Santiago de Chile

Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area near Santiago. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

En route, the crew encountered technical problems and elected to make an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a field located 40 km east of Santiago-Los Cerrillos Airport. A passenger was killed while 16 other occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

After being bought by a company based in Miami, the aircraft was transferred from Buenos Aires to Miami on a delivery flight via Santiago de Chile and Panama City. En route to Santiago, while cruising at an altitude of 5,000 meters, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Tupungato (6,750 meters high) located southwest of Mendoza, Argentina. The wreckage was found two years later by a Chilean rescue team. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all five occupants were killed.

The four engine airplane was flying from Concepción to Santiago and was carrying eight passengers and eight crew members taking part to 'Operation Unitas', a joint training exercise by the navies of the US, Peru and Chile. While approaching Santiago-Pudahuel Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. Due to limited visibility, the captain decided to initiate a go-around manoeuvre. Few minutes later, while circling for another approach at an altitude of 2,600 feet, the airplane struck a mountain (3,000 feet high) located about 17 km south of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 16 occupants were killed.

The airplane departed Montevideo on a charter flight to Santiago de Chile under callsign Uruguay 571, carrying members of the rugby team 'Old Christians', en route to Chile to take part to a tournament. All passengers were players, supporters and members of their family. While in cruising altitude in marginal weather conditions, the crew encountered altitude turbulences due to the mountain proximity and clouds. Despite the pilot increased full power on both engines, the airplane was unable to maintain a safe altitude when, at a speed of 350 km/h, the right wing struck a rocky ridge and was torn off. Few seconds later, the airplane struck a second ridge, causing the left wing and the tail to be torn off. The aircraft planed for few seconds before it crashed in a snow covered area located at an altitude of 3,900 meters in the Chilean Andes. Few passengers were injured while eight others were killed. Some survivors elected to contact rescuers but the VHF system was out of order. A day after the accident, the pilot of a Chilean Air Force trainer made a pass over the area but failed to sea the wreckage due to clouds. After three days, SAR operations were suspended by the authorities. After 72 days by extreme low temperatures, three survivors walked away and found help in a village. On December 22, 1972, two helicopters of the Chilean Air Force arrived on the scene and were able to evacuate 16 survivors while 29 other occupants died from their injuries, cold or of hunger.

The four engine aircraft departed Montevideo-Carrasco Airport on a cargo flight to Santiago-Pudahuel Airport, carrying six crew members and a load of 28 tons of meat. En route, while cruising in poor visibility, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located in the Andes, or in Chile or in Argentina. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the six crew members was found.

On final approach to Santiago-Pudahuel Airport runway 35, the airplane struck the slope of Mt El Ovejero located near Maipú, about 15 km south of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed. For unknown reason, the airplane was approaching the airport at an insufficient altitude.

Few minutes after takeoff from Mendoza-El Plumerillo Airport, the crew reported technical problems and was cleared to return with the engine number one shut down. Shortly later, the airplane crashed on Mt Santa Elena located few km from the airport. All three crew members were killed. The aircraft was chartered to Aero Dominicana.

Following an uneventful flight from Santiago de Chile (flight LCO213), the crew started the descent to Coyhaique-Teniente Vidal Airport when the airplane went out of control, entered a dive and crashed in a mountainous area. The wreckage was found few hours later 24 km northwest of Coyhaique, in an uninhabited area. The aircraft was destroyed and all 36 occupants have been killed.

The aircraft was completing a special cargo flight from Bogotá to Buenos Aires with intermediate stops in La Paz and Santiago de Chile, carrying five passengers, three crew members and a load of eight bulls for an exhibition in Buenos Aires. While cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Planchón-Peteroa (4,107 meters high) located about 200 km south of Santiago. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. The wreckage was eventually found on 18 November 1966. All eight occupants have been killed.