"Mysteries at the Museum" Andes Rescue: Mysteries at the Museum Specials

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 Do you want subtitles for any video? -=[ ai.OpenSubtitles.com ]=- 2 00:00:19,287 --> 00:00:24,156 The question that haunts us after any tragedy is "What if?" 3 00:00:24,158 --> 00:00:26,358 What if I hadn't been delayed? 4 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,494 What if I hadn't changed seats? 5 00:00:28,496 --> 00:00:32,297 What if I hadn't boarded that plane? 6 00:00:32,299 --> 00:00:34,567 Wow, look at this. 7 00:00:34,569 --> 00:00:38,437 In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team's flight 8 00:00:38,439 --> 00:00:40,239 crashed in the Andes. 9 00:00:40,241 --> 00:00:44,576 Of the 45 passengers on board, 29 survived the impact, 10 00:00:44,578 --> 00:00:47,113 but far fewer made it out of the mountains alive. 11 00:00:47,115 --> 00:00:49,982 If you make the wrong decision, you are dead. 12 00:00:49,984 --> 00:00:53,252 So why did some people survive while others perished? 13 00:00:53,254 --> 00:00:55,321 Be careful. 14 00:00:55,323 --> 00:00:58,658 Do the choices we make determine our destiny, 15 00:00:58,660 --> 00:01:00,993 or is it all a matter of pure chance? 16 00:01:00,995 --> 00:01:03,729 -Don, can you hear me? -No. 17 00:01:03,731 --> 00:01:06,631 And what do you do when the odds of survival 18 00:01:06,633 --> 00:01:09,468 are stacked against you? 19 00:01:15,143 --> 00:01:16,809 I'm Don Wildman. 20 00:01:16,811 --> 00:01:19,277 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 21 00:01:19,279 --> 00:01:22,614 examined rare artifacts, and epic monuments. 22 00:01:22,616 --> 00:01:24,150 That is unbelievable. 23 00:01:24,152 --> 00:01:27,353 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 24 00:01:27,355 --> 00:01:29,488 and famous cases in history. 25 00:01:29,490 --> 00:01:32,357 My goal -- to get closer to the truth... 26 00:01:32,359 --> 00:01:34,760 Let's burn this place down. -Let's burn it down. 27 00:01:34,762 --> 00:01:36,962 ...on this special episode 28 00:01:36,964 --> 00:01:40,299 of "Mysteries at the Museum: Andes Rescue." 29 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:30,949 On October 13, 1972, the Old Christians rugby team 30 00:02:30,951 --> 00:02:34,553 chartered a Fairchild FH-227 plane 31 00:02:34,555 --> 00:02:37,156 to take them from Montevideo, Uruguay 32 00:02:37,158 --> 00:02:39,425 to a match in Santiago, Chile. 33 00:02:39,427 --> 00:02:42,228 The team would never reach is destination. 34 00:02:42,230 --> 00:02:45,097 The plane crashed into the formidable Andes, 35 00:02:45,099 --> 00:02:48,034 and the lives of those 45 passengers aboard 36 00:02:48,036 --> 00:02:49,969 were forever changed. 37 00:02:49,971 --> 00:02:51,903 Some were killed instantly. 38 00:02:51,905 --> 00:02:53,706 Others survived, only to find themselves 39 00:02:53,708 --> 00:02:56,108 high in the mountains, stranded, 40 00:02:56,110 --> 00:02:59,178 with only the thinnest hope of rescue. 41 00:02:59,180 --> 00:03:02,047 It's a story about tragedy and survival, 42 00:03:02,049 --> 00:03:06,118 hopelessness and faith, choice and destiny. 43 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,487 With everything stacked against them, 44 00:03:08,489 --> 00:03:11,156 how would anyone live to tell this tale? 45 00:03:20,468 --> 00:03:23,869 It was rugby season, and the Uruguayan players 46 00:03:23,871 --> 00:03:26,005 were on their way to the annual game 47 00:03:26,007 --> 00:03:28,073 against Chile's top team, 48 00:03:28,075 --> 00:03:31,076 a match they had looked forward to all year. 49 00:03:31,078 --> 00:03:33,945 Because of bad weather over the Andes Mountains, 50 00:03:33,947 --> 00:03:36,148 the team's chartered flight had been grounded 51 00:03:36,150 --> 00:03:39,351 in Mendoza, Argentina the night before, 52 00:03:39,353 --> 00:03:42,087 so on the morning of October 13th, 53 00:03:42,089 --> 00:03:44,757 the team arrived at the airport and waited to see 54 00:03:44,759 --> 00:03:48,093 if the stormy weather had cleared. 55 00:03:48,095 --> 00:03:51,363 Nando Parrado was on that flight. 56 00:03:51,365 --> 00:03:56,435 We went to the airport, without really knowing 57 00:03:56,437 --> 00:03:58,771 if the flight was going to take place, 58 00:03:58,773 --> 00:04:03,175 but we were so anxious that we urged the pilots, 59 00:04:03,177 --> 00:04:04,776 "Come on. Let's go." 60 00:04:04,778 --> 00:04:08,781 Standing more than 6 feet tall, Nando's sheer size and strength 61 00:04:08,783 --> 00:04:12,251 made him a force to be reckoned with on the rugby field. 62 00:04:12,253 --> 00:04:15,454 At 22 years old, he was a fierce opponent, 63 00:04:15,456 --> 00:04:18,390 but his humility made him an excellent teammate. 64 00:04:18,392 --> 00:04:19,592 You were young guys, I mean, 65 00:04:19,594 --> 00:04:20,926 you were eager to go and play. 66 00:04:20,928 --> 00:04:24,864 The Old Christians Rugby Club was started by alumni 67 00:04:24,866 --> 00:04:26,732 from Montevideo's top high school, 68 00:04:26,734 --> 00:04:30,669 with players ranging from 18 to 25 years old. 69 00:04:30,671 --> 00:04:33,672 The club was given its name by the school's founders, 70 00:04:33,674 --> 00:04:35,407 the Christian brothers. 71 00:04:35,409 --> 00:04:37,475 Being part of such a prestigious team 72 00:04:37,477 --> 00:04:40,278 taught the players discipline and hard work, 73 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,148 and it created a brotherly bond. 74 00:04:43,150 --> 00:04:46,819 It was a bond that would be put to the ultimate test, 75 00:04:46,821 --> 00:04:49,421 but the players weren't alone. 76 00:04:49,423 --> 00:04:51,357 So who was on the flight? It wasn't just the team. 77 00:04:51,359 --> 00:04:52,824 It was also family members. 78 00:04:52,826 --> 00:04:57,095 17 players were on the team, plus family members, 79 00:04:57,097 --> 00:05:00,966 members of the club who come and watch the games, 80 00:05:00,968 --> 00:05:05,304 and my mother and my sister were also on the plane. 81 00:05:05,306 --> 00:05:08,974 As time ticked away, the plane's pilots were torn. 82 00:05:08,976 --> 00:05:11,110 They knew that the team desperately wanted 83 00:05:11,112 --> 00:05:12,645 to get to their match, 84 00:05:12,647 --> 00:05:15,114 but concerns about the possibility of more storms 85 00:05:15,116 --> 00:05:17,649 in the mountains lingered. 86 00:05:17,651 --> 00:05:20,586 Finally, the pilots settled on a flight plan. 87 00:05:20,588 --> 00:05:22,988 The plane would fly south to a pass 88 00:05:22,990 --> 00:05:27,059 where it would cross the Andes, then turn north to Santiago. 89 00:05:29,463 --> 00:05:30,996 When word came back from the cockpit 90 00:05:30,998 --> 00:05:34,733 that they were cleared for takeoff, the team was thrilled. 91 00:05:34,735 --> 00:05:39,271 From Mendoza to Santiago, usually, it's 45 minutes. 92 00:05:39,273 --> 00:05:44,677 The atmosphere in the airplane was of pure joy and amusement 93 00:05:44,679 --> 00:05:47,146 and the anticipation of a fantastic weekend. 94 00:05:47,148 --> 00:05:48,747 Sure. 95 00:05:48,749 --> 00:05:50,749 Everybody had girlfriends from their previous year, 96 00:05:50,751 --> 00:05:56,288 so they were anxious to arrive to the airport and phone them. 97 00:05:56,290 --> 00:06:01,627 Finally, after hours of waiting, the plane took off. 98 00:06:01,629 --> 00:06:05,430 I was sitting on the window, so as soon as we left Mendoza, 99 00:06:05,432 --> 00:06:07,966 my friend Panchito said, "Let me sit on the window 100 00:06:07,968 --> 00:06:10,368 because you have been sitting there 101 00:06:10,370 --> 00:06:13,906 and I want to look out," so we changed seats. 102 00:06:20,581 --> 00:06:24,583 Shortly after takeoff, the plane banked towards the Andes. 103 00:06:24,585 --> 00:06:26,852 Right away, there was trouble. 104 00:06:26,854 --> 00:06:28,854 When the flight entered the mountain range, 105 00:06:28,856 --> 00:06:31,456 it was immediately engulfed in thick fog 106 00:06:31,458 --> 00:06:33,726 and encountered severe turbulence. 107 00:06:33,728 --> 00:06:39,598 It was strong turbulence and almost instant. 108 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:44,136 It was flying very smoothly, and then, instantly, you know, 109 00:06:44,138 --> 00:06:46,671 two or three of those bumps. 110 00:06:46,673 --> 00:06:48,740 Yeah. Yeah. 111 00:06:48,742 --> 00:06:53,145 In the turbulent air, the pilots struggled to control the plane. 112 00:06:53,147 --> 00:06:54,546 Then they made a decision 113 00:06:54,548 --> 00:06:58,216 that would change the lives of every person on board. 114 00:06:58,218 --> 00:06:59,685 Calculating that they had crossed 115 00:06:59,687 --> 00:07:01,486 the highest point on the route 116 00:07:01,488 --> 00:07:02,954 and that they had reached the airspace 117 00:07:02,956 --> 00:07:06,825 above a town on the Chilean side of the mountains named Curico, 118 00:07:06,827 --> 00:07:10,695 the pilot radioed their location to air traffic control. 119 00:07:10,697 --> 00:07:13,565 The pilot then made his turn north towards Santiago 120 00:07:13,567 --> 00:07:16,702 and began the descent, but as the fog cleared, 121 00:07:16,704 --> 00:07:20,372 it became apparent that they had made a terrible mistake. 122 00:07:20,374 --> 00:07:25,377 I looked through the window, and, about, you know, 100 yards 123 00:07:25,379 --> 00:07:29,114 or 80 yards away from the airplane, 124 00:07:29,116 --> 00:07:32,585 a mountain went by, mixed with the clouds, 125 00:07:32,587 --> 00:07:36,454 so instantly, your mind goes into a mode that says, 126 00:07:36,456 --> 00:07:38,456 "Here, there's something completely wrong." 127 00:07:38,458 --> 00:07:41,727 -Right. -And then I got very afraid. 128 00:07:41,729 --> 00:07:44,063 The pilot tried to bring the plane back up 129 00:07:44,065 --> 00:07:48,266 to a higher altitude, but it was too late. 130 00:07:48,268 --> 00:07:50,402 The only thing is, I looked inside the airplane. 131 00:07:50,404 --> 00:07:53,205 I looked towards where my mother was, 132 00:07:53,207 --> 00:07:57,476 and then that's the moment that the plane hit the mountain. 133 00:07:59,213 --> 00:08:02,414 Everything turned black. 134 00:08:02,416 --> 00:08:04,883 In an instant, I died. 135 00:08:04,885 --> 00:08:06,885 I died on impact. I died on impact. 136 00:08:06,887 --> 00:08:13,558 It's so fast, I cannot even describe how fast it is. 137 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:16,295 The impact ripped off the tail of the aircraft, 138 00:08:16,297 --> 00:08:19,231 sending the fuselage plummeting down the mountainside 139 00:08:19,233 --> 00:08:21,299 at 200 miles per hour. 140 00:08:31,111 --> 00:08:33,578 When it finally came to a stop on a glacier, 141 00:08:33,580 --> 00:08:36,715 five people were dead, and seven were missing, 142 00:08:36,717 --> 00:08:40,452 as was the entire tail section of the plane. 143 00:08:40,454 --> 00:08:45,390 Nando himself was left unconscious and barely alive. 144 00:08:45,392 --> 00:08:46,525 My sister was alive. 145 00:08:46,527 --> 00:08:49,728 My mother died on impact. 146 00:08:49,730 --> 00:08:52,931 Panchito, his friend who he'd switched seats with, 147 00:08:52,933 --> 00:08:55,934 had also been killed in the crash. 148 00:08:55,936 --> 00:08:59,070 As the survivors recovered from the initial shock, 149 00:08:59,072 --> 00:09:01,874 those who are able, began to free their fellow passengers 150 00:09:01,876 --> 00:09:04,143 from the hunk of twisted metal. 151 00:09:04,145 --> 00:09:06,145 Many were injured, but incredibly, 152 00:09:06,147 --> 00:09:08,413 some made it through without a scratch. 153 00:09:12,352 --> 00:09:14,753 Two of the survivors, medical students 154 00:09:14,755 --> 00:09:17,556 Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino 155 00:09:17,558 --> 00:09:20,225 set about the grim process of deciding 156 00:09:20,227 --> 00:09:24,162 who could be saved and who was beyond hope. 157 00:09:24,164 --> 00:09:26,564 Together, they tended to the injured, 158 00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:30,368 setting broken bones and bandaging open wounds. 159 00:09:30,370 --> 00:09:33,505 The dead were removed from the fuselage. 160 00:09:33,507 --> 00:09:36,975 Nando, his head swollen to the size of a basketball, 161 00:09:36,977 --> 00:09:40,044 was dragged to the coldest part of the plane. 162 00:09:40,046 --> 00:09:43,781 His friends assumed he would soon join the dead. 163 00:09:43,783 --> 00:09:45,183 I was unconscious. 164 00:09:45,185 --> 00:09:48,520 I was lying there on the back of the airplane, 165 00:09:48,522 --> 00:09:49,654 my head in the snow, 166 00:09:49,656 --> 00:09:52,391 but the other guys were helping each other, 167 00:09:52,393 --> 00:09:54,960 embracing each other. 168 00:09:56,997 --> 00:09:59,530 The passengers were now stranded on a glacier 169 00:09:59,532 --> 00:10:02,333 somewhere in the Andes, a mountain range 170 00:10:02,335 --> 00:10:06,271 with elevations second only to Mount Everest. 171 00:10:06,273 --> 00:10:10,342 Surrounded by mountains over 22,000 feet in height, 172 00:10:10,344 --> 00:10:12,744 how long could they expect to survive 173 00:10:12,746 --> 00:10:15,947 in the brutal elements of the high Andes? 174 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:18,750 There was desperation. 175 00:10:18,752 --> 00:10:20,552 You think you're going to die, 176 00:10:20,554 --> 00:10:23,355 but you do not know how you're going to die. 177 00:10:38,515 --> 00:10:42,652 WILDMAN: In 1972, a plane chartered by an Uruguayan rugby team 178 00:10:42,654 --> 00:10:44,787 to take them to a match in Chile 179 00:10:44,789 --> 00:10:47,856 slammed into the Andes Mountains. 180 00:10:47,858 --> 00:10:50,927 Miraculously, 33 of the 45 passengers 181 00:10:50,929 --> 00:10:52,861 survived the initial impact, 182 00:10:52,863 --> 00:10:55,398 but their troubles were only beginning. 183 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,401 They were stranded without a clue as to where they were. 184 00:11:06,611 --> 00:11:09,211 With the sun disappearing behind the peaks, 185 00:11:09,213 --> 00:11:10,879 the survivors had no choice 186 00:11:10,881 --> 00:11:13,416 but to prepare for a night on the mountain. 187 00:11:13,418 --> 00:11:16,585 The passengers had to figure out how to use the few items 188 00:11:16,587 --> 00:11:19,689 they had available to stay alive until morning. 189 00:11:19,691 --> 00:11:22,824 When something like this falls upon you, 190 00:11:22,826 --> 00:11:25,161 suddenly, everything changes. 191 00:11:25,163 --> 00:11:28,230 And our lives were fantastic. 192 00:11:28,232 --> 00:11:29,965 We were young. We were sportsmen. 193 00:11:29,967 --> 00:11:33,569 And now, we were surviving like animals on a glacier. 194 00:11:38,977 --> 00:11:42,311 The crash site is not accessible during this time of year, 195 00:11:42,313 --> 00:11:46,848 so I'm exploring the lower Andes in Patagonia. 196 00:11:46,850 --> 00:11:51,120 Here, I can get a sense of the elements the survivors faces. 197 00:11:51,122 --> 00:11:54,456 Craig Ross has been a mountain guide in this area for 20 years, 198 00:11:54,458 --> 00:11:57,126 and he'll be in charge of our safety. 199 00:11:57,128 --> 00:11:59,127 If there's anything lucky about this, 200 00:11:59,129 --> 00:12:02,597 it's that they landed with some fuselage left, right? 201 00:12:02,599 --> 00:12:04,600 Yeah, that was their basic shelter, 202 00:12:04,602 --> 00:12:08,404 to be sort of protected from the elements. 203 00:12:12,143 --> 00:12:14,210 Marcelo Pérez, the team captain, 204 00:12:14,212 --> 00:12:16,011 was calling the shots on the mountain 205 00:12:16,013 --> 00:12:18,013 as he did on the rugby field. 206 00:12:18,015 --> 00:12:21,016 At just 25 years old, he was a born leader, 207 00:12:21,018 --> 00:12:24,886 charismatic, fearless, and respected by all. 208 00:12:24,888 --> 00:12:27,022 He tasked everyone with a job. 209 00:12:27,024 --> 00:12:29,758 Some would work to clear out an area in the fuselage 210 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:30,960 where the survivors could sleep, 211 00:12:30,962 --> 00:12:32,962 while others helped build a wall 212 00:12:32,964 --> 00:12:35,998 with the suitcases to block the wind. 213 00:12:38,236 --> 00:12:41,236 With temperatures well below freezing on the mountain, 214 00:12:41,238 --> 00:12:44,773 any liquid water was quickly turned to ice. 215 00:12:44,775 --> 00:12:48,444 While surrounded by snow, consuming it was not an option 216 00:12:48,446 --> 00:12:50,446 because it badly chapped their lips 217 00:12:50,448 --> 00:12:52,448 and blistered their mouths. 218 00:12:52,450 --> 00:12:54,583 The other things is at high altitudes, I understand, 219 00:12:54,585 --> 00:12:56,585 you're losing a lot of water faster, right? 220 00:12:56,587 --> 00:12:59,454 Yeah, you get dehydrated a lot faster. 221 00:12:59,456 --> 00:13:02,992 Within hours, the passengers were desperately thirsty, 222 00:13:02,994 --> 00:13:07,129 so first, they needed to figure out a way to melt the snow. 223 00:13:07,131 --> 00:13:08,797 So what do they do? 224 00:13:08,799 --> 00:13:12,468 Well, they... 225 00:13:12,470 --> 00:13:14,069 It's a metal part, 226 00:13:14,071 --> 00:13:18,807 so the sun that's going to be reflecting on this, 227 00:13:18,809 --> 00:13:22,144 and over time, this is going to melt and dribble, 228 00:13:22,146 --> 00:13:25,080 and you can have a container here, and you've to water. 229 00:13:31,022 --> 00:13:33,823 But even if the group could manage to survive the night, 230 00:13:33,825 --> 00:13:36,025 it wasn't clear that Nando would. 231 00:13:36,027 --> 00:13:38,093 He had fractured his skull on impact, 232 00:13:38,095 --> 00:13:40,763 and his brain continued to swell. 233 00:13:40,765 --> 00:13:43,966 Nando remained in a coma, and his sister, Susy, 234 00:13:43,968 --> 00:13:47,303 badly injured, was also clinging to life. 235 00:13:47,305 --> 00:13:50,306 Everybody thinks in a different way. 236 00:13:50,308 --> 00:13:55,110 Some guys probably said, "Okay. We are done. I won't fight." 237 00:13:55,112 --> 00:13:56,579 Some of the guys said, "Okay. 238 00:13:56,581 --> 00:14:00,516 I'll pray, and God will send us help." 239 00:14:05,123 --> 00:14:07,389 While Nando remained unconscious, 240 00:14:07,391 --> 00:14:10,125 the other survivors found a small transistor radio 241 00:14:10,127 --> 00:14:11,927 among the wreckage. 242 00:14:11,929 --> 00:14:14,263 While they were unable to communicate out, 243 00:14:14,265 --> 00:14:16,665 they could listen in to a Chilean station, 244 00:14:16,667 --> 00:14:18,534 where, sure enough, they heard reports 245 00:14:18,536 --> 00:14:22,204 of a search-and-rescue mission already underway. 246 00:14:22,206 --> 00:14:24,707 It was the first sign of real hope. 247 00:14:27,278 --> 00:14:30,345 Luckily, we were a team, and we knew each other quite well, 248 00:14:30,347 --> 00:14:33,082 so we took care of each other. 249 00:14:33,084 --> 00:14:36,152 We embraced each other, and the atmosphere was 250 00:14:36,154 --> 00:14:43,759 of despair, anguish, 251 00:14:43,761 --> 00:14:47,697 fear, and hope 252 00:14:47,699 --> 00:14:51,167 because the helicopters would arrive any minute. 253 00:14:56,774 --> 00:15:00,176 One night turned into two and then three, 254 00:15:00,178 --> 00:15:02,645 and everyone on the mountain started to wonder, 255 00:15:02,647 --> 00:15:04,980 "What if help wasn't on the way?" 256 00:15:21,331 --> 00:15:24,400 WILDMAN: On October 13, 1972, 257 00:15:24,402 --> 00:15:28,003 Flight 571, carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, 258 00:15:28,005 --> 00:15:31,407 crashed in the Andes Mountains. 259 00:15:31,409 --> 00:15:36,011 12 of the 45 passengers were killed immediately. 260 00:15:36,013 --> 00:15:39,080 Overnight, five more died, 261 00:15:39,082 --> 00:15:42,084 leaving 28 people fighting for their survival. 262 00:15:49,293 --> 00:15:53,162 Upon impact, Nando Parrado had been rendered unconscious 263 00:15:53,164 --> 00:15:54,830 with a gaping head wound. 264 00:15:54,832 --> 00:15:57,700 For four days, he lay still on the ice, 265 00:15:57,702 --> 00:16:01,703 clinging to life and unaware of the ongoing struggles. 266 00:16:01,705 --> 00:16:05,307 Finally, on day five, he woke up. 267 00:16:05,309 --> 00:16:08,777 When I started to come back to my senses, 268 00:16:08,779 --> 00:16:10,713 my head was hurting a lot, 269 00:16:10,715 --> 00:16:13,115 and, you know, I touched my head. 270 00:16:13,117 --> 00:16:15,784 It was full of blood, and it actually moved. 271 00:16:15,786 --> 00:16:16,919 Oof. Ah. 272 00:16:16,921 --> 00:16:19,521 So I said, "This is not good." 273 00:16:19,523 --> 00:16:23,258 My first night with consciousness 274 00:16:23,260 --> 00:16:28,664 was very long, very cold. 275 00:16:28,666 --> 00:16:31,266 I was very afraid. 276 00:16:31,268 --> 00:16:33,802 The only thought I was asking myself was, 277 00:16:33,804 --> 00:16:35,604 "Why? Why this happen to me?" 278 00:16:35,606 --> 00:16:40,142 And I couldn't understand how slow time goes by, 279 00:16:40,144 --> 00:16:43,812 so my first night was never-ending. 280 00:16:43,814 --> 00:16:46,148 Did you have any idea where you were? 281 00:16:46,150 --> 00:16:48,484 We knew that we were in the Andes Mountains, 282 00:16:48,486 --> 00:16:51,486 but the only information was given to us 283 00:16:51,488 --> 00:16:54,023 by the pilot before he died, 284 00:16:54,025 --> 00:16:56,224 when he said, "We passed Curico," 285 00:16:56,226 --> 00:16:59,160 so you hoped helicopters would come any time. 286 00:17:02,633 --> 00:17:05,768 Curico is a Chilean city located in the foothills 287 00:17:05,770 --> 00:17:07,236 of the Andes Mountains, 288 00:17:07,238 --> 00:17:08,904 and, according to the radio reports, 289 00:17:08,906 --> 00:17:11,373 that's where the search would start. 290 00:17:11,375 --> 00:17:13,642 For three days, the survivors heard the planes 291 00:17:13,644 --> 00:17:17,712 flying overhead, so why hadn't they been spotted yet? 292 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:24,586 What kind of challenges did the rescue team 293 00:17:24,588 --> 00:17:27,455 face in the treacherous, high Andes, 294 00:17:27,457 --> 00:17:30,258 and at what point does the mission shift from search 295 00:17:30,260 --> 00:17:33,595 to recovery to locate the wreckage and the bodies? 296 00:17:52,750 --> 00:17:55,551 Why was it so hard to find this particular plane? 297 00:17:55,553 --> 00:17:59,487 There are so many, many miles of isolated terrain. 298 00:17:59,489 --> 00:18:02,024 I's almost impossible to cover it all, 299 00:18:02,026 --> 00:18:06,561 and the size of an airplane is so small. 300 00:18:06,563 --> 00:18:08,230 That's the thing. 301 00:18:08,232 --> 00:18:10,699 It's very deceptive and disorienting that -- 302 00:18:10,701 --> 00:18:13,902 Whoa, there's some of that wind. 303 00:18:13,904 --> 00:18:15,303 That's a little frightening, isn't it? 304 00:18:19,576 --> 00:18:22,177 The rescue pilots faced the very elements 305 00:18:22,179 --> 00:18:24,179 that aided in bringing down the Fairchild 306 00:18:24,181 --> 00:18:25,580 in the first place. 307 00:18:25,582 --> 00:18:28,650 Okay, well, this just got a lot more interesting 308 00:18:28,652 --> 00:18:30,853 as we hold on in the wind. 309 00:18:30,855 --> 00:18:35,858 The difficulty of finding one object in this vastness -- 310 00:18:35,860 --> 00:18:39,794 I mean, my God, it's a huge, huge area to search in, 311 00:18:39,796 --> 00:18:41,397 let alone how small that really was. 312 00:18:41,399 --> 00:18:43,531 This was no longer a plane we're talking about. 313 00:18:43,533 --> 00:18:45,734 This is part of a plane, a fuselage of it. 314 00:18:45,736 --> 00:18:47,402 Yeah. Right. 315 00:18:47,404 --> 00:18:50,005 What's the likelihood of finding anyone 316 00:18:50,007 --> 00:18:51,807 in a situation like that? 317 00:18:51,809 --> 00:18:53,408 Almost impossible. 318 00:18:59,149 --> 00:19:01,817 With no sign of the plane or its passengers, 319 00:19:01,819 --> 00:19:05,220 the rescuers were losing hope, but little do they know, 320 00:19:05,222 --> 00:19:07,356 the survivors were listening to reports 321 00:19:07,358 --> 00:19:10,159 of the search on their radio. 322 00:19:10,161 --> 00:19:13,028 The rescue pilots had to make a choice -- 323 00:19:13,030 --> 00:19:16,164 continue to risk their own lives and look for the plane 324 00:19:16,166 --> 00:19:20,302 or call off what was beginning to seem like a hopeless search. 325 00:19:24,308 --> 00:19:26,241 Finally, after 10 days, 326 00:19:26,243 --> 00:19:28,376 the rescuers made a fateful decision 327 00:19:28,378 --> 00:19:31,780 and called off the mission. 328 00:19:31,782 --> 00:19:34,449 Bask on the mountain, huddled around the radio, 329 00:19:34,451 --> 00:19:38,187 the remaining survivors learned the crushing news. 330 00:19:38,189 --> 00:19:40,255 Three of us, Marcello, the captain, was there. 331 00:19:40,257 --> 00:19:44,126 Roy Howley was there, I was there, and I froze. 332 00:19:44,128 --> 00:19:45,326 I froze. 333 00:19:45,328 --> 00:19:47,262 I froze completely, and I was so afraid 334 00:19:47,264 --> 00:19:48,997 that I couldn't even think. 335 00:19:48,999 --> 00:19:51,467 Because at this moment, that's a death sentence. 336 00:19:51,469 --> 00:19:53,669 When you're condemned to die, 337 00:19:53,671 --> 00:19:58,207 fear overcomes every feeling, every thought. 338 00:19:58,209 --> 00:20:02,611 Hope turned to despair as another tragedy struck. 339 00:20:02,613 --> 00:20:05,346 After clinging to life for eight days, 340 00:20:05,348 --> 00:20:09,017 Nando's sister, Susy, died from her injuries. 341 00:20:09,019 --> 00:20:11,820 She was 20 years old. 342 00:20:11,822 --> 00:20:14,389 The passengers were living a nightmare. 343 00:20:14,391 --> 00:20:16,824 Conditions in the fuselage were cramped, 344 00:20:16,826 --> 00:20:21,163 and subzero temperatures made sleeping almost impossible, 345 00:20:21,165 --> 00:20:25,167 and to make matters even worse, after a week without food, 346 00:20:25,169 --> 00:20:27,369 the survivors were slowly dying. 347 00:20:30,374 --> 00:20:34,242 Hunger is one of the most primitive fears 348 00:20:34,244 --> 00:20:35,978 of the human being. 349 00:20:35,980 --> 00:20:36,978 Hmm. 350 00:20:36,980 --> 00:20:40,048 Hunger is impossible to understand 351 00:20:40,050 --> 00:20:42,117 unless the situation is real. 352 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:44,586 I don't know if you understand that. 353 00:20:44,588 --> 00:20:46,721 It's not like fasting. 354 00:20:46,723 --> 00:20:50,258 If you fast, you only test your character 355 00:20:50,260 --> 00:20:51,993 not to open the fridge, 356 00:20:51,995 --> 00:20:56,598 but hunger, when you do not know when you're going to eat again, 357 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:01,870 it's the biggest fear a human being can have. 358 00:21:01,872 --> 00:21:03,605 What little food was on the plane 359 00:21:03,607 --> 00:21:06,341 had been consumed in the first few days. 360 00:21:06,343 --> 00:21:09,077 The desperate passengers were now so hungry, 361 00:21:09,079 --> 00:21:12,280 they even tried to eat pieces of leather from the suitcases 362 00:21:12,282 --> 00:21:15,484 and fabric from the plane seats. 363 00:21:15,486 --> 00:21:17,619 When you're on the moon or Venus 364 00:21:17,621 --> 00:21:20,155 or in the highest peaks of the Andes, 365 00:21:20,157 --> 00:21:21,155 there's nothing there. 366 00:21:21,157 --> 00:21:22,357 -Yep. -There's nothing. 367 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:23,559 Barren land. 368 00:21:23,561 --> 00:21:26,762 You can survive on the ocean, on the jungle, 369 00:21:26,764 --> 00:21:28,697 on the desert with more chances. 370 00:21:28,699 --> 00:21:33,101 You cannot survive on the high peaks of the mountains, 371 00:21:33,103 --> 00:21:37,306 so your brain looks for food, 372 00:21:37,308 --> 00:21:39,308 and the only food that's available 373 00:21:39,310 --> 00:21:41,376 are the dead bodies of your friends. 374 00:21:41,378 --> 00:21:42,711 Yeah. 375 00:21:42,713 --> 00:21:45,847 And that's the only decision, and it is easily taken 376 00:21:45,849 --> 00:21:48,116 because it's the only decision. 377 00:21:48,118 --> 00:21:50,252 Of course. 378 00:21:52,322 --> 00:21:54,990 With no sign of help and no clear way 379 00:21:54,992 --> 00:21:56,524 to get off the mountain, 380 00:21:56,526 --> 00:22:00,395 the group had to make a choice between life and death, 381 00:22:00,397 --> 00:22:04,932 but the only way to live was to consume the bodies of the dead. 382 00:22:04,934 --> 00:22:06,601 The group made a pact. 383 00:22:06,603 --> 00:22:08,269 If any of them were to die, 384 00:22:08,271 --> 00:22:11,273 they would offer their body up to save the others, 385 00:22:11,275 --> 00:22:13,741 but out of respect, the bodies of Nando's mother 386 00:22:13,743 --> 00:22:17,345 and sister would be spared. 387 00:22:17,347 --> 00:22:19,080 For the survivors on the mountainside, 388 00:22:19,082 --> 00:22:20,882 the outcome looked bleak. 389 00:22:20,884 --> 00:22:23,084 Had their lives been spared thus far 390 00:22:23,086 --> 00:22:26,688 only to face certain death in the Andes? 391 00:22:26,690 --> 00:22:29,491 The mountain wasn't finished with them yet. 392 00:22:29,493 --> 00:22:31,827 Another tragedy was about to strike, 393 00:22:31,829 --> 00:22:34,296 and not everyone was going to escape with their lives. 394 00:22:50,805 --> 00:22:53,272 WILDMAN: In October of 1972, 395 00:22:53,274 --> 00:22:56,275 a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team 396 00:22:56,277 --> 00:22:58,944 crashed into a remote section of the Andes Mountains 397 00:22:58,946 --> 00:23:02,348 along the border between Argentina and Chile. 398 00:23:02,350 --> 00:23:06,752 Only 27 of the 45 passengers remained alive. 399 00:23:06,754 --> 00:23:10,289 In fact, things were so bad that the remaining survivors 400 00:23:10,291 --> 00:23:13,425 had been forced to consume the bodies of the dead. 401 00:23:18,299 --> 00:23:22,301 And then, on the 17th night, as they lay down to sleep, 402 00:23:22,303 --> 00:23:24,036 things took a turn for the worse. 403 00:23:30,178 --> 00:23:34,247 One second before, I was talking to somebody. 404 00:23:34,249 --> 00:23:36,516 One second later, I was buried. 405 00:23:40,722 --> 00:23:44,457 It took me four or five seconds to realize this is an avalanche, 406 00:23:44,459 --> 00:23:46,058 and I couldn't move, 407 00:23:46,060 --> 00:23:49,929 and I couldn't breathe, and I said, "I'm dead." 408 00:23:49,931 --> 00:23:52,598 An avalanche had barreled down the mountainside 409 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:54,733 into the open end of the fuselage, 410 00:23:54,735 --> 00:23:56,602 knocking down their makeshift wall 411 00:23:56,604 --> 00:23:59,004 and burying everyone inside. 412 00:23:59,006 --> 00:24:03,075 I had snow in my mouth, in my eyes, in my ears, 413 00:24:03,077 --> 00:24:06,345 and I couldn't move. 414 00:24:06,347 --> 00:24:10,415 Miraculously, not everyone was buried deep under the snow. 415 00:24:10,417 --> 00:24:12,885 A few people were covered with only a few inches 416 00:24:12,887 --> 00:24:15,754 and were able to free themselves quickly. 417 00:24:15,756 --> 00:24:18,824 About 10, 15 seconds after the avalanche stopped, 418 00:24:18,826 --> 00:24:20,292 four guys were out of the avalanche. 419 00:24:20,294 --> 00:24:21,494 Okay. 420 00:24:21,496 --> 00:24:24,763 And then, they started digging shafts and tunnels 421 00:24:24,765 --> 00:24:28,767 to the positions where they knew the heads of the guys were. 422 00:24:28,769 --> 00:24:33,839 Unable to move or breathe, all Nando could do was wait. 423 00:24:33,841 --> 00:24:35,641 For those now trapped in the fuselage, 424 00:24:35,643 --> 00:24:39,378 an inescapable nightmare was made even worse. 425 00:24:47,989 --> 00:24:49,455 When it comes to avalanches, 426 00:24:49,457 --> 00:24:54,460 what separates those who perish from those who survive? 427 00:24:54,462 --> 00:24:57,396 As a mountain guide, Craig Ross needs to be prepared 428 00:24:57,398 --> 00:24:58,931 for avalanches. 429 00:24:58,933 --> 00:25:01,133 He understands better than most the pressure 430 00:25:01,135 --> 00:25:06,005 put on the survivors in 1972 to save their friends' lives. 431 00:25:06,007 --> 00:25:09,541 In an avalanche, there is an opportunity to survive, right? 432 00:25:09,543 --> 00:25:11,744 We call it a critical time of 15 minutes 433 00:25:11,746 --> 00:25:14,880 to be able to be rescued in. 434 00:25:14,882 --> 00:25:17,549 With every minute a person is under the snow, 435 00:25:17,551 --> 00:25:21,153 the odds of survival drastically decrease. 436 00:25:21,155 --> 00:25:23,355 To give me some sense of what Nando 437 00:25:23,357 --> 00:25:25,491 and the others were up against that night, 438 00:25:25,493 --> 00:25:27,293 Craig is going to bury me in the snow 439 00:25:27,295 --> 00:25:29,562 and put his rescue skills to the test, 440 00:25:29,564 --> 00:25:33,232 so I can see how important teamwork was to their survival. 441 00:25:36,571 --> 00:25:37,770 ROSS: Damian is going to bury you. 442 00:25:37,772 --> 00:25:39,372 I don't know where you're going to be buried. 443 00:25:39,374 --> 00:25:40,439 -Okay. -Okay? 444 00:25:40,441 --> 00:25:41,573 I'm going to go and search for you. 445 00:25:41,575 --> 00:25:42,908 WILDMAN: All right. 446 00:25:42,910 --> 00:25:45,845 So I'm going to get down into that hole there, 447 00:25:45,847 --> 00:25:51,316 and they're going to bury me, which is a little freaky. 448 00:25:51,318 --> 00:25:55,387 Yeah, exactly. 449 00:25:55,389 --> 00:25:57,322 There we go. Okay. 450 00:25:57,324 --> 00:25:59,859 -Okay. See you later. -Okay, good-bye. 451 00:25:59,861 --> 00:26:03,462 It's never a good idea to get underneath something 452 00:26:03,464 --> 00:26:05,531 and be completely buried 453 00:26:05,533 --> 00:26:07,800 and then have only limited oxygen. 454 00:26:13,274 --> 00:26:15,007 Look at all this. 455 00:26:15,009 --> 00:26:16,275 I can't move my legs. 456 00:26:16,277 --> 00:26:20,212 I can hardly move my arms this way. 457 00:26:20,214 --> 00:26:21,480 You know, in an ideal situation, 458 00:26:21,482 --> 00:26:24,216 I would've made an air pocket for myself, like so, 459 00:26:24,218 --> 00:26:28,554 but these guys were in the middle of the night, asleep, 460 00:26:28,556 --> 00:26:31,690 and suddenly immobilized, I imagine. 461 00:26:31,692 --> 00:26:35,694 With so much snow, it's just tight, compacted space. 462 00:26:35,696 --> 00:26:38,230 It was like a submarine in the bottom 463 00:26:38,232 --> 00:26:41,100 of the ocean with no engines. 464 00:26:41,102 --> 00:26:43,235 How do you get out of there? 465 00:26:43,237 --> 00:26:48,507 We didn't know if we had 10 feet of snow on top of us, 466 00:26:48,509 --> 00:26:51,710 50 feet, 100 feet. 467 00:26:51,712 --> 00:26:53,111 There's no light. 468 00:26:53,113 --> 00:26:56,848 But we started fighting again. 469 00:26:56,850 --> 00:26:59,118 Back on the mountain, Nando was losing consciousness 470 00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:00,786 under the snow. 471 00:27:00,788 --> 00:27:03,589 Above him, his friends were desperately digging to free 472 00:27:03,591 --> 00:27:05,724 those trapped in the avalanche. 473 00:27:05,726 --> 00:27:07,726 So we broke one of the windows 474 00:27:07,728 --> 00:27:10,129 on the cockpit of the airplane 475 00:27:10,131 --> 00:27:11,530 with our hands and our feet. 476 00:27:11,532 --> 00:27:14,800 We didn't have any tools, and we started digging like rabbits. 477 00:27:18,339 --> 00:27:21,073 How long can you hold your breath, one minute, 478 00:27:21,075 --> 00:27:23,075 two minutes, three minutes? 479 00:27:23,077 --> 00:27:26,078 You cannot breathe under an avalanche. 480 00:27:30,151 --> 00:27:32,284 Oh, eh. 481 00:27:32,286 --> 00:27:33,552 Yeah? 482 00:27:33,554 --> 00:27:36,755 -Hey. You okay? -Get me out of here. 483 00:27:36,757 --> 00:27:39,825 Then, suddenly, he was pulled free. 484 00:27:39,827 --> 00:27:42,894 Nando had cheated death once again, 485 00:27:42,896 --> 00:27:44,764 but not everyone was so fortunate. 486 00:27:44,766 --> 00:27:46,298 They saved 19. 487 00:27:46,300 --> 00:27:48,701 -Wow. -Eight died in the avalanche. 488 00:27:56,643 --> 00:27:59,245 It had been 20 days since the plane crashed 489 00:27:59,247 --> 00:28:00,312 into the Andes Mountains. 490 00:28:00,314 --> 00:28:03,515 What had started out with 45 passengers 491 00:28:03,517 --> 00:28:05,851 was now down to 19 survivors, 492 00:28:05,853 --> 00:28:08,521 each clinging desperately to life. 493 00:28:08,523 --> 00:28:10,322 The only thing that you have is time to think, 494 00:28:10,324 --> 00:28:13,125 and then, I said, "Okay." 495 00:28:13,127 --> 00:28:16,262 I changed places with my friend on the flight, 496 00:28:16,264 --> 00:28:17,930 and I survived. 497 00:28:17,932 --> 00:28:19,198 He didn't survive. 498 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:20,532 Then I survived the crash. 499 00:28:20,534 --> 00:28:23,402 I survived a concussion on my head. 500 00:28:23,404 --> 00:28:26,939 I survived the avalanche, and I said "Why? 501 00:28:26,941 --> 00:28:31,410 Why me, and why not the other ones?" 502 00:28:31,412 --> 00:28:34,680 Once freed, the reality of losing more of their friends 503 00:28:34,682 --> 00:28:36,415 set in. 504 00:28:36,417 --> 00:28:39,484 The mountain was going to kill them, too. 505 00:28:39,486 --> 00:28:42,487 The only way to survive was to hike to safety, 506 00:28:42,489 --> 00:28:47,092 but what other deadly obstacles lie ahead? 507 00:28:47,094 --> 00:28:49,828 Could Nando and the others achieve the impossible 508 00:28:49,830 --> 00:28:51,764 and rescue themselves? 509 00:28:51,766 --> 00:28:55,500 I said, "I'm going to fight until I die." 510 00:28:55,502 --> 00:29:01,674 My only profound thought was, "If I'm breathing, I'm alive." 511 00:29:16,591 --> 00:29:20,058 WILDMAN: In 1972, a plan carrying a rugby team 512 00:29:20,060 --> 00:29:22,661 from Uruguay along with their family and friends 513 00:29:22,663 --> 00:29:25,263 crashed high in the Andes Mountains. 514 00:29:25,265 --> 00:29:28,067 He plane had 45 passengers, 515 00:29:28,069 --> 00:29:30,402 but after more than a month in the elements, 516 00:29:30,404 --> 00:29:32,538 only 19 remained, 517 00:29:32,540 --> 00:29:35,674 and it was clear that help was not on the way. 518 00:29:35,676 --> 00:29:37,876 In order the survive, those still alive 519 00:29:37,878 --> 00:29:39,678 were forced to eat the dead. 520 00:29:44,885 --> 00:29:47,953 The remaining survivors knew they had to do something, 521 00:29:47,955 --> 00:29:50,522 or they too would surely die. 522 00:29:50,524 --> 00:29:52,691 After surviving an avalanche, 523 00:29:52,693 --> 00:29:55,494 Nando had finally been pushed to his limit. 524 00:29:55,496 --> 00:30:00,032 Once you're condemned to die, you look for an escape, 525 00:30:00,034 --> 00:30:01,600 and I didn't want to die. 526 00:30:01,602 --> 00:30:04,502 I was so afraid of dying that I said, 527 00:30:04,504 --> 00:30:07,038 "If I have a chance, I will fight against this mountain." 528 00:30:09,643 --> 00:30:11,376 As starvation threatened, 529 00:30:11,378 --> 00:30:14,046 Nando felt there was only one option -- 530 00:30:14,048 --> 00:30:16,381 to hike off the mountain. 531 00:30:16,383 --> 00:30:19,651 It was clear the only way out was by foot, 532 00:30:19,653 --> 00:30:21,053 but how were these men, 533 00:30:21,055 --> 00:30:24,723 some 70 pounds underweight and weakened from the cold, 534 00:30:24,725 --> 00:30:29,861 going to scale the highest peaks of the Andes with no equipment? 535 00:30:32,733 --> 00:30:36,201 The Andes contain some of the highest peaks in the world, 536 00:30:36,203 --> 00:30:39,871 with elevations above 22,000 feet. 537 00:30:39,873 --> 00:30:42,874 The mountains were our opponents, 538 00:30:42,876 --> 00:30:45,344 and they gave us their biggest threat, 539 00:30:45,346 --> 00:30:46,478 and we said, "Okay. 540 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,481 Let's fight against them with what we have. 541 00:30:49,483 --> 00:30:50,749 What do we have? 542 00:30:50,751 --> 00:30:57,423 Teamwork, resilience, and the willing to be alive." 543 00:30:57,425 --> 00:30:58,623 Yeah. 544 00:31:05,366 --> 00:31:07,833 The young rugby players were about to face 545 00:31:07,835 --> 00:31:10,235 their ultimate test of survival. 546 00:31:10,237 --> 00:31:13,572 The fuselage was surrounded by mountains on all sides, 547 00:31:13,574 --> 00:31:16,108 with the highest peaks to the west. 548 00:31:16,110 --> 00:31:18,576 I said, "Okay. I want to get out of here." 549 00:31:18,578 --> 00:31:22,580 I was afraid of trying to escape alone. 550 00:31:22,582 --> 00:31:25,317 Accompanying him would be fellow rugby teammates 551 00:31:25,319 --> 00:31:29,521 Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintín. 552 00:31:29,523 --> 00:31:32,391 On November 17th, the hikers set out, 553 00:31:32,393 --> 00:31:34,793 knowing there was a real possibility 554 00:31:34,795 --> 00:31:36,194 they would never return. 555 00:31:36,196 --> 00:31:38,997 We didn't have any idea where we were. 556 00:31:38,999 --> 00:31:40,999 Everything is white. 557 00:31:41,001 --> 00:31:43,268 How tall are the mountains? We didn't know. 558 00:31:43,270 --> 00:31:46,472 We couldn't understand the height and the distances, 559 00:31:46,474 --> 00:31:50,008 and we said, "Maybe one day or maybe two days, 560 00:31:50,010 --> 00:31:52,778 we'll find a town or something like that." 561 00:31:54,214 --> 00:31:57,883 After hours of hiking, they made an unexpected discovery. 562 00:32:00,755 --> 00:32:03,088 About four or five hours away from the airplane, 563 00:32:03,090 --> 00:32:07,025 we found the tail by luck, by chance. Oh, I see. 564 00:32:07,027 --> 00:32:08,494 You didn't know. -We didn't know it was there. 565 00:32:08,496 --> 00:32:09,728 The tail of the plane, 566 00:32:09,730 --> 00:32:12,297 missing since the crash over a month ago, 567 00:32:12,299 --> 00:32:14,433 appeared on the horizon. 568 00:32:14,435 --> 00:32:17,503 It was an incredible find, but one item they found 569 00:32:17,505 --> 00:32:19,104 among the wreckage of the tail 570 00:32:19,106 --> 00:32:21,240 would nearly tear the group apart 571 00:32:21,242 --> 00:32:23,842 and put their escape plan in jeopardy. 572 00:32:26,980 --> 00:32:30,182 Inside, they found the batteries to the plane's radio, 573 00:32:30,184 --> 00:32:33,252 which had been broken during the crash. 574 00:32:33,254 --> 00:32:36,789 Once again, the survivors were faced with a pivotal choice. 575 00:32:36,791 --> 00:32:40,592 Should they attempt to hike out or abandon that plan 576 00:32:40,594 --> 00:32:42,861 and try to get the radio to work? 577 00:32:42,863 --> 00:32:44,263 If they continued to hike through 578 00:32:44,265 --> 00:32:45,730 the treacherous mountains, 579 00:32:45,732 --> 00:32:48,133 there was no telling what their fate would be, 580 00:32:48,135 --> 00:32:50,335 but if they could get the plane's radio to work, 581 00:32:50,337 --> 00:32:54,339 they might be able to call for rescue. 582 00:32:54,341 --> 00:33:01,746 Those extreme moments define the rest of your life. 583 00:33:01,748 --> 00:33:04,015 If you make the wrong decision, you are dead. 584 00:33:04,017 --> 00:33:05,750 Mm-hmm. 585 00:33:05,752 --> 00:33:08,220 Nando believed that they needed to continue to hike 586 00:33:08,222 --> 00:33:10,355 while they still had the strength, 587 00:33:10,357 --> 00:33:12,691 but Roberto felt sure that, with the batteries, 588 00:33:12,693 --> 00:33:15,294 they could get the pilot's radio to work, 589 00:33:15,296 --> 00:33:17,562 and so, the hike was abandoned. 590 00:33:17,564 --> 00:33:21,100 The group dragged the heavy batteries back to the fuselage. 591 00:33:21,102 --> 00:33:23,702 It would be a costly decision. 592 00:33:23,704 --> 00:33:25,504 The passengers worked day and night 593 00:33:25,506 --> 00:33:27,973 to try to get a signal out. 594 00:33:27,975 --> 00:33:31,376 Days turned into weeks, but as time passed, 595 00:33:31,378 --> 00:33:34,313 people became disgusted by consuming the bodies 596 00:33:34,315 --> 00:33:36,314 and stopped eating altogether. 597 00:33:36,316 --> 00:33:39,518 Three people died of starvation. 598 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,120 Something had to be done. 599 00:33:42,122 --> 00:33:45,724 This was one of the biggest decisions of my life, probably. 600 00:33:45,726 --> 00:33:48,593 I always look back, and I'm amazed 601 00:33:48,595 --> 00:33:51,529 at how did I take that decision. 602 00:33:51,531 --> 00:33:53,332 I said, "Okay, I'm leaving tomorrow. 603 00:33:53,334 --> 00:33:55,133 I am going to Chile." 604 00:33:55,135 --> 00:33:58,270 With Nando's ultimatum, they abandoned the plane's radio 605 00:33:58,272 --> 00:33:59,938 and decided to again attempt 606 00:33:59,940 --> 00:34:03,208 to climb out of the mountains and find help. 607 00:34:03,210 --> 00:34:06,411 Nando, Roberto, and Antonio agreed on one thing 608 00:34:06,413 --> 00:34:08,813 based on the pilot's dying words. 609 00:34:08,815 --> 00:34:13,619 Chile was to the west and should be just over the high mountain, 610 00:34:13,621 --> 00:34:17,089 but could they actually beat the odds and save themselves? 611 00:34:24,497 --> 00:34:27,899 As if the snow wasn't hard enough, 612 00:34:27,901 --> 00:34:29,567 the worst was yet to come. 613 00:34:29,569 --> 00:34:32,704 They meet walls of rock to climb, 614 00:34:32,706 --> 00:34:35,306 requiring expert mountaineering skills 615 00:34:35,308 --> 00:34:38,977 that they don't have, or the equipment to do it, 616 00:34:38,979 --> 00:34:41,045 but they had to go over. 617 00:34:41,047 --> 00:34:42,380 All right. 618 00:34:42,382 --> 00:34:44,782 To find a path out, the hikers would first need 619 00:34:44,784 --> 00:34:48,053 to scale a 15,000-foot peak. 620 00:34:48,055 --> 00:34:51,590 To get a better idea of this monumental challenge, 621 00:34:51,592 --> 00:34:53,391 I'm going for a climb. 622 00:34:53,393 --> 00:34:55,127 So how am I getting up there? 623 00:34:55,129 --> 00:34:57,128 I'm going to be belaying you from the top, 624 00:34:57,130 --> 00:34:58,863 okay, so don't worry. 625 00:34:58,865 --> 00:35:01,967 Just have really good footwork. 626 00:35:01,969 --> 00:35:03,936 Take it easy. Keep your balance. 627 00:35:03,938 --> 00:35:05,203 Yeah, okay, good. 628 00:35:05,205 --> 00:35:07,005 It's hard enough with all the gear, 629 00:35:07,007 --> 00:35:09,975 but taking on a mountain, for three inexperienced men 630 00:35:09,977 --> 00:35:12,277 weak from hunger, is unthinkable. 631 00:35:14,748 --> 00:35:16,481 All right. Here I come. 632 00:35:16,483 --> 00:35:18,350 I can see there's just a ton of broken rock 633 00:35:18,352 --> 00:35:19,417 right there, isn't there? 634 00:35:19,419 --> 00:35:20,752 It is. Just be careful. 635 00:35:20,754 --> 00:35:22,020 All right. 636 00:35:22,022 --> 00:35:23,955 Get close up to this stuff, and you can see 637 00:35:23,957 --> 00:35:26,358 where you could slip and fall so easily. 638 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:29,694 Oh, boy. 639 00:35:29,696 --> 00:35:31,229 Oh, man. 640 00:35:31,231 --> 00:35:37,902 I cannot imagine having spent 62 days on a mountain, 641 00:35:37,904 --> 00:35:39,838 underweight, 642 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:44,509 very weak, incredibly tired climbing like this. 643 00:35:44,511 --> 00:35:47,045 I mean, you, like, got to be kidding me. 644 00:35:47,047 --> 00:35:49,447 At any moment, you know, any of these... 645 00:35:49,449 --> 00:35:51,717 Look at all the loose rock that can fall off. 646 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:53,384 You slip and fall. 647 00:35:53,386 --> 00:35:54,720 You bang your head. 648 00:35:54,722 --> 00:35:56,921 Any number of things can go wrong, 649 00:35:56,923 --> 00:35:59,124 and, not to mention you're cold, 650 00:35:59,126 --> 00:36:01,793 you're weak, and you're hungry. 651 00:36:05,398 --> 00:36:07,732 All right. 652 00:36:07,734 --> 00:36:11,202 You got it? 653 00:36:11,204 --> 00:36:12,471 Keep this tight. 654 00:36:12,473 --> 00:36:14,872 -I've got you. -All right. 655 00:36:14,874 --> 00:36:17,275 All right. 656 00:36:17,277 --> 00:36:20,145 After the third day, they reach the summit, 657 00:36:20,147 --> 00:36:22,814 and what Nando saw was devastating. 658 00:36:22,816 --> 00:36:25,484 I'm standing there, and I'm looking, 659 00:36:25,486 --> 00:36:28,687 and everything I see is mountains, 660 00:36:28,689 --> 00:36:31,022 more mountains, nothing but mountains. 661 00:36:33,294 --> 00:36:35,627 What they hadn't known is that the pilot 662 00:36:35,629 --> 00:36:37,762 had been wrong about their location. 663 00:36:37,764 --> 00:36:40,899 They were not near Curico in the Chilean foothills. 664 00:36:40,901 --> 00:36:45,837 They were over 40 miles away, in the middle of the high Andes. 665 00:36:45,839 --> 00:36:49,641 The three hikers were running dangerously low on food, 666 00:36:49,643 --> 00:36:52,444 so Nando and Roberto made a decision. 667 00:36:52,446 --> 00:36:53,711 They would either turn back 668 00:36:53,713 --> 00:36:56,047 and take their chances in the fuselage, 669 00:36:56,049 --> 00:36:58,183 or they would continue to hike. 670 00:36:58,185 --> 00:37:01,119 I said, "Okay, I want to get out of here." 671 00:37:01,121 --> 00:37:03,588 I was there with Roberto, and he said, 672 00:37:03,590 --> 00:37:05,857 "We have done so many things together. 673 00:37:05,859 --> 00:37:07,392 Let's die together." 674 00:37:22,355 --> 00:37:26,824 WILDMAN: In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team's chartered aircraft 675 00:37:26,826 --> 00:37:29,626 went down in the Andes Mountain range. 676 00:37:29,628 --> 00:37:32,296 The search for the missing plane was called off, 677 00:37:32,298 --> 00:37:36,834 and 62 days after the crash, with 29 passengers dead, 678 00:37:36,836 --> 00:37:38,436 the team had no choice 679 00:37:38,438 --> 00:37:40,904 but to try to escape the mountains on foot, 680 00:37:40,906 --> 00:37:42,440 or they too would perish. 681 00:37:45,111 --> 00:37:48,979 At one point, Antonio was a little bit tired, 682 00:37:48,981 --> 00:37:52,516 and we took a decision. 683 00:37:52,518 --> 00:37:53,917 The two of us, Roberto and I, 684 00:37:53,919 --> 00:37:56,320 would go further and faster than three of us. 685 00:37:56,322 --> 00:37:58,656 -Mm-hmm. True. -So we took that decision. 686 00:37:58,658 --> 00:38:03,327 We sent Antonio back, and the two of us kept on going. 687 00:38:03,329 --> 00:38:05,929 Teammates Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa 688 00:38:05,931 --> 00:38:07,798 made a life-or-death decision. 689 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:12,403 They would continue to hike and either succeed or die. 690 00:38:12,405 --> 00:38:16,340 For 10 harrowing days, the duo battled the treacherous terrain 691 00:38:16,342 --> 00:38:20,277 until they finally reached the arid flatlands of Chile. 692 00:38:20,279 --> 00:38:22,947 Weak and near death, they pushed on, 693 00:38:22,949 --> 00:38:24,882 only to be stopped by a rushing river 694 00:38:24,884 --> 00:38:27,150 of ice-cold mountain water. 695 00:38:27,152 --> 00:38:29,820 The river was as wide as it was violent. 696 00:38:29,822 --> 00:38:31,555 There was no way across. 697 00:38:31,557 --> 00:38:36,160 After 10 days, they could go no further. 698 00:38:36,162 --> 00:38:39,429 I was so afraid I wanted to vomit. 699 00:38:39,431 --> 00:38:40,764 I didn't want to die. 700 00:38:40,766 --> 00:38:44,168 Suddenly, Roberto saw something across the river. 701 00:38:44,170 --> 00:38:47,437 At first, Nando couldn't see it, and then, sure enough, 702 00:38:47,439 --> 00:38:49,173 there it was -- 703 00:38:49,175 --> 00:38:51,041 a man on horseback. 704 00:38:51,043 --> 00:38:54,245 We started shouting and shouting and shouting and shouting, 705 00:38:54,247 --> 00:38:55,979 and the guy stops and looks at us, 706 00:38:55,981 --> 00:38:58,549 so I run to the edge of the river, 707 00:38:58,551 --> 00:39:01,385 but the sound of the water was so high. 708 00:39:01,387 --> 00:39:05,122 He had a piece of paper, wrapped it around a stone, 709 00:39:05,124 --> 00:39:06,857 put a pencil and threw it across the river. 710 00:39:06,859 --> 00:39:07,858 Wow. 711 00:39:07,860 --> 00:39:10,060 Miraculously, the stone and paper 712 00:39:10,062 --> 00:39:11,996 made it across the rushing water. 713 00:39:11,998 --> 00:39:14,664 The words Nando wrote down 714 00:39:14,666 --> 00:39:17,467 would change the course of their future. 715 00:39:17,469 --> 00:39:20,871 I wrote, "I come from a plane that crashed in the mountains. 716 00:39:20,873 --> 00:39:22,206 I'm Uruguayan. 717 00:39:22,208 --> 00:39:24,875 I have 14 friends wounded on the airplane. I need help." 718 00:39:24,877 --> 00:39:27,411 -Yes. -"Please. I need food." 719 00:39:27,413 --> 00:39:29,747 The man on horseback tossed them some bread, 720 00:39:29,749 --> 00:39:33,617 and shouted, "Tomorrow," and with that, he rode away. 721 00:39:33,619 --> 00:39:38,155 For nearly 24 hours, Nando and Roberto waited and hoped. 722 00:39:41,093 --> 00:39:45,296 And then, the man appeared again, this time, 723 00:39:45,298 --> 00:39:48,232 with the police and journalists in tow. 724 00:39:48,234 --> 00:39:50,634 The helicopters were coming. 725 00:39:50,636 --> 00:39:53,170 As soon as they landed, Nando was pointing on the map 726 00:39:53,172 --> 00:39:55,506 the location of the Fairchild. 727 00:39:55,508 --> 00:39:57,241 The pilot couldn't believe. 728 00:39:57,243 --> 00:40:00,977 He thought I was lost, and he said, "No. You're lost." 729 00:40:00,979 --> 00:40:03,314 The pilot was certain Nando was mistaken 730 00:40:03,316 --> 00:40:04,849 about the plane's location, 731 00:40:04,851 --> 00:40:10,254 for he and Roberto had achieved the impossible, 732 00:40:10,256 --> 00:40:11,989 but Nando boarded the helicopter 733 00:40:11,991 --> 00:40:14,391 and directed the military to his friends. 734 00:40:14,393 --> 00:40:17,394 When we finally went over the ridge 735 00:40:17,396 --> 00:40:19,329 and I saw the airplane, 736 00:40:19,331 --> 00:40:22,465 I saw my friends around the fuselage, 737 00:40:22,467 --> 00:40:25,402 and I started counting them to see if they were all alive. 738 00:40:29,142 --> 00:40:32,909 On December 23rd, after surviving a plane crash 739 00:40:32,911 --> 00:40:36,680 and 72 days in the harshest conditions possible, 740 00:40:36,682 --> 00:40:40,684 16 of the flight's 45 passengers were rescued. 741 00:40:45,491 --> 00:40:48,892 It was one of the greatest survival stories ever told, 742 00:40:48,894 --> 00:40:51,162 covered first by the South American media 743 00:40:51,164 --> 00:40:53,897 and then becoming a global sensation. 744 00:40:59,571 --> 00:41:01,705 So do you ask yourself the what-if question? 745 00:41:01,707 --> 00:41:05,242 If I hadn't climbed into that airplane, 746 00:41:05,244 --> 00:41:06,977 what would have happened to my life? 747 00:41:06,979 --> 00:41:08,245 I don't know. 748 00:41:08,247 --> 00:41:11,114 I deal with my present time here. 749 00:41:11,116 --> 00:41:14,518 I'm alive. 750 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,788 It's not possible to avoid all tragedy and disaster 751 00:41:17,790 --> 00:41:19,055 in our lives. 752 00:41:19,057 --> 00:41:21,458 There are too many unexplained moments, 753 00:41:21,460 --> 00:41:24,328 random choices and miraculous events, 754 00:41:24,330 --> 00:41:26,797 just like the ones that led, against all odds, 755 00:41:26,799 --> 00:41:32,202 to the rescue of those 16 passengers here in the Andes. 756 00:41:32,204 --> 00:41:37,207 I was lucky enough to be born twice. 757 00:41:37,209 --> 00:41:40,010 I had a first life, short. 758 00:41:40,012 --> 00:41:42,145 I was a young guy, rugby player. 759 00:41:42,147 --> 00:41:44,214 Then, I died and I resurrected, 760 00:41:44,216 --> 00:41:46,550 and I had a fantastic life afterwards 761 00:41:46,552 --> 00:41:49,753 because I chose my life. 762 00:41:49,755 --> 00:41:52,823 As for those who did not make it, 763 00:41:52,825 --> 00:41:55,358 their fate seems like an even greater mystery, 764 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:59,629 especially when set against a backdrop of such human triumph, 765 00:41:59,631 --> 00:42:01,966 but their memory certainly survives, 766 00:42:01,968 --> 00:42:04,635 along with this incredible story that will be told 767 00:42:04,637 --> 00:42:08,038 again and again for generations to come. 767 00:42:09,305 --> 00:43:09,499