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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/01/chapecoense-plane-crash-what-we-know-so-far
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| Chapecoense plane crash: what we know so far about the flight | Chapecoense plane crash: what we know so far about the flight |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| What happened? | What happened? |
| At about 10.15pm on Monday 28 November a BAE146 Bolivia charter flight Lamia 933 from Santa Cruz slammed into the mountainside eight miles short of its intended destination of Medellín airport. The crash killed 71 people on board, including most of the Chapecoense team and a delegation travelling with them that included 21 journalists. | At about 10.15pm on Monday 28 November a BAE146 Bolivia charter flight Lamia 933 from Santa Cruz slammed into the mountainside eight miles short of its intended destination of Medellín airport. The crash killed 71 people on board, including most of the Chapecoense team and a delegation travelling with them that included 21 journalists. |
| Who survived? | Who survived? |
| There were six survivors, including three of the team’s players Alan Ruschel, Hélio Neto and Jackson Follman, who were all severely injured. By contrast, two members of the Bolivian crew, flight technician Erwin Tumiri and flight attendant Ximena Sanchez, escaped with relatively minor injuries. The sixth survivor, a journalist Rafael Valmorbida, is in intensive care with multiple rib fractures. | There were six survivors, including three of the team’s players Alan Ruschel, Hélio Neto and Jackson Follman, who were all severely injured. By contrast, two members of the Bolivian crew, flight technician Erwin Tumiri and flight attendant Ximena Sanchez, escaped with relatively minor injuries. The sixth survivor, a journalist Rafael Valmorbida, is in intensive care with multiple rib fractures. |
| Why did the plane crash? | Why did the plane crash? |
| The authorities have given no definitive answer as an official investigation, which is likely to take months to complete, has only just begun. But it has become increasingly clear that the plane ran out fuel. | The authorities have given no definitive answer as an official investigation, which is likely to take months to complete, has only just begun. But it has become increasingly clear that the plane ran out fuel. |
| What is the evidence pointing to a fuel burnout? | What is the evidence pointing to a fuel burnout? |
| Why did the plane run out of fuel? | Why did the plane run out of fuel? |
| The plane’s operators, Lamia, have suggested the pilot was at fault for not stopping to refuel. Its chief executive, Gustavo Vargas, said: “He had alternatives in Bogotá in case of fuel deficiency. He had all the power to go to refuel. It’s a decision that the pilot takes.” Alternatively the ground crew could be to blame for not providing enough fuel, or there could have been a fuel leak. | The plane’s operators, Lamia, have suggested the pilot was at fault for not stopping to refuel. Its chief executive, Gustavo Vargas, said: “He had alternatives in Bogotá in case of fuel deficiency. He had all the power to go to refuel. It’s a decision that the pilot takes.” Alternatively the ground crew could be to blame for not providing enough fuel, or there could have been a fuel leak. |
| And questions have also been raised about why a plane with relatively limited capacity was being used for a 1,600-mile journey that usually takes four and half hours to complete. John Cox, a retired pilot and head of the US-based Safety Operating Systems, said: “The airplane was being flight-planned right to its maximum. Even if everything goes well they are not going to have a large amount of fuel when they arrive. I don’t understand how they could do the flight nonstop with the fuel requirements that the regulations stipulate.” | And questions have also been raised about why a plane with relatively limited capacity was being used for a 1,600-mile journey that usually takes four and half hours to complete. John Cox, a retired pilot and head of the US-based Safety Operating Systems, said: “The airplane was being flight-planned right to its maximum. Even if everything goes well they are not going to have a large amount of fuel when they arrive. I don’t understand how they could do the flight nonstop with the fuel requirements that the regulations stipulate.” |
| Planes need to have enough extra fuel on board to fly at least 30 to 45 minutes to another airport in case of an emergency. They rarely fly in a straight line because of turbulence. The stormy weather conditions may have contributed to the plane running out of fuel earlier than the pilot expected. | Planes need to have enough extra fuel on board to fly at least 30 to 45 minutes to another airport in case of an emergency. They rarely fly in a straight line because of turbulence. The stormy weather conditions may have contributed to the plane running out of fuel earlier than the pilot expected. |
| What else could have caused the crash? | What else could have caused the crash? |
| In one of the cockpit recordings the pilot also mentioned a “total electrical failure”. A statement from José María Córdova airport in Medellín confirmed the plane had declared an emergency 15 minutes before the crash. An electrical malfunction will be one of the possibilities explored by the official investigation. But if there was an electrical failure it was not total otherwise the pilot would not have been able to communicate by radio. | In one of the cockpit recordings the pilot also mentioned a “total electrical failure”. A statement from José María Córdova airport in Medellín confirmed the plane had declared an emergency 15 minutes before the crash. An electrical malfunction will be one of the possibilities explored by the official investigation. But if there was an electrical failure it was not total otherwise the pilot would not have been able to communicate by radio. |
| Have the flight recorders been found? | Have the flight recorders been found? |
| Yes, two black box recorders were recovered from the hillside on Tuesday. They will be vital for the official investigation. But it is not yet known what they reveal. | Yes, two black box recorders were recovered from the hillside on Tuesday. They will be vital for the official investigation. But it is not yet known what they reveal. |
| Why have British inspectors been sent to investigate? | Why have British inspectors been sent to investigate? |
| Under international protocol investigations from countries where the plane was built must be part of any crash inquiry. Britain’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau said it was following that protocol by sending a team to help Colombia’s Aeronautica Civil, as the Avro RJ85 aircraft was built in Britain. The plane, a variant of the BAE146 model which went out of production in 2002, was manufactured by British Aerospace, now part of BAE Systems. Representatives from BAE Systems will join the AAIB team in assisting the investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board is also taking part as the plane’s engines were made in the US. | Under international protocol investigations from countries where the plane was built must be part of any crash inquiry. Britain’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau said it was following that protocol by sending a team to help Colombia’s Aeronautica Civil, as the Avro RJ85 aircraft was built in Britain. The plane, a variant of the BAE146 model which went out of production in 2002, was manufactured by British Aerospace, now part of BAE Systems. Representatives from BAE Systems will join the AAIB team in assisting the investigation. The US National Transportation Safety Board is also taking part as the plane’s engines were made in the US. |
| Why was the pilot initially denied permission to land? | Why was the pilot initially denied permission to land? |
| A chart of the plane’s last movements published by Flightradar24 shows it flying in a circular pattern, suggesting it was stacking in a holding pattern while waiting to land. In the recorded exchanges with Medellín airport, a female air traffic controller initially said that Lamia 933 had to wait seven minutes, because another plane had priority due to mechanical problems and was already approaching the runway. When 933’s pilot became more desperate, the other plane was told to wait. But by then it was too late. The final words of the pilot were a plea for a directional steer or landing code: “Vectors, señorita. Landing vectors.” It is unclear why Lamia 933 failed to declare a mayday signal. If it had it could have been given priority to land earlier. | A chart of the plane’s last movements published by Flightradar24 shows it flying in a circular pattern, suggesting it was stacking in a holding pattern while waiting to land. In the recorded exchanges with Medellín airport, a female air traffic controller initially said that Lamia 933 had to wait seven minutes, because another plane had priority due to mechanical problems and was already approaching the runway. When 933’s pilot became more desperate, the other plane was told to wait. But by then it was too late. The final words of the pilot were a plea for a directional steer or landing code: “Vectors, señorita. Landing vectors.” It is unclear why Lamia 933 failed to declare a mayday signal. If it had it could have been given priority to land earlier. |
| How did anyone survive the crash? | How did anyone survive the crash? |
| Pictures of the wreckage make it difficult to imagine how anyone was rescued alive. The flight technician, Erwin Tumiri, said he saved himself by following the safety advice and getting into a brace position. “I put the bag between my legs and went into the foetal position as recommended,” he said. Tumiri said others on the flight were standing and yelling as the plane crashed. While the plane may have crashed because of a lack of fuel, this may also have been the reason it did not explode, giving some on board the chance of survival. | Pictures of the wreckage make it difficult to imagine how anyone was rescued alive. The flight technician, Erwin Tumiri, said he saved himself by following the safety advice and getting into a brace position. “I put the bag between my legs and went into the foetal position as recommended,” he said. Tumiri said others on the flight were standing and yelling as the plane crashed. While the plane may have crashed because of a lack of fuel, this may also have been the reason it did not explode, giving some on board the chance of survival. |
| • The map graphic in this article was corrected on 1 December 2016. |