Plane Crashes with Seventy-Seven People on Board

Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team that was aboard LAMIA Flight 2933.

Madeline Rudd
Staff Writer

        A terrible tragedy shocked the world Tuesday when LAMIA Flight 2933 holding seventy-seven people crashed into the side of a mountain in Medellin, Columbia. On board were players and coaches for Brazil’s Chapecoense soccer team along with twenty journalists ready to cover the soccer team's journey to the Copa Sudamericana, South American Cup, finals. When investigators got to the scene, they only found six survivors and reported that the other seventy-one passengers had died.

---

       Founded in 1973, the Chapecoense Football Association is relatively small and not as well-known compared to other clubs around South America. The team was supposed to play Colombia's Atletico Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana, the second biggest club competition in South America, on Dec. 1. They became a fan favorite when their journey in the Copa Sudamericana took off, and they had their first chance in club history to win this trophy. "Just as we had made it, I will not say to the top, but to have national prominence, a tragedy like this happens. It is very difficult, a very great tragedy. We have to trust in God." said Ivan Tozzo, the club’s vice president. Soccer clubs around the world offer their condolences to this “cinderella team” and their loved ones.
          The cause of this deadly crash has not been discovered yet, but two theories have come to light, an electrical problem and/or fuel starvation. Alfredo Bocanegra, the director of the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, said that the preliminary investigation showed the jet might have had an electrical problem. There may have been an electrical problem, but when the plane impacted the ground, there was no fire, which makes investigators believe the jet may have run out of fuel because of the fuel starvation.   Fuel starvation occurs when fuel is cut off from the engine; therefore, the engines cannot run. Investigators also believe that if there was a fire after the crash there would have been absolutely no survivors. When listening back to audio recordings, the pilot told air traffic control, “The plane is in total electric failure and without fuel.”
        Throughout the week people have been crowding into the Chapecoense’s home field to mourn the loss of their beloved players. Investigators are still searching the wreckage to find the cause of this disaster, which will hopefully never happen again.