The fatal plane crash that killed a Brazilian professional soccer club and 21 journalists reportedly experienced an electrical malfunction and ran out of fuel, according to new reports.
The plane carrying a top Brazilian professional soccer club and over 20 sports journalists crashed late Monday, killing 72 of its 77 passengers.
A leaked tape revealed that the pilot requested to land due to an electrical failure and lack of fuel.
The Final Moments Inside The Cockpit (BBC):
Pilot: Lima-Mike-India 2933 is in total failure, total electrical failure and [without] fuel.
Tower: Runway is free. Expect rain on the surface Lima-Mike-India 933, firemen have been alerted.
Pilot: Vectors, miss. Tell me the vectors from the runway.
Tower: I can’t find you on the radar. What is your direction now?
Pilot: Direction three six zero. Three six zero.
Tower: Turn left zero one zero and proceed to the Rio Negro localiser 1 mile ahead of VOR [combined radio navigation station]… I confirm the left in the direction of three five zero.
Pilot: Left three five zero.
Tower: Yes, correct. You’re at one mile to the Rio Negro localiser.
Tower: I don’t have your altitude, Lima-Mike-India.
Pilot: 9,000ft, miss. Vectors, vectors.
Tower: You’re 8.2 miles to the runway.
Pilot: Jesus.
Tower: What’s your altitude now?
– End Recording –
Flight radar showed that the plane circled around its destination, Medellin. According to the BBC, air traffic control told the doomed Lamia flight to fly in a holding pattern.
The plane, a British Aerospace 146 aircraft operated by LaMia, has a maximum range of 1,700 nautical miles, just under the distance between Medellin and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where the flight originated.
The flight path shows that the plane was lined up for a landing into Medellin, but ran out of altitude before making it. While an Aerospace 146 can still be manually controlled without power, it must have enough altitude to glide into a controlled landing.
The light was carrying Brazil’s Chapocoense soccer team to a top South American soccer tournament in Columbia. Nine crew members and over 20 journalists were also on board.
The plane experienced an “electrical emergency shortly before crashing,” according to NPR. The plane went down outside of Medellin in an isolated location. Rescue efforts were hampered by low visibility and heavy rainfall.
Columbia’s civil aviation authority reported that two players, two crew members and a journalist survived the crash, while a sixth victim that survived the initial crash, later died.
Chapecoense was flying to Colombia to compete in the Copa Sudamericana, South America’s second-most prestigious tournament. The South American Football Confederation suspended the tournament.
The team hailed from southern Brazil in the City of Chapeco, with a population of 210,000. After almost going bankrupt three years ago, the team enjoyed a successful “underdog” season against Brazil’s premier soccer teams.
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