most were classmates or close friends. In the recent book, , Nando Parrado comments on this decision:

''At high altitude, the body's caloric needs are astronomical...we were starving in earnest, with no hope of finding food, but our hunger soon grew so voracious that we searched anyway...again and again we scoured the fuselage in search of crumbs and morsels. We tried to eat strips of leather torn from pieces of luggage, though we knew that the chemicals they'd been treated with would do us more harm than good. We ripped open seat cushions hoping to find straw, but found only inedible upholstery foam...Again and again I came to the same conclusion: unless we wanted to eat the clothes we were wearing, there was nothing here but aluminum, plastic, ice, and rock (pp.94-95).
All of the passengers were Roman Catholics, a point which was emphasized by Piers Paul Read in the book, Alive. According to Read, some equated the act to the ritual of Holy Communion. Others initially had reservations, though after realizing that it was their only means of staying alive, changed their minds a few days later.

Avalanche

Eight of the initial survivors subsequently died on the night of October 29 when an avalanche cascaded down on them as they slept in the fuselage.

Hard Decisions

After the avalanche, a few of the boys became insistent that their only means of survival would be to climb over the mountains themselves and search for help. Due to the co-pilot's assertion that the plane had passed Curico, the group assumed that the Chilean countryside was just a few miles away to the west. Several of the healthiest and strongest survivors made excursions in many directions in an attempt to find the plane's tail section and their friends who had fallen from the plane at the point of impact (the bodies of six were found higher up the mountain on one such expedition). Many potential expeditionaries were deterred by the difficulty of hiking at such a high altitude as well as surviving the bitterly cold nights.

After a few trial runs, a final group was formed which included Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa and Antonio "Tintin" Vizíntin. On Roberto Canessa's insistence, Parrado, and Canessa himself first attempted to travel east, down into the cordillera to find the tail. On this run, they did find the tail of the plane. It contained several suitcases. They found scraps of food, a comic book, clothing and cigarettes. Tintin also discovered insulating material wrapped around pipes (which would prove later to be the key to their escape).

Radio

Initially after the crash, an attempt was made to use the cockpit radio to call for help. It was found, however, that radio had no power running to it. The plane's mechanic had survived the crash (but later died in the avalanche) and mentioned that the Fairchild's batteries were stowed in the missing tail section.

Having finally found the tail, the batteries were also located. However, they were too heavy to transport back to the fuselage. Instead, they decided to bring the radio to the tail. The boys hiked back up and enlisted the reluctant help of Roy Harley, one of the younger survivors, and the closest thing they had to an electronics expert. After several days of tinkering, Harley and Canessa realized that the radio could not be made to work and the team returned back to the plane. Unbeknownst to the survivors at the time, the radio did not operate on battery power, but on power generated by the plane's engines.

The sleeping bag

It was now apparent that the only way out was to climb over the mountains to the west. However, they also realized that unless they found a way to survive the nights, a trek was impossible. It was at this point that the idea for a sleeping bag was raised.

In , Nando would comment upon the making of the sleeping bag thirty-four years later:

The second challenge would be to protect ourselves from exposure, especially after sundown. At this time of year we could expect daytime temperatures well above freezing, but the nights were still cold enough to kill us, and we knew now that we couldn't expect to find shelter on the open slopes. We needed a way to survive the long nights without freezing, and the quilted batts of insulation we'd taken from the tail section gave us our solution....as we brainstormed about the trip, we realized we could sew the patches together to create a large warm quilt. Then we realized that by folding the quilt in half and stitching the seams together, we could create an insulated sleeping bag large enough for all three expeditionaries to sleep in. With the warmth of three bodies trapped by the insulating cloth, we might be able to weather the coldest nights.
Carlitos took on the challenge. His mother had taught him to sew when he was a boy, and with the needles and thread from the sewing kit I'd found in my mother's cosmetic case, he began to work...to speed the progress, Carlitos taught others to sew, and we all took our turns...Carlitos, Coche, Gustavo [Zerbino], and Fito turned out to be our best and fastest tailors (pp.170-1).
After the sleeping bag was completed (and someone else died of his injuries) the hesitant Canessa was finally persuaded to set out, and the three expeditionaries took to the mountain on December 12th.

December 12

On December 12, 1972, some two months after the crash, Parrado, Canessa and Vizintín began their trek up the mountainside. Parrado took the lead, and often had to be called to to slow down. Although it was still bitterly cold, the sleeping bag made of the insulation from the tail allowed them to live through the nights.

On the third day of the trek, Parrado reached the top of the mountain before the other two expeditionaries. What he saw literally took his breath away. Stretched before him as far as the eye could see were more mountains. Spying a small "Y" in the distance, he gauged that a way out of the mountains must lay beyond, and refused to give up hope. Knowing that the hike would take more energy than they'd originally planned for, Parrado and Canessa sent Vizintín back to the crash site, as they were rapidly running out of rations. It only took him about three hours to return.

Parrado and Canessa hiked for several more days, reaching the end of the snowline, stumbling over and around rocks and boulders, and following a river that began as a trickling stream beside their path. In the warmer temperatures, their food supply began to spoil, and on the ninth day of their journey, Canessa was stuck with diarrhea and could not continue. Faced with the idea of moving on without him, Parrado gathered wood for a fire and prepared to make some difficult decisions.

Rescue and return

On the ninth evening Parrado and Canessa set down to rest. Canessa had seemingly reached the end of his journey, having run out of strength and had become ill. As Parrado was gathering wood to build a fire, Canessa noticed what looked like a man on a horse at the other side of the river, and yelled at the near-sighted Parrado to run down to the banks. At first it seemed that Canessa had been imagining the man on the horse, but eventually they saw three men on horseback. Divided by a river, Nando and Canessa tried to convey their situation to which one of them, a Chilean Gaucho named Sergio Catalan, shouted "tomorrow." They knew at this point they would be saved and settled to sleep by the river. The next day the men returned and tied paper to a rock and pencil which they threw to the boys. Parrado wrote a note telling them about the plane crash and threw it back to them. Catalan rode on horseback for many hours to bring help and eventually a rescue team with helicopters appeared. Nando was recruited to fly back to the mountain in order to guide the helicopters to the remaining survivors. The news that people had survived the October 13th crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 had also leaked to the international press and a flood of reporters also began to appear.

The mountain rescue

The following day, those remaining at the crash site heard on their radio that Parrado and Canessa had been successful in finding help and that afternoon, December 22, 1972, a helicopter carrying Parrado and two search and rescue climbers arrived, taking half of the survivors. It departed, leaving the Andinists and remaining survivors at the crash site until the second helicopter could arrive. Leaving was again delayed until the following morning due to the hazards of flying into the Andes at night, leaving those left behind to once again sleep in the fuselage. The second helicopter arrived at daybreak on December 23, and with that, all sixteen survivors were rescued. All of the survivors were taken to hospitals in Santiago and treated for altitude sickness, dehydration, frostbite, broken bones, scurvy and malnutrition.

Aftermath

When first rescued, the survivors initially explained that they had eaten some cheese they had carried with them, planning to discuss the details in private with their families. However, they were pushed into the public eye when photos were leaked to the press and sensational, unauthorized articles were published.

The survivors thus held a press conference on December 28 at Stella Maris College (Montevideo), where they recounted the events of the past 72 days [link] (over the years, they would also participate in the publication of two books, two films, and an official website about the event).

In addition, those who had perished were later buried under a pile of stones a half mile from the crash site. The grave was commemorated by an iron cross erected from its center. What remained of the fuselage was burned to thwart curiosity seekers.

Books

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (1974)

The first book, , (published two years after their rescue) was written by Piers Paul Read who interviewed the survivors and their families. It was a critical success and continues to remain a highly popular work of non-fiction. In the opening of the book, the survivors explain why they wanted it to be written:

We decided that this book should be written and the truth known because of the many rumors about what happened in the cordillera. We dedicate this story of our suffering and solidarity to those friends who died and to their parents who, at the time when we most needed it, received us with love and understanding.
A reprint was published in 2005 by Harper. It was re-titled: Alive: Sixteen Men, Seventy-two Days, and Insurmountable Odds -- The Classic Adventure of Survival in the Andes and includes a revised introduction as well as interviews with Piers Paul Read, Coche Inciarte, and Alvaro Mangino.

Miracle in the Andes (2006)

Thirty-four years after the rescue, Nando Parrado published the book (with Vince Rause), which has received positive reviews. In this text, Parrado also touches upon public reaction to this event:

In fact, our survival had become a matter of national pride. Our ordeal was being celebrated as a glorious adventure...I didn't know how to explain to them that there was no glory in those mountains. It was all ugliness and fear and desperation, and the obscenity of watching so many innocent people die. I was also shaken by the sensationalism with which many in the press covered the matter of what we had eaten to survive. Shortly after our rescue, officials of the Catholic Church announced that according to church doctrine we had committed no sin by eating the flesh of the dead. As Roberto had argued on the mountain, they told the world that the sin would have been to allow ourselves to die. More satisfying for me was the fact that many of the parents of the boys who died had publicly expressed their support for us, telling the world they understood and accepted what we had done to survive...despite these gestures, many news reports focused on the matter of our diet, in reckless and exploitive ways. Some newspapers ran lurid headlines above grisly front-page photos (pp. 247-8).

Films

Alive: The Miracle of the Andes (1993)

The film, , received mixed reviews. It was directed by Frank Marshall and is based upon the book by Piers Paul Read. It stars Ethan Hawke and is narrated by John Malkovich.

Nando Parrado served as a technical adviser to the film. Carlitos Páez [link] and Ramon "Moncho" Sabella also visited the recreated fuselage during the shooting of the movie to aid with the historical accuracy of the set and to instruct the actors on how the events actually unfolded.

Alive: 20 Years Later (1993)

is a documentary film which was produced, directed and written by Jill Fullerton-Smith and narrated by Martin Sheen. It explores the lives of the survivors twenty years after the crash. It also discusses their participation in the production of Alive: The Miracle of the Andes.

Official website (2002)

In 2002, on the occassion of the 30th anniversary of the event [link], an official website was created for the survivors. The website, entitled, Viven! El Accidente de Los Andes is available in both Spanish and English [link].

The sixteen survivors

  • José Pedro Algorta, 21
  • Roberto Canessa, 19
  • Alfredo "Pancho" Delgado, 24
  • Daniel Fernandez, 26
  • Roberto "Bobby" François, 20
  • Roy Harley, 20
  • José Luis "Coche" Inciarte, 24
  • Alvaro Mangino, 19
  • Javier Methol, 38
  • Carlos "Carlitos" Páez, 18
  • Nando Parrado, 22
  • Ramon "Moncho" Sabella, 21
  • Adolfo "Fito" Strauch, 24
  • Eduardo Strauch, 25
  • Antonio "Tintin" Vizíntin, 19
  • Gustavo Zerbino, 19

The deceased

24 passengers and all five crew died on the mountain:

  • Francisco "Panchito" Abal, 21
  • Gaston Costemalle, 23
  • Rafael Echavarren, 22
  • Col. Julio César Ferradás, 39, Pilot
  • José Guido Magri, 23
  • Alexis "Alejo" Hounié, 20
  • Lt. Col. Dante Lagurara, 41, Co-Pilot
  • Filipe Maquirriain, 22
  • Mrs. Graciela Mariani, 43
  • Julio Martínez Lamas, 24
  • Lt. Ramon Martínez, 30, Navigator
  • Daniel Maspons, 20
  • Juan Carlos Menéndez, 22
  • Mrs. Liliana Methol, 34
  • Mrs. Esther Nicola, 40
  • Dr. Francisco Nicola, 40
  • Gustavo "Coco" Nicolich, 20
  • Arturo Nogueira, 21
  • Mrs. Eugenia Parrado, 50
  • Susana "Susy" Parrado, 20
  • Marcelo Pérez, 25
  • Enrique Platero, 22
  • Sgt. Ovidio Ramirez, 26, Steward
  • Sgt. Carlos Roque, 24, Mechanic
  • Daniel Shaw, 24
  • Diego Storm, 20
  • Numa Turcatti, 24
  • Carlos Valeta, 18
  • Fernando Vasquez, 20

Bibliography

Books

Authorized

Unauthorized

  • 1973: Blair Jr., Clay. Survive.

Articles

  • Dowling, Claudia Glenn. "Still Alive." Life Magazine (February 1993): 48-59.

Films

  • 1993:
  • 1993: (documentary)

External links

 

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