Chapecoense plane crashed when other aircraft in emergency was allowed to land first

 

A little while later, Mr Upegui said, the pilots in the LaMia plane made one final plea before falling silent. The Avianca co-pilot said the air traffic controller’s voice broke and the crew of the Avianca plane began to cry.

The plane carrying Brazilian football team Chapecoense crashed after it was denied the opportunity to land because another plane had already started an emergency descent, according to a leaked audio message which described the emotional last moments of the flight.

The short haul aircraft, operated by charter airline LaMia, was carrying the team to the Colombian city of Medellin, where they were due to play local team Atletico Nacional in the Sudamerica Cup final.

But the plane never reached its destination. It crashed in the east of Colombia’s Antioquia department, killing 71 and leaving just six survivors, including three members of the Chapecoense team. 

It emerged on Wednesday that when the LaMia plane ran into trouble, another aircraft had already communicated with the airport that it needed to land as a preventative measure.

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