The Mystery of Flight 571: A Tale of Survival and Tragedy

On 13th October, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, with 45 people on board, consisting of players for the Old Christians Club rugby team, crashed into the Andes Mountains. This was followed by one of the worst survival experiences in aviation history, and it came to be referred to as the Miracle of the Andes.

The Fateful Flight

The Fairchild FH-227D plane took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, heading towards Santiago, Chile. Because of bad weather, the pilots tried to fly over the Andes, but a fatal error resulted in catastrophe. The co-pilot thought they had already passed an important waypoint and started descending too early. Shortly thereafter, the plane crashed into a ridge of mountains, tearing off its wings and tail, before sliding down a glacier at 350 km/h (220 mph).

The Struggle for Survival

The crash killed 12 people instantly, and several more succumbed to injuries and the freezing temperatures in the following days. The survivors, stranded at an altitude of 3,660 meters (12,020 feet), faced extreme cold, starvation, and avalanches.

Without food and with very little hope, they took the controversial step of eating the body of their fallen friends to survive. This desperation and survival step stunned the world when their experience was made known.

The Rescue Mission

Rescue efforts were suspended after eight days, as rescuers could not see the white fuselage in the snow. The survivors were stranded for 72 days in the mountains until two of them, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, set off on a 10-day hike across the Andes to locate assistance. Their trek took them to Chilean shepherd Sergio Catalán, who notified authorities.

On December 22, 1972, 16 survivors were eventually rescued, bringing an end to their unimaginable experience.

Legacy and Impact

Flight 571's tale has been immortalized in books, documentaries, and films, such as the 1993 film "Alive" and the 2023 film "Society of the Snow". It continues to be a testament to human endurance, fueling debates on ethics, survival, and the limits of human endurance.