by charles r. swindoll
O
n October 12, 1972, a Fairchild F-227 of the Uruguayan Air Force was chartered by an amateur rugby team. The plan? To fly from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile…a flight pattern which required flying over the rugged Andes. There were 45 on board, including the crew. Bad weather brought the plane down in Mendoza, a small Argentinian town. Since the weather improved the following morning, the Fairchild set off again, flying south to the Planchon Pass. They would never make their destination. • At 3:21 p.m. the pilot reported to Air Traffic Control in Santiago that he was over the Pass of Planchon
• At 3:24 p.m. he reported their plane was over a small town in Chile named Curico. He was authorized to turn north and begin his descent to the airport of Pudahuel • At 3:30 p.m. he reported his height—15,000 feet • When Santiago control tower spoke to the F-227 one minute later, there was no reply…nor would there be for the next 10 weeks. An extreme dilemma had transpired Several things made search attempts futile. The Andes are a vast, treacherous, and confusing range. The top of the plane was white, making it impossible to
