The pilot's desperate moment saw the plane carrying the Brazilian team fall

The crew of the nearby aircraft cried as they watched the plane crash into the ridge in the helplessness of the air traffic controller.

Juan Sebastian Upegui, the vice president on an airline plane Avianca, Colombia, was the one who witnessed the horrific disaster when the LaMia aircraft carried 77 people, including a Brazilian team, crashed into the flank. The mountain near the Rio Negro city airport, killing 71 people on November 28, according to the Telegraph.

The pilot yesterday announced a 4-minute recording tape, recording the last radio exchange signal between the captain of the ill-fated Avro RJ85 aircraft with air traffic controllers at Jose Maria Cordova airport, Colombia first. when the tragedy happened right before his eyes.

Around 18:00 on November 28, Upegui's vice-plane flew near Jose Maria Cordova airport and was ordered to circulate in the air to yield the right to land for another VivaColombia aircraft bearing the number. FC8170 . The plane pilot reported an incident on the cabin and asked for an emergency landing on the airport.

The plane broke down after crashing into the mountainside.(Photo: Reuters).

At the same time, the Brazilian fleet piloted by Captain Miguel Quiroga arrived near the airport and asked for permission to land. Since the FC8170 is now descending to an emergency landing, the controller does not require Quiroga to fly the plane at an altitude of about 3.6 km, waiting for his turn to land, just like the copter's plane. Upegui.

That was when Upegui witnessed the last moments of the ill-fated plane, as well as a rushing exchange between the captain Quiroga and the air traffic control station when the plane began to experience irreversible problems. .

During the recording, Captain Quiroga told the custodian: "We demanded priority to land on the runway. We have fuel problems." However, the examiner was unable to meet this requirement, as the VivaColombia aircraft began landing.

After a while, when the plane lost its altitude to 2.7 km, Quiroga captain began asking for help from air traffic controllers."We have completely lost power, we have completely lost power. Please help, we need corners to access the runway."

Upegui said that in about three minutes, he sat in the cockpit of a nearby Avianca aircraft, listening to all the exchanges through the radio communication system between Quiroga and the air traffic control station. Quiroga captain's pleas became more and more desperate, when he gave the final appeal: "Urgent, urgent!"

"I remember that I prayed for them to go through a difficult time, muttering," Trying to get up, trying to get on, landing. "Then the communication suddenly stopped. When she choked her head, she seemed very sad, and we sat in the plane crying, " Upegui recalled.

That's when the LaMia aircraft began losing speed and height, crashing into the ridge and causing a horrific crash that killed 71 people instantly.

Bogota-based Avianca, the Colombian capital, confirmed the recording was from a pilot in the firm, but declined to comment."We confirm that the tape belongs to an Avianca crew member. However, this is a personal view, the company does not give any opinion about its content , " Avianca spokesman said. .

Tragedy may have been avoided

Flight from Santa Cruz to Medellin of the ill-fated plane.(Graphic: AFP).

Air experts say that the plane does not explode after crashing into the ridge, as well as there are not many traces of fuel in the field, suggesting that this may be one of the rare cases. Flight crashed due to running out of fuel.

John Cox, a former aviation pilot, director of the Safety Operating System company in Florida, USA, said that the amount of fuel left in the aircraft is a problem that investigators need to consider very carefully. bisexual."The plane has almost made its maximum journey. That means that even if everything goes smoothly, they will land with very little fuel inside , " Cox said.

The Avro RJ85 plane took off from the airport in Santa Cruz, Bolivia to Medellin, Colombia, with a journey of about 2,977km, which is the maximum range of the aircraft if it carries enough passengers and luggage. Carry extra fuel tank. With these routes, airlines around the world often operate larger Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 aircraft with longer range.

Meanwhile, the website of the Roman company said the maximum range of the Avro RJ85 is only 2,965km, which means that with the amount of fuel to carry, the aircraft can only reach its destination in ideal conditions.

Commercial airplanes will normally carry enough fuel residues for about 30-45 minutes to prevent emergencies such as having to fly around to avoid air turbulence or diverting to other airports. If not carrying enough fuel, pilots often have to stop at an airport between the journey to refuel.

However, captain Quiroga did not stop at any airport midway to fuel, causing many to believe that he wanted to save time and flight costs. According to Independent, Quiroga is also co-owner of LaMia airline.

The aviation experts said it was Quiroga's decision that made the plane fall into a tragedy that should have been avoided. When approaching the airport in Medellin, having to turn around, cede the priority to land for other planes burned the last few drops of aircraft fuel. When the fuel runs out, the engine stops working, the electrical systems on the plane also stop following.

Quiroga Captain.(Photo: Facebook).

Alfredo Bocanegra, head of the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, said investigators did not rule out the possibility that the plane would run out of fuel when in distress. This statement is reinforced by the testimony of hostess Ximena Sanchez, who survived the tragedy."We ran out of fuel. The plane was shut down , " she said when pulled out of the wreck.

"I can not understand how they can carry out continuous flights without stopping, while there are regulations on fuel levels," Cox said. "If investigators prove this hypothesis, it will be very painful because it comes from reprimand."