What happened
A charter flight, operating as Uruguay 5LT, departed from Montevideo destined for Santiago de Chile. The aircraft was transporting players, supporters, and family members of the 'Old Christians' rugby team to participate in a tournament. While flying at cruising altitude through difficult weather conditions near mountain ranges, the aircraft encountered significant turbulence caused by clouds and proximity to high terrain.
In an attempt to stabilize the flight, the pilot applied full power to both engines; however, the aircraft was unable to maintain sufficient altitude. Traveling at 350 km/h, the right wing collided with a rocky ridge, resulting in its separation from the fuselage. Shortly after this impact, the plane struck a second ridge, which caused the loss of the left wing and the tail section. The remaining wreckage glided briefly before impacting a snow-covered area at an altitude of 3,900 meters in the Andes.
The crash resulted in eight fatalities and several injuries. Due to a malfunction in the VHF radio system, the survivors were unable to signal for help. Although a Chilean Air Force trainer pilot flew over the site the following day, heavy cloud cover prevented him from spotting the wreckage. Search and rescue operations were officially halted after three days of searching.
After 72 days of extreme cold, three members of the group managed to trek to a nearby village to secure assistance. On December 22, 1972, Chilean Air Force helicopters reached the crash site and successfully evacuated 16 individuals. However, 29 other occupants died due to starvation, exposure, or injuries sustained during the initial accident.
Findings
The primary cause of the accident was the loss of altitude while navigating mountainous terrain in poor weather, which led to a series of structural failures following impacts with rocky ridges.