On Thursday, October 12, 1972, the old Christians Club rugby team left their hometown of Montevideo, Uruguay, and high spirits.

They were excited to make the trip through Argentina and across the Andes to Santiago, Chile, where they would play in a match against another team.

The 19 players were bringing along 21 friends and family members,

which added to the festive and celebratory atmosphere.

They knew it would be an unforgettable experience,

but they had no idea that this trip would leave them fighting for their survival.

And lead them down a path so dark that it would leave them changed forever.

You're listening. You're listening. You're listening to be amazed.

The 832 mile trip would have taken more than 20 hours by road, so the team decided to splurge

by chartering a twin turboprop Fairchild FH-227D plane belonging to the Uruguayan Air Force.

It came equipped with a crew of five servicemen. The pilot, Colonel Julio Cesar Ferratas,

had 5,117 flying hours to his name, including 29 flights across the Andes.

The flight across Argentina was uneventful, but as they approached the mountains, the weather took

a turn for the worse. So they decided to stay overnight at Mendoza International Airport

in the foothills of the Andes and the hopes that conditions

may improve. By the next day, the weather had not changed, but they didn't want to delay their trip any further.

Paredes had an important decision to make. He could take the direct route to Santiago, which was only

122 miles away, but this would have been very tricky because the route reached elevations of nearly 26,000 feet, and the plane's maximum was 28,000 feet.

He was also training a new co-pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Dante Hector Laguerara.

So Ferraris decided to go with the safer route flying south the Planchon Pass, where they could cross at a lower elevation.

The 576-mile journey would take about 90 minutes.

They departed Mendoza at 2.18 p.m.

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