Probe Reaveals Chapecoense Plane Crash Caused By Fuel Shortage

Fuel shortages and negligence caused a plane crash that killed 71 people in 2016, including most members of Brazilian football team Chapecoense, Colombian authorities have concluded.

The plane crashed on Nov. 28, 2016, on a mountain in Colombia just a few miles from Medellin. On Friday, Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority presented the findings of a 15-month inquiry.

Officials say crew members ignored a low-fuel warning when the plane was about 40 minutes from its intended destination.

Instead of making an emergency landing at a nearby airport, they headed on towards Medellin and the British Aerospace Avro RJ85 ran out of fuel.

The plane has alarms and lights that turn on that tell the crew to do something when fuel is low,” chief investigator Miguel Camacho told reporters on Friday.

The report said the plane – operated by charter company LaMia, departed Santa Cruz de La Sierra in Bolivia with insufficient fuel for the 2,972km journey.

“The crew insisted on carrying out their original flight plan, even when they realized they had a very limited amount of fuel,” the report said. “But there was no communication with air traffic control.”

The report followed a 15-month inquiry into the incident by the Colombian authorities, which worked in conjunction with counterparts in Bolivia and Brazil.

LaMia’s general manager Gustavo Vargas Gamboa was charged with manslaughter following the incident.

Criminal charges have also been brought against LaMia co-owner Marco Antonio Rocha, whose whereabouts are unknown.

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