LAN Chile Flight 621
 CC-CLDP, the aircraft involved in the accident. | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 April 1961 |
| Site | La Gotera Hill, Chile |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 24 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3 |
| Operator | LAN Chile |
| Registration | CC-CLDP |
| Flight origin | Temuco |
| Destination | Santiago |
LAN Chile Flight 621 crashed in the Andes on 3 April 1961. All twenty-four people on board were killed,[1] including eight professional footballers and two members of the coaching staff from CD Green Cross.[2] It was Chile's worst ever aviation disaster at the time.[1]
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was a Douglas DC-3, registration CC-CLDP. It had been manufactured in 1943 as a military Douglas C-47A, manufacturer's serial number 9716. At the time of the accident, it had accumulated 18,300 hours.[1]
Missing
The Douglas DC-3 airliner was one of two aircraft used to transport the football team home after an away game.[2] It was on a domestic flight from Castro, Chile to Santiago when it disappeared in the Andes. The last radio message reported ice covering the wings and propellers.[3]
The tail of the aircraft and a few human remains were found on 10 April 1961. Some official accounts indicate the wreckage was located on La Gotera Hill in the Lastima-Pejerreymin Range; all on board had been assumed killed.[1][4] Other contemporary accounts identify the crash site as Cerro Lastimas.[5]
In February 2015 the aircraft's fuselage was discovered after more than 50 years in the Chilean Andes. A member of the expedition that found the wreckage was quoted as saying "So this story is getting a rewrite since this is not where original accounts said."[2][6] While the climbers declined to provide a detailed position of their find, it is consistent with the terrain and altitude of Cerro Lastimas.
Notable victims
See also
- 1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust accident
- 1972 Andes flight disaster
- List of accidents involving sports teams
References
- 1 2 3 4 Accident description for CC-CLDP at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 February 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Don Mackay (5 February 2015). "Football team's plane wreck found in Chile after more than 50 years". The Mirror. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ "26 Feared Dead In Air Crash". The Times. London, England: The Times Digital Archive. 5 April 1961. p. 9.
- ↑ Anthony Esposito (9 February 2015). "Chilean mountaineers find plane lost in Andes over 53 years ago". Reuters. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ↑ "El accidente del Douglas DC-3 LAN 210 (equipo Green Cross)". 13 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ↑ ABC.net: "Chile: Plane carrying Green Cross football players found in Andes 53 years after crash". Retrieved February 9, 2015.