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the day before
The October 12, 1972 , the Fairchild Hiller FH -227 belonging to the Uruguayan Air Force departed from Carrasco International Airport carrying the club rugby team alumni of Stella Maris College in Montevideo , bound to play a match against Old Boys ( Santiago de Chile) . Then he developed a front of instability in the whole area of the central mountains -
taking off at 14:18
taking off at 14:18 (local time ) to Santiago de Chile . The way forward would be via Planchon Pass between the cities of Malargüe ( Argentina ) and Curicó (Chile ) . The plane climbed to 6,000 meters flying southbound keeping the mountains on your right. They had a tail wind of 20-60 knots -
day of the accident
It happened on Friday October 13, 1972 , when the military plane with 40 passengers and 5 crew that led to the Old Christians rugby team -made up of the Uruguayan school students Stella Maris crashed on a ridge of the Andes in Mendoza ( Argentina ) , at 3500 meters, en route to Santiago de Chile. -
A 15:08
At 15:08 they communicated their position to the control station Malargüe turning in a northwesterly direction to fly through the air route over the mountains G17 . Lagurara estimated to reach the Pass of Planchon -the point of the mountains where he spent the control of air traffic from Mendoza to Santiago at 15:21 hours. A sea of white clouds stretched below them . -
Road to recovery
The December 12, 1972 , Nando Parrado , Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintín depart for help . -
Within 10 days
Ten days after leaving the wreckage , and having walked approximately 59 km , reach the foothills of San Fernando , the Los Maitenes sector. Walking to ford a river for almost one and a half and can not do by the rising snowmelt. -
On that day of 22 December
On that day of 22 December , Chilean pilots Carlos Garcia, Jorge Massa and Mario Avila were preparing to fly a DC- 6 to Punta Arenas then received incredulous the news that had appeared survivors of the Uruguayan plane missing over two months ago in the mountains. Had been made by the FACH , until suspended the search, 66 missions without results. Carlos Garcia, requested three helicopters Bell UH -1 and immediately moved to the Los Maitenes San Fernando to organize the rescue immediately . The
