LAN-Chile Flight 621
{{Short description|1961 aviation accident}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| name = LAN-Chile Flight 621
| image = DC3-CC-CLDP.jpg
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = CC-CLDP, the aircraft involved in the accident.
| occurrence_type = Accident
| date = {{start date|1961|04|03|df=y}}
| summary = Undetermined
| site = La Gotera Hill, Chile
| coordinates = {{Coord|35|59|09.6|S|71|07|33.6|W|display=inline,title|type:landmark}}
| passengers = 20
| crew = 4
| injuries =
| fatalities = 24
| missing =
| survivors = 0
| aircraft_type = Douglas DC-3
| aircraft_name =
| operator = LAN Chile
| tail_number = CC-CLDP
| origin = Temuco
| stopover =
| stopover0 =
| last_stopover =
| destination = Santiago
}}
LAN-Chile Flight 621 crashed in the Andes on 3 April 1961. All twenty-four people on board were killed,{{ASN accident|title=CC-CLDP|id=19610403-0|accessdate=8 February 2015}} including eight professional footballers and two members of the coaching staff from CD Green Cross. It was Chile's worst ever aviation disaster at the time.
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was a Douglas DC-3, registration CC-CLDP. It had been manufactured in 1943 as a military Douglas C-47A, manufacturer's serial number 9716. At the time of the accident, it had accumulated 18,300 hours.
Accident
The Douglas DC-3 airliner was one of two aircraft used to transport the football team home after an away game. It was on a domestic flight from Castro to Santiago when it disappeared in the Andes. The last radio message reported ice covering the wings and propellers.{{cite news |date=5 April 1961 |title=26 Feared Dead In Air Crash |newspaper=The Times |location=London, England |page=9}}
The tail of the aircraft and a few human remains were found on 10 April 1961. Some official accounts indicate the wreckage was located on La Gotera Hill in the Lastima-Pejerreymin Range; all on board had been assumed killed.{{cite web |author=Esposito |first=Anthony |date=9 February 2015 |title=Chilean mountaineers find plane lost in Andes over 53 years ago |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/chile-airplane-idUSL1N0VJ2N720150210 |accessdate=10 February 2015 |publisher=Reuters}} Other contemporary accounts identify the crash site as Cerro Lastimas.{{cite web |date=13 February 2015 |title=El accidente del Douglas DC-3 LAN 210 (equipo Green Cross) |trans-title=The accident of the Douglas DC-3 LAN 210 (Green Cross team) |url=http://modocharlie.com/2015/02/el-accidente-del-douglas-dc-3-lan-210-equipo-green-cross/ |accessdate=15 February 2015 |language=es}}
In February 2015 the aircraft's fuselage was discovered after more than 50 years in the Chilean Andes. A member of the expedition that found the wreckage was quoted as saying "So this story is getting a rewrite since this is not where original accounts said."{{cite web |author=Mackay |first=Don |date=5 February 2015 |title=Football team's plane wreck found in Chile after more than 50 years |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/football-teams-plane-wreck-found-5107420 |accessdate=8 February 2015 |publisher=The Mirror}}{{Cite news |date=2015-02-09 |title=Plane carrying Chile footballers found 53 years after crash |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/plane-carrying-chile-football-stars-found-53-years-after-crash/6080496 |access-date=February 9, 2015 |work=ABC News}} While the climbers declined to provide a detailed position of their find, it is consistent with the terrain and altitude of Cerro Lastimas.
Notable victims
See also
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1961}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Chile}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:LAN Chile Flight 210}}
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1961
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Chile
Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving professional sports teams
Category:Club de Deportes Green Cross