The Survival of the Crash Landing

I had never experienced anything like what I experienced during the fight for survival in the mountains. It started with the team crash landing due to turbulence in a snowy mountain range. The team was shocked and we did not know what to do when it happened. We gathered all our remaining food and supplies and put them in a safe place on what remained of the plane. We also used the body of the plane as shelter and warmth due to the coldness in the mountains. We sat there for weeks hoping and waiting for someone to come and rescue us. It had gotten so bad to the point where we had to revert to cannibalism to survive. We would chop the meat off of the butt and eat it to not starve. We had all given up when we heard that the search for us had ceased on a radio that we had found. People were thinking they were going to die and becoming depressed. Many people had died up to that point and it was the hardest thing to watch. Our teammates died in front of us due to the harsh conditions of the mountains. Although the struggles were hard, the team finally gained hope as the strongest of the team volunteered to find help for us. It had been a while before we heard all of a sudden a helicopter right above us. People were filled with excitement and joy as we were going to be saved. When we got to civilization, doctors had us examined and washed. I had never enjoyed a hot shower as much as when I had one when we got back. When we were back on our feet, we went on to tell the story to many different people. Reporters and news people asked us about the experience. All I have to say is that we had gotten out alive. I did not want to be reminded about the experience of the crash landing ever again.

Liam

Me and my teammates were heading to Chile for a rugby match but there was inclement weather so we had to land for the night in Mendoza. The next morning, the weather wasn't getting any better but we decided we just needed to go. We started heading for chile and all was going well, and then we started getting ready to land. As the plane went down, we realized we werent anywhere near the airport and we were decreasing in altitude rapidly. We crashed, and only 27 out of 45 of us survived in the days after. We were in the middle of the mountains and decided we needed to do something. It wouldn't have helped to freak out, it would just waste our energy and it was freezing so we needed that energy. We decided we should ration the leftover food we had from the flight but we knew it wouldnt last long. Soon enough, we'd run out. Knowing we would soon run out, we resorted to eating the ones who died. It was a hard decision but we needed to survive and this looked like our only option. Once we got near the end of that stock, we decided we needed to send someone out to hunt for more food, or even better, help. It was days and days that felt like forever until the ones we had chosen to find food came back, but it was worth it. They said they had found people across the river and they said they would find help. In about a day, we were rescued but in horrible shape. So many of us had short term and long term health conditions such as hyp

-hope

the Crash that Changed my Life

We were on the flight to Chile, it seemed like a normal day. We were flying over the Andes mountain range when it happened. Suddenly, the plane crashed into a mountain. Everything was so confusing, and the world seemed to be falling apart. I remember my best friend, sitting next to me, laughing about a joke. The next thing I knew, he died. That plane crash was one of the worst things that ever happened to me, but what came after was worse.

18 people that I knew died in that plane crash, and the rest of us were struggling to survive in that harsh winter. There was nothing but snow and ice for miles and miles, and our food supply was dwindling fast. we were all starving, trying to stay alive in any way possible. We ran out of food, and there was only one thing edible within sight; it was the corpses of our friends.

At first, I was against it. How could I eat my best friends, people who I had known for years? I tried to hold out for as long as I could, thinking, "maybe a rescue helicopter will come soon with plenty of food." It only worked for a while before I gave up. Im not saying what I did was okay, but I had no other choice. I had not eaten in days, and I wanted to survive to honor my friends that died in the crash. I hope that they can fogive me for what I did.

Brink of Death in the Mountains.

We had crashed in virtually the middle of nowhere. There were no clothes on the plane designed to suit the harsh environment of the mountainous range. Twelve of us had died on the day of the crash... more the next day. We had no medical supplies to tend to our injured mates. As it was, it had been almost a month now, the search party had canceled the search after only eleven days of searching. We were left hungry as we tried to ration the little food we had on the plane. The only source of water was melting snow on the metal from the wreckage and letting it sit in the sun. We had resorted to eating the flesh of our dead.

Being trapped in this harsh environment, lacking anything that would be needed in this situation, I was sure we'd all die out there. After almost two months, three others had ventured out to look for any signs of other human life.

It started as a normal day, flying to Chile, when there was a disruption during our flight. The pilot assured us everything was okay and we would go down for an early landing. I guess he went a little too early, I heard "BANG!" and the plane went crashing down. Many of my comrades on the plane were killed or injured leaving me and 15 others. Our meager food supply dwindled quickly and we soon faced a difficult decision. If we wanted to survive we would have to eat the ones who had already passed. I found this thought repulsive at first but soon the hunger got to me and I caved in. It felt horrible, to eat another human for survival, but I had family and friends, and I wanted nothing more than to be with them again.

-Riley

December 22, 1972

The Scariest Day of My Life

About 2 months ago, my team boarded a plane to play at a rugby tournament in Chile. We were all so excited and ready to win our tournament. As we looked out our window we saw lots of mountains. Then, all of a sudden, it became super foggy. The pilot assured us everything would be okay but as we were getting ready to land, I hear a huge crash and the whole plane shakes. I watch as most of my teammates fly across the plane. When the crash is finally over we realize some of our teammates may have died from the impact. As we go and look for the doctor, we realize he is also dead. Everyone is very upset and most began to cry when they realize the altitude we are at. Most go into extreme panic as they look around and see nothing but more mountain tops. As the days continue on many begin to loose hope as we have not seen any forms of human life for the last couple of days. Problems begin to become larger, we are running out of food and resources and there is nothing but ice at the top of these mountains. When the food supply is gone my teammates began feasting on those who have died. At first, I found this very evil. However, hunger began to overcome me and I understood why my teammates did what they had.

-Ava

My tale of survival and desperation

Diary entry 1: I am still trying to process what happens several days later. I remember there was fire destruction and death, so much death even my dear friend carlos didn't make it out. Now it is six days later and we have to figure out how to conserve our food to survive

diary entry 2: everyone is getting discouraged, our food supply is dwindling and we are all so cold. a couple of hours ago I fixed a radio on the plane but it was to late while using the radio we learned they gave up the search. Everyone was ready to just die and get it over with except Gustavo Nicolich he kept us going when all hope was lost.

Diary entry 3: Our food supply is now gone and even Gustavo seemed sad but we will find a new

It seemed to be a normal day but the weather had other plans. We were flying over the mountains when the weather caused the plane to crash. I was lucky enough to survive and I first tried to look for other survivors. We were not well prepared for surviving in the snowy mountains so we had to really try and make do with what we had. We had many injuries and deaths but there were no medical supplies and no doctor that could help us. We had hope of being found until there was a message on the radio that the search was called off so we lost all hope. We tried our best to survive in hopes of being saved but that wasn't anywhere as it seemed. We had to resort to eating the remains of the dead passengers which hurt but it was the only way of survival. eventually three people decided to climb the mountains to find help.

So it all started when I was riding the plane heading to Chile when suddenly I hear screaming. This wasn't the first time I was heading over to Chile by plane, so I knew something was wrong. I leaned my head toward the aisle and then the unforgettable happened. I didn't remember much after that, my mind went blank, I was still processing whether or not I had survived. As I began to clear the debris from my lap, I realized we crashed into the Andes mountains. Personally I have always wanted to snowboard in the Andes mountain ranges but never thought of an experience like this. All the survivors soon exit out of the plane, and this was going to be a long journey. Firstly I had tried to help everyone who were wounded with an emergency first aid kit. All people who were able were commanded to find some fresh wood, to possibly provide shelter and a campfire.

One of a million bad days-

Today I embark on a journey going to Chile. I was very excited to start this trip since I will be seeing my long-lost sister after 45 years. It was just a normal flight but suddenly the plane started to go down. Soon passengers knew we were about to crash. I was so worried about what would happen but I handled the situation respectfully. I made sure to just take important essential stuff such as food and important belongings. As we started to crash many people were panicked but I reminded them it was best to stay calm. Soon after we crashed everyone headed out of the plane and were trying to find water, food, and civilization. I also remembered to make sure no one was left behind on the plane. Soon after that, it was a dreadful days of just wondering what to eat and what to drink. Many died and few survived. I would say that being calm helped me in the situation. We started to run out of food fast. After people died we ate them. Though it wasn't yummy we ate so we could survive this cruel time. After about 70 days we saw civilization. It was then that I felt relief and gratefulness for my perseverance. In the beginning, they first couldn't understand us but soon we figured out a way to convey the message of what happened. They offered us food which in my mouth felt like a five star dish. We were are grateful. Soon people found us and I was heading to my long lost sister's house. This changed how I view situations and has taught me to stay calm in order to get our of a solution.

Ben

We all were just flying to Chile for a rugby match, and all of the sudden, we are stuck on this mountain. I don't remember what happened while we crashed because I blacked out, but all I know is that we got trapped some of my best friends died. Rest in Peace. Apparently, some people flew out of the plane because the door broke, but we had few people and even fewer food. The amount of people who died at this time was a lot, all my friends had passed on, but I, I was going to live for them. We had sent two people to find help, I was one of them, and it was a long and dangerous trek. But after so much pain, suffering, death, and hunger, we had finally found civilization, and we tried to tell them what had happened, but we could not speak, the hunger had got to us. But we tried to explain what had happened using our hands, they were skeptical at first, but then believed us and told the authorities. There was a search party looking for them, we had accompanied them to guide them to our friends. We eventually found them and brought them to safety where we ate a lot to replenish the burning hunger. But we had lived through a tragedy, and we all thanked God that we lived.

The Journey in the Andes

When our plane first hit turbulence, we were all excited. We jumped and hollered until our plane slowly started to descend into the Andes Mountains. My friend Panchito Abal had asked me if it was normal to fly that close to the mountains and I had replied "I don't think so." A few seconds after I had said that my world went black.

As I awoke I realized that we had crashed in the mountains. I searched for survivors but found most of our crew dead, including my mother. After I found other people who were alive, we started to help the others who were still alive. We used seats from the airplane to make a small shelter and we used aluminum to melt snow for drinking.

A few days later I found a small peanut but I had only to a nibble here and there. As days passed we had completely run out of food our only other option was to eat the dead among us. We had found a small, still working radio and we had all completely lost hope as the person on the radio said they had stopped searching for us.

In the third week, an avalanche destroyed our "home" and killed even more people. Me and Roberto Canessa went on a search mission to find more supplies. We eventually found things that humans must have brought/made. As we kept exploring we found a man on the other side of the river. We passed notes on a rock by throwing it back and forth.

When the plane first ran into trouble no one panicked. Most of us didn't even know what was going on. By the time we knew what was happening the plane had run into the mountain. When we all got up we realized only twenty nine out of the forty five of us had survived the initial wreck. None of us knew we would be out there for over two months. Due to our food supply

I was on my way to play a rugby match in Chile. We had to delay the flight due to bad weather until we had found a clear path. So we decided to fly on the clear flight path. Once we had reached the Andes Mountains the plane started to go down. My team and I had braced for impact "CRASHHHHH" The plane went down. Many people had died in the plane crash however, many people had survived. We were hoping to get rescued soon so we blew through all the snacks we had in our suitcases and on the plane. We soon regretted that decision because people stopped looking for us after a while. When hearing this on the radio we soon started to lose hope. We started to eat leather and other unedible items to help our hunger. The hunger kicked in (stomach grumbling)... since we had no food left we had only one option. We must feast upon the dead. Most of us were reluctant however, we were so hungry we had to give in. It did not taste very good however, this was our only chance at surviving so ate. We had decided our only chance at surviving was if we had made it to the top so we started to climb. Then finally we had two helicopters fly and rescue us! We were worried that people were going to judge us due to the decisions made on the mountain. Some people did but they came to conclusion we had done what we did in order to survive.

Today is marking 3 weeks since our plane crashed on the way to Chile. I am so hungry and weak I am resorting to eating the dead aboard the plane. It was my last choice of course but the reality is I need to survive. People are dying off as the days move on leaving us with fewer and fewer people. It is cold, depressing, and filled with terrible things out here in the Andes. The only form of heat we have is yourself. The parts of the plane we are using for shelter are breaking and crumbling every minute we speak. My hands are almost too cold and thin to be writing a journal entry, but here we are. I hope people are still out looking for us. I would do it myself but I can barely move since the avalanche. We lost more people with the snowy avalanche that crashed down on our base camp a few days ago. I don't know if anyone will end up seeing this letter, but if you do just know that we are struggling up here, and surviving on just a single peanut and other humans is not the easiest task. A few of our stronger men are out looking for civilization but who knows where they are? It has been a few days and I wouldn't be surprised if they were already dead. This is all I can write about today, I need to go melt fresh snow into water and try to stay warm.

SOS- Survivors of The Crash

My rugby team and I were on the way to Santiago, Chile for a game. Due to inclement mountain weather, we had to stop in Mendoza, Argentina. We were all excited for our game the next day, but the weather wasn't clearing up. What if we miss our match! Good thing the Pilot had an alternate way of getting us there, over the Andes Mountain Range. It was all a smooth plane ride until... we started to fall... the world went black. After what I can only guess was a few seconds I'm able to open my eyes again. All I can see is the white of the snow and blood everywhere. I struggle to try to sit up and look around. The majority of my rugby team was dead, except for around 15 other people. I can't tell which players are alive but one of them comes to help me up. Reality finally hits me... we're stuck on the Andes Mountains with no food or hope of surviving.

Emma Gillikin

I remember just a few years back. I was stuck in the Andes when we were trying to fly to a Rugby game, and the plane crashed. We were trapped for over 3 months. Me and the others were trying our best to survive off the tiny portions we had. I remember Parrado having a tiny little chocolate peanut and he took his time eating that. Me and a few others had the idea of taking that peanut for ourselves. We realized though that if anyone could make it Through the Andes it was Parrado.

After around a few weeks we were really low on supplies so a few of us gave up on our humanity. We cut thin slices of the buttocks so we would not starve, of course we did not kill anyone. We took it from the dead corpse´s of our friends. Which i hate to say but we had to. We then started to run out of water, so we had to burn the snow for water to drink so we could live. I then remember this event clearly, we were gaining warmth on a campfire and then an avalanche started falling and not all of us made it back into the plane including me. I got stuck in the snow and I could not move. It was like being trapped in quick sand with how much snow there was. I was rescued but now we did not have the resources at the time to live more then a month more.

After that, we started preparing for a expedition it was going to be Me, Parrado,

The situation that my rugby team faced was very difficult and hard to survive. We were on the way to Santiago, Chile from our home country, Urugay. When we crashed many people were dead immediatly out of the 45 people on the plane 12 died, this was very hard for me to see people close to me dead. The people that werent dead were severley injured and needed help desperatley. Our only doctor was dead. After 8-11 days one of my teammates found a transmitter and told us the search was canceled. We felt very hopeless at this time because no one would come to find us but we assured ourselves that we’re going to get out of here on our own. We quickly ran out of food and the hunger started to burn a hole through our stomachs. We had a hard descision to make, we had to resort to cannibalism because there were no food sources around. We started with the pilot. After many days, we started to hike up the mountain to find signs of human life or any food. After many more days of hiking and camping e found some cows and then a man on a horse. We signaled to the men and they understood, and called across the river that they would send help soon.That afternoon, December 22, 1972, two helicopters carrying search and rescue climbers arrived and all 16 survivors were rescued. They were taken to hospitals in Santiago and treated for altitude sickness, dehydration, frostbite, broken bones, scurvy and malnutrition. 

We were flying to Chile for one of our rugby games when suddenly BOOM. Our plane we were flying on had crashed in the mountains and we were all stranded. The weather was very harsh and it was hard to keep warm. We had very little food when we crashed. Many people have already died from the impact of the landing. Everyone was stressing out and we all thought we were going to die. Next thing you know, we were eating our kind. After an avalanche hit, even more were dead. After many long stressful days, we sent three people up the mountain to find help. I was one of them. The whole time I felt like this was the end for me. We reached the top of the mountain and started our way down. After many days we finally found signs of humanity, a rusted can. We continued downwards when finally on the other side of the river there was a man riding on a horse. We through a note over the river by tying it to a rock. It made it. We finally got help and eventually got help for everyone else. We survived.

Beckett

At first, we tried eating the bitter suitcase leather... then the fuzzy seat cushioning... the only source of food left were the bodies of the dead. I could never have thought that my team, who I considered friends and family, could be so gruesome.The doctor that came with us on our trip, Dr. Francisco Nicola, died, and now we are here, freezing and starving, to a death that does not seem so far away. Perhaps death would be a more preferable route...

There were many who died in the crash itself. I mourn for the lives lost, and for their families, who still have yet to find out. There were some people, like my old friend, Gustavo Nicolich, who still saw the positive in this situation. He always said that we would get out of this place. I am not sure whether to believe him, but I will try. Life is difficult here, made no better by the stench of dying bodies, the coldness of the snow, and the lingering feeling of death that threatens us all.

-Shreyasi K

This disaster led to things none of us wanted to partake in. We thought we were just headed on our way to Chile, however we were wrong. On October 13th, 1972, we took off but not very long after we kept going lower and lower in latitude. Then with none of us knowing how close we were, the plane crashed. Once we landed many died from impact but thankfully I hadn't. However, we still had a long journey ahead of us. We tried to find scraps and things on the plane to eat even glass, but once it was all gone we had to resort to cannibalism. For me personally, I struggled at first but it was the one way to survive. Eventually, after 2 months, we had developed a plan and we went on a search for human life. After a long hard journey, we finally found a river where we found civilization. Then we had to alert them that we had crashed and were alive. Finally, the following day after they had found civilization two helicopters went and rescued all remaining survivors. We all got teh treatment we needed and the stories continue to this day.

On October 13th, 1972 a terrible incident had happened. I ( Parrado ) was on a plane with 45 people travelling to Chile. Unfortunately we crashed into Glacier de las Lagrimas and out of the 45 people 17 had died. There was 27 survivors and I was one of them! We didn´t have much resources to use since we stuck in the icy mountains with no food, water, shelter, and no warmth. There was no vegetation or animals in the snowy mountains, which then we had to start eating flesh from the dead bodies that died during the crash starting with the pilot. We started eating strips of leather from luggage. Later on, I went climbing with Canessa the mountain to find help, we climbed nearly 15,260 feet. Canessa noticed three men on horseback and we conveyed our situation and got help.

Isa Ann Nibu

A few days ago, I was on a plane which was going to Chile. Little did I know I would then be stranded on the mountains with no resources. Others on the plane had survived, but about 12 people had died in the crash. We were all stuck in the Andes Mountains, the date was October 13th, 1972. We did not have any medical supplies for the people who had been injured, and the only doctor we had died. Some survivors had food, but it wouldn't be enough for all of us and we didn't know how long we would be stranded. We used the seats in the plane as shelter from the freezing temperatures as well. After a while, we were at the point where we had no food and all of us were starving. Our only source was leather from junk but then we came to the ultimate decision. Some of us had eaten the flesh off the humans who had died in the crash, but many had refused the act of cannibalism. After a few months of being stuck on the mountains, some survivors left the crash site to find help. On december 16, 1972, a few helicopters had saved us.

Aditi Sabbineni

Dear Diary,

We found out that the search parties have halted their journey. That means that we will no longer be found and we have to resort to saving ourselves. One of our crew mates was actually happy that it was off. Our crew has lost all hope. We are also running out of food quickly and made the executive decision to eat the people that died in the crash. However, some people did not resort to cannibalism and instead they chose death. I did not like it, but it was our only option on the chilly Andes Mountains. Then, we had to start eating rocks, aluminum, etc. I never thought that this is where I would die. I have lost hope.

Soon, we sent 3 of our 16 men to go hiking down the mountain in order to find any traces of civilization. They were gone for days. Those days felt like years and soon decades with no proper food or utilities. Finally, after what seemed like a century, the three men came back and they were not alone. They had helicopters and rescue climbers who fed us proper food and treated our injuries. The men had explained to me that, after hiking for three day, they found themselves across a river asking strangers for help and that is how they got there. I had suffered from hydration, frostbite, malnutrition and hypothermia.

When we got back to our country, we were bombarded by the public who forced us into the sunlight, without giving us any time to recover from the horrible trauma that we had been through. Most people only looked at the fact that we were cannibals, but they never regarded that we had tried not to lose hope.

there is nothing but boredom i grabbed some napkins paper towel and started this journal. the heart renching feeling of when the search stooped hasn't left .i wish the doctor didn'tdie now

trap on amoutain chile going to die

logan

Troy Kimbrough

I was on the flight to Chile with my rugby teammates since we were getting ready to play in a game there. We were all having a good time, laughing, cracking jokes, and overall just enjoying the flight. But then I noticed the weather conditions. I had some concerns but overall, I was not worried. We made a stop at a hotel for the night because of the weather. I began regretting signing up for this but my teammates did not seem worried at all, in fact it looked like they were having the time of their lives. In the morning, we got back on the plane and were heading to Chile. However, if we just waited or did not even go on the flight, we could have missed the disaster that was about to occur. As we were on the plane, we noticed that it started lowering and lowering which caused us to wonder if we were about to crash. Then suddenly, BOOM! We crashed our pilot died and we were exposed to the Andes coldness.

It's been a few days since we crashed and we've dwindled. We started with 45 on board, 29 survivors, and now just 16 of us left. We've tried our best to ration the food, but there was little on our plane. My friend, Nando Parrado, even rationed a single chocolate-covered peanut for three days until it was all gone. We had no other resources, so sadly we had to turn to cannibalism. The thought of it was terrifying as these were my teammates and friends we had to eat, but I would do anything to survive. We all sat in silence as we ate meat from one of my friends, thinking about how we would survive. We had drinking water and a makeshift shelter but that was about it. Shortly after we found out there were going to be no more efforts to rescue us from the radio, an avalanche crashed and killed 8 more of my teammates. After this disaster, we decided we needed to go find help. Two of my teammates went on a trip to find help while the rest of us stayed back. It was nerve-wracking as the days went on, we had no way to talk to them. Finally