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Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972, with 45 people aboard. Sixteen survived 72 days in the mountains. Their story is one of endurance, collective decision-making and a rescue set in motion when two survivors reached a Chilean muleteer after a ten-day trek.
What happened to Flight 571?
The chartered Fairchild FH-227D was carrying 45 people from Montevideo toward Santiago, including members of the Old Christians rugby club, their relatives and friends, and the aircraft’s crew. Weather forced an overnight stop in Mendoza. The journey began on October 12; the crash occurred the following day, October 13, 1972.
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A TIME account says the crew began descending before the aircraft had cleared the Andes. That account is not an official accident finding: an official technical investigation report establishing the precise cause was not located in the sources cited here. The crash left survivors isolated high in the mountains, where cold, exposure, scarce supplies and the difficulty of reaching help shaped the days that followed.
How did the Andes plane crash survivors survive?
They worked together in a hostile environment
The survivors faced severe cold and limited food at the crash site. Staying alive depended on the group’s practical efforts and on making decisions under conditions that offered no easy options. The available accounts describe a prolonged ordeal rather than a single act of heroism: sixteen people ultimately survived 72 days in the mountains.
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The decision to eat the dead
With conventional food exhausted and rescue uncertain, survivors chose to eat the bodies of people who had died in the crash or later in the mountains. Survivor accounts frame this as a response to the immediate necessity of staying alive. They also describe the decision in relation to consent, faith and discussion among the group. It is central to the story, but it should not be reduced to a sensational detail or treated as though every retelling were direct testimony.
Later books and films revisit the events from different perspectives. A memoir, a researched narrative based on interviews, a documentary and a dramatization are not interchangeable records; each has its own scope and purpose.
How were the survivors rescued?
Fernando Parrado and Roberto Canessa left the crash site to seek help. After a ten-day trek, they encountered Chilean muleteer Sergio Catalán on December 20, 1972. That meeting initiated the effort to reach and rescue the people who remained at the crash site. The survivors were eventually brought out of the mountains, ending a 72-day ordeal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you learn more about Flight 571?
There is no single account that should be assumed to be definitive. The works below differ in perspective and form, so readers can choose based on whether they want a researched narrative, a participant’s retrospective, a wider-ranging book or a documentary.
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- Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read is described on Roberto Canessa’s official books page as a researched account based on survivor interviews: Roberto Canessa’s books page.
- I Had to Survive is Canessa’s first-person retrospective on the crash and its later effect on his life, as described by publisher Simon & Schuster: Simon & Schuster’s book page.
- Society of the Snow by Pablo Vierci is the source for the film of the same name, according to the Associated Press: Associated Press coverage.
- Stranded: The Andes Plane Crash Survivors is a documentary listed by PBS Independent Lens: PBS Independent Lens.
Streaming and physical-media availability can change, so check the relevant distributor or library for current access.
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