"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 00:00:19,285 --> 00:00:24,057 The question that haunts us after any tragedy is "What if?" 3 00:00:24,124 --> 00:00:26,292 What if I hadn't been delayed? 4 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:28,428 What if I hadn't changed seats? 5 00:00:28,495 --> 00:00:32,198 What if I hadn't boarded that plane? 6 00:00:32,265 --> 00:00:34,567 Wow, look at this. 7 00:00:34,634 --> 00:00:38,438 In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team's flight 8 00:00:38,505 --> 00:00:40,206 crashed in the Andes. 9 00:00:40,273 --> 00:00:44,511 Of the 45 passengers on board, 29 survived the impact, 10 00:00:44,577 --> 00:00:47,113 but far fewer made it out of the mountains alive. 11 00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:49,949 If you make the wrong decision, you are dead. 12 00:00:50,016 --> 00:00:53,253 So why did some people survive while others perished? 13 00:00:53,319 --> 00:00:55,288 Be careful. 14 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:58,558 Do the choices we make determine our destiny, 15 00:00:58,625 --> 00:01:00,860 or is it all a matter of pure chance? 16 00:01:00,927 --> 00:01:03,630 -Don, can you hear me? -No. 17 00:01:03,697 --> 00:01:06,499 And what do you do when the odds of survival 18 00:01:06,566 --> 00:01:09,336 are stacked against you? 19 00:01:15,175 --> 00:01:16,676 I'm Don Wildman. 20 00:01:16,743 --> 00:01:19,179 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 21 00:01:19,245 --> 00:01:22,515 examined rare artifacts, and epic monuments. 22 00:01:22,582 --> 00:01:24,017 That is unbelievable. 23 00:01:24,084 --> 00:01:27,220 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 24 00:01:27,287 --> 00:01:29,422 and famous cases in history. 25 00:01:29,489 --> 00:01:32,258 My goal -- to get closer to the truth... 26 00:01:32,325 --> 00:01:34,728 Let's burn this place down. -Let's burn it down. 27 00:01:34,794 --> 00:01:36,896 ...on this special episode 28 00:01:36,963 --> 00:01:40,367 of "Mysteries at the Museum: Andes Rescue." 29 00:01:42,268 --> 00:01:45,972 [ Indistinct conversations ] 30 00:01:58,685 --> 00:02:02,956 [ Jet engine approaching ] 31 00:02:03,023 --> 00:02:06,559 [ Metal clattering ] 32 00:02:06,626 --> 00:02:09,662 [ Indistinct conversations ] 33 00:02:12,766 --> 00:02:15,902 [ Man breathing heavily ] 34 00:02:25,912 --> 00:02:30,850 On October 13, 1972, the Old Christians rugby team 35 00:02:30,917 --> 00:02:34,454 chartered a Fairchild FH-227 plane 36 00:02:34,521 --> 00:02:37,023 to take them from Montevideo, Uruguay 37 00:02:37,090 --> 00:02:39,292 to a match in Santiago, Chile. 38 00:02:39,359 --> 00:02:42,095 The team would never reach is destination. 39 00:02:42,162 --> 00:02:44,998 The plane crashed into the formidable Andes, 40 00:02:45,065 --> 00:02:48,034 and the lives of those 45 passengers aboard 41 00:02:48,101 --> 00:02:49,869 were forever changed. 42 00:02:49,936 --> 00:02:51,838 Some were killed instantly. 43 00:02:51,905 --> 00:02:53,606 Others survived, only to find themselves 44 00:02:53,673 --> 00:02:56,076 high in the mountains, stranded, 45 00:02:56,142 --> 00:02:59,079 with only the thinnest hope of rescue. 46 00:02:59,145 --> 00:03:01,915 It's a story about tragedy and survival, 47 00:03:01,981 --> 00:03:05,952 hopelessness and faith, choice and destiny. 48 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:08,355 With everything stacked against them, 49 00:03:08,421 --> 00:03:11,091 how would anyone live to tell this tale? 50 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,803 It was rugby season, and the Uruguayan players 51 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:25,872 were on their way to the annual game 52 00:03:25,939 --> 00:03:27,974 against Chile's top team, 53 00:03:28,041 --> 00:03:31,011 a match they had looked forward to all year. 54 00:03:31,077 --> 00:03:33,847 Because of bad weather over the Andes Mountains, 55 00:03:33,913 --> 00:03:36,082 the team's chartered flight had been grounded 56 00:03:36,149 --> 00:03:39,285 in Mendoza, Argentina the night before, 57 00:03:39,352 --> 00:03:41,988 so on the morning of October 13th, 58 00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:44,724 the team arrived at the airport and waited to see 59 00:03:44,791 --> 00:03:47,994 if the stormy weather had cleared. 60 00:03:48,061 --> 00:03:51,231 Nando Parrado was on that flight. 61 00:03:51,297 --> 00:03:56,336 We went to the airport, without really knowing 62 00:03:56,403 --> 00:03:58,772 if the flight was going to take place, 63 00:03:58,838 --> 00:04:03,109 but we were so anxious that we urged the pilots, 64 00:04:03,176 --> 00:04:04,644 "Come on. Let's go." 65 00:04:04,711 --> 00:04:08,715 Standing more than 6 feet tall, Nando's sheer size and strength 66 00:04:08,782 --> 00:04:12,185 made him a force to be reckoned with on the rugby field. 67 00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:15,321 At 22 years old, he was a fierce opponent, 68 00:04:15,388 --> 00:04:18,258 but his humility made him an excellent teammate. 69 00:04:18,324 --> 00:04:19,526 You were young guys, I mean, 70 00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:20,860 you were eager to go and play. 71 00:04:20,927 --> 00:04:24,698 The Old Christians Rugby Club was started by alumni 72 00:04:24,764 --> 00:04:26,666 from Montevideo's top high school, 73 00:04:26,733 --> 00:04:30,637 with players ranging from 18 to 25 years old. 74 00:04:30,704 --> 00:04:33,540 The club was given its name by the school's founders, 75 00:04:33,606 --> 00:04:35,342 the Christian brothers. 76 00:04:35,408 --> 00:04:37,377 Being part of such a prestigious team 77 00:04:37,444 --> 00:04:40,180 taught the players discipline and hard work, 78 00:04:40,246 --> 00:04:43,083 and it created a brotherly bond. 79 00:04:43,149 --> 00:04:46,786 It was a bond that would be put to the ultimate test, 80 00:04:46,853 --> 00:04:49,289 but the players weren't alone. 81 00:04:49,356 --> 00:04:51,324 So who was on the flight? It wasn't just the team. 82 00:04:51,391 --> 00:04:52,726 It was also family members. 83 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:56,996 17 players were on the team, plus family members, 84 00:04:57,063 --> 00:05:00,900 members of the club who come and watch the games, 85 00:05:00,967 --> 00:05:05,138 and my mother and my sister were also on the plane. 86 00:05:05,205 --> 00:05:08,842 As time ticked away, the plane's pilots were torn. 87 00:05:08,908 --> 00:05:11,044 They knew that the team desperately wanted 88 00:05:11,111 --> 00:05:12,479 to get to their match, 89 00:05:12,545 --> 00:05:15,048 but concerns about the possibility of more storms 90 00:05:15,115 --> 00:05:17,517 in the mountains lingered. 91 00:05:17,584 --> 00:05:20,520 Finally, the pilots settled on a flight plan. 92 00:05:20,587 --> 00:05:22,922 The plane would fly south to a pass 93 00:05:22,989 --> 00:05:27,060 where it would cross the Andes, then turn north to Santiago. 94 00:05:29,362 --> 00:05:30,930 When word came back from the cockpit 95 00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:34,634 that they were cleared for takeoff, the team was thrilled. 96 00:05:34,701 --> 00:05:39,239 From Mendoza to Santiago, usually, it's 45 minutes. 97 00:05:39,305 --> 00:05:44,544 The atmosphere in the airplane was of pure joy and amusement 98 00:05:44,611 --> 00:05:47,113 and the anticipation of a fantastic weekend. 99 00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:48,715 Sure. 100 00:05:48,782 --> 00:05:50,717 Everybody had girlfriends from their previous year, 101 00:05:50,784 --> 00:05:56,222 so they were anxious to arrive to the airport and phone them. 102 00:05:56,289 --> 00:06:01,494 Finally, after hours of waiting, the plane took off. 103 00:06:01,561 --> 00:06:05,265 I was sitting on the window, so as soon as we left Mendoza, 104 00:06:05,331 --> 00:06:07,834 my friend Panchito said, "Let me sit on the window 105 00:06:07,901 --> 00:06:10,236 because you have been sitting there 106 00:06:10,303 --> 00:06:13,807 and I want to look out," so we changed seats. 107 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,417 Shortly after takeoff, the plane banked towards the Andes. 108 00:06:24,484 --> 00:06:26,686 Right away, there was trouble. 109 00:06:26,753 --> 00:06:28,688 When the flight entered the mountain range, 110 00:06:28,755 --> 00:06:31,324 it was immediately engulfed in thick fog 111 00:06:31,391 --> 00:06:33,660 and encountered severe turbulence. 112 00:06:33,727 --> 00:06:39,532 It was strong turbulence and almost instant. 113 00:06:39,599 --> 00:06:44,104 It was flying very smoothly, and then, instantly, you know, 114 00:06:44,170 --> 00:06:46,573 two or three of those bumps. 115 00:06:46,639 --> 00:06:48,675 Yeah. Yeah. 116 00:06:48,742 --> 00:06:53,079 In the turbulent air, the pilots struggled to control the plane. 117 00:06:53,146 --> 00:06:54,447 Then they made a decision 118 00:06:54,514 --> 00:06:58,151 that would change the lives of every person on board. 119 00:06:58,218 --> 00:06:59,552 Calculating that they had crossed 120 00:06:59,619 --> 00:07:01,321 the highest point on the route 121 00:07:01,388 --> 00:07:02,789 and that they had reached the airspace 122 00:07:02,856 --> 00:07:06,659 above a town on the Chilean side of the mountains named Curico, 123 00:07:06,726 --> 00:07:10,530 the pilot radioed their location to air traffic control. 124 00:07:10,597 --> 00:07:13,366 The pilot then made his turn north towards Santiago 125 00:07:13,433 --> 00:07:16,636 and began the descent, but as the fog cleared, 126 00:07:16,703 --> 00:07:20,206 it became apparent that they had made a terrible mistake. 127 00:07:20,273 --> 00:07:25,245 I looked through the window, and, about, you know, 100 yards 128 00:07:25,311 --> 00:07:29,049 or 80 yards away from the airplane, 129 00:07:29,115 --> 00:07:32,519 a mountain went by, mixed with the clouds, 130 00:07:32,585 --> 00:07:36,322 so instantly, your mind goes into a mode that says, 131 00:07:36,389 --> 00:07:38,324 "Here, there's something completely wrong." 132 00:07:38,391 --> 00:07:41,628 -Right. -And then I got very afraid. 133 00:07:41,695 --> 00:07:43,997 The pilot tried to bring the plane back up 134 00:07:44,064 --> 00:07:48,201 to a higher altitude, but it was too late. 135 00:07:48,268 --> 00:07:50,270 The only thing is, I looked inside the airplane. 136 00:07:50,337 --> 00:07:53,139 I looked towards where my mother was, 137 00:07:53,206 --> 00:07:57,410 and then that's the moment that the plane hit the mountain. 138 00:07:57,477 --> 00:07:59,145 [ All screaming ] 139 00:07:59,212 --> 00:08:02,215 Everything turned black. 140 00:08:02,282 --> 00:08:04,718 In an instant, I died. 141 00:08:04,784 --> 00:08:06,786 I died on impact. I died on impact. 142 00:08:06,853 --> 00:08:13,393 It's so fast, I cannot even describe how fast it is. 143 00:08:13,460 --> 00:08:16,096 The impact ripped off the tail of the aircraft, 144 00:08:16,162 --> 00:08:19,099 sending the fuselage plummeting down the mountainside 145 00:08:19,165 --> 00:08:21,167 at 200 miles per hour. 146 00:08:31,011 --> 00:08:33,446 When it finally came to a stop on a glacier, 147 00:08:33,513 --> 00:08:36,616 five people were dead, and seven were missing, 148 00:08:36,683 --> 00:08:40,286 as was the entire tail section of the plane. 149 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:45,225 Nando himself was left unconscious and barely alive. 150 00:08:45,291 --> 00:08:46,459 My sister was alive. 151 00:08:46,526 --> 00:08:49,662 My mother died on impact. 152 00:08:49,729 --> 00:08:52,799 Panchito, his friend who he'd switched seats with, 153 00:08:52,866 --> 00:08:55,802 had also been killed in the crash. 154 00:08:55,869 --> 00:08:58,972 As the survivors recovered from the initial shock, 155 00:08:59,039 --> 00:09:01,775 those who are able, began to free their fellow passengers 156 00:09:01,841 --> 00:09:04,044 from the hunk of twisted metal. 157 00:09:04,110 --> 00:09:06,046 Many were injured, but incredibly, 158 00:09:06,112 --> 00:09:08,248 some made it through without a scratch. 159 00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:14,554 Two of the survivors, medical students 160 00:09:14,621 --> 00:09:17,357 Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino 161 00:09:17,424 --> 00:09:20,026 set about the grim process of deciding 162 00:09:20,093 --> 00:09:23,997 who could be saved and who was beyond hope. 163 00:09:24,064 --> 00:09:26,399 Together, they tended to the injured, 164 00:09:26,466 --> 00:09:30,270 setting broken bones and bandaging open wounds. 165 00:09:30,337 --> 00:09:33,440 The dead were removed from the fuselage. 166 00:09:33,506 --> 00:09:36,910 Nando, his head swollen to the size of a basketball, 167 00:09:36,976 --> 00:09:39,913 was dragged to the coldest part of the plane. 168 00:09:39,979 --> 00:09:43,650 His friends assumed he would soon join the dead. 169 00:09:43,717 --> 00:09:45,018 I was unconscious. 170 00:09:45,085 --> 00:09:48,421 I was lying there on the back of the airplane, 171 00:09:48,488 --> 00:09:49,522 my head in the snow, 172 00:09:49,589 --> 00:09:52,225 but the other guys were helping each other, 173 00:09:52,292 --> 00:09:54,961 embracing each other. 174 00:09:56,930 --> 00:09:59,399 The passengers were now stranded on a glacier 175 00:09:59,466 --> 00:10:02,235 somewhere in the Andes, a mountain range 176 00:10:02,302 --> 00:10:06,139 with elevations second only to Mount Everest. 177 00:10:06,206 --> 00:10:10,310 Surrounded by mountains over 22,000 feet in height, 178 00:10:10,377 --> 00:10:12,645 how long could they expect to survive 179 00:10:12,712 --> 00:10:15,849 in the brutal elements of the high Andes? 180 00:10:15,915 --> 00:10:18,718 There was desperation. 181 00:10:18,785 --> 00:10:20,487 You think you're going to die, 182 00:10:20,553 --> 00:10:23,223 but you do not know how you're going to die. 183 00:10:33,199 --> 00:10:37,337 WILDMAN: In 1972, a plane chartered by an Uruguayan rugby team 184 00:10:37,404 --> 00:10:39,472 to take them to a match in Chile 185 00:10:39,539 --> 00:10:42,475 slammed into the Andes Mountains. 186 00:10:42,542 --> 00:10:45,612 Miraculously, 33 of the 45 passengers 187 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:47,514 survived the initial impact, 188 00:10:47,580 --> 00:10:49,983 but their troubles were only beginning. 189 00:10:50,050 --> 00:10:54,054 They were stranded without a clue as to where they were. 190 00:11:01,194 --> 00:11:03,797 With the sun disappearing behind the peaks, 191 00:11:03,863 --> 00:11:05,498 the survivors had no choice 192 00:11:05,565 --> 00:11:07,967 but to prepare for a night on the mountain. 193 00:11:08,034 --> 00:11:11,171 The passengers had to figure out how to use the few items 194 00:11:11,237 --> 00:11:14,240 they had available to stay alive until morning. 195 00:11:14,307 --> 00:11:17,410 When something like this falls upon you, 196 00:11:17,477 --> 00:11:19,713 suddenly, everything changes. 197 00:11:19,779 --> 00:11:22,782 And our lives were fantastic. 198 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,584 We were young. We were sportsmen. 199 00:11:24,651 --> 00:11:28,188 And now, we were surviving like animals on a glacier. 200 00:11:33,693 --> 00:11:36,930 The crash site is not accessible during this time of year, 201 00:11:36,996 --> 00:11:41,468 so I'm exploring the lower Andes in Patagonia. 202 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:45,805 Here, I can get a sense of the elements the survivors faces. 203 00:11:45,872 --> 00:11:49,075 Craig Ross has been a mountain guide in this area for 20 years, 204 00:11:49,142 --> 00:11:51,811 and he'll be in charge of our safety. 205 00:11:51,878 --> 00:11:53,747 If there's anything lucky about this, 206 00:11:53,813 --> 00:11:57,150 it's that they landed with some fuselage left, right? 207 00:11:57,217 --> 00:11:59,219 Yeah, that was their basic shelter, 208 00:11:59,285 --> 00:12:02,989 to be sort of protected from the elements. 209 00:12:06,726 --> 00:12:08,862 Marcelo Pérez, the team captain, 210 00:12:08,928 --> 00:12:10,630 was calling the shots on the mountain 211 00:12:10,697 --> 00:12:12,632 as he did on the rugby field. 212 00:12:12,699 --> 00:12:15,602 At just 25 years old, he was a born leader, 213 00:12:15,669 --> 00:12:19,472 charismatic, fearless, and respected by all. 214 00:12:19,539 --> 00:12:21,608 He tasked everyone with a job. 215 00:12:21,675 --> 00:12:24,377 Some would work to clear out an area in the fuselage 216 00:12:24,444 --> 00:12:25,512 where the survivors could sleep, 217 00:12:25,578 --> 00:12:27,514 while others helped build a wall 218 00:12:27,580 --> 00:12:30,717 with the suitcases to block the wind. 219 00:12:32,952 --> 00:12:35,855 With temperatures well below freezing on the mountain, 220 00:12:35,922 --> 00:12:39,359 any liquid water was quickly turned to ice. 221 00:12:39,426 --> 00:12:43,029 While surrounded by snow, consuming it was not an option 222 00:12:43,096 --> 00:12:45,031 because it badly chapped their lips 223 00:12:45,098 --> 00:12:47,100 and blistered their mouths. 224 00:12:47,167 --> 00:12:49,235 The other things is at high altitudes, I understand, 225 00:12:49,302 --> 00:12:51,171 you're losing a lot of water faster, right? 226 00:12:51,237 --> 00:12:54,074 Yeah, you get dehydrated a lot faster. 227 00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:57,577 Within hours, the passengers were desperately thirsty, 228 00:12:57,644 --> 00:13:01,648 so first, they needed to figure out a way to melt the snow. 229 00:13:01,715 --> 00:13:03,350 So what do they do? 230 00:13:03,416 --> 00:13:07,053 Well, they... 231 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,655 It's a metal part, 232 00:13:08,722 --> 00:13:13,360 so the sun that's going to be reflecting on this, 233 00:13:13,426 --> 00:13:16,796 and over time, this is going to melt and dribble, 234 00:13:16,863 --> 00:13:19,666 and you can have a container here, and you've to water. 235 00:13:25,705 --> 00:13:28,375 But even if the group could manage to survive the night, 236 00:13:28,441 --> 00:13:30,677 it wasn't clear that Nando would. 237 00:13:30,744 --> 00:13:32,712 He had fractured his skull on impact, 238 00:13:32,779 --> 00:13:35,382 and his brain continued to swell. 239 00:13:35,448 --> 00:13:38,518 Nando remained in a coma, and his sister, Susy, 240 00:13:38,585 --> 00:13:41,855 badly injured, was also clinging to life. 241 00:13:41,921 --> 00:13:44,958 Everybody thinks in a different way. 242 00:13:45,025 --> 00:13:49,729 Some guys probably said, "Okay. We are done. I won't fight." 243 00:13:49,796 --> 00:13:51,264 Some of the guys said, "Okay. 244 00:13:51,331 --> 00:13:55,101 I'll pray, and God will send us help." 245 00:13:59,806 --> 00:14:01,941 While Nando remained unconscious, 246 00:14:02,008 --> 00:14:04,711 the other survivors found a small transistor radio 247 00:14:04,778 --> 00:14:06,479 among the wreckage. 248 00:14:06,546 --> 00:14:08,782 While they were unable to communicate out, 249 00:14:08,848 --> 00:14:11,251 they could listen in to a Chilean station, 250 00:14:11,317 --> 00:14:13,053 where, sure enough, they heard reports 251 00:14:13,119 --> 00:14:16,756 of a search-and-rescue mission already underway. 252 00:14:16,823 --> 00:14:19,392 It was the first sign of real hope. 253 00:14:21,995 --> 00:14:24,931 Luckily, we were a team, and we knew each other quite well, 254 00:14:24,998 --> 00:14:27,634 so we took care of each other. 255 00:14:27,701 --> 00:14:30,704 We embraced each other, and the atmosphere was 256 00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:37,777 of despair, anguish, 257 00:14:38,445 --> 00:14:42,349 fear, and hope 258 00:14:42,415 --> 00:14:45,819 because the helicopters would arrive any minute. 259 00:14:51,491 --> 00:14:54,728 One night turned into two and then three, 260 00:14:54,794 --> 00:14:57,263 and everyone on the mountain started to wonder, 261 00:14:57,330 --> 00:14:59,566 "What if help wasn't on the way?" 262 00:15:10,643 --> 00:15:13,713 WILDMAN: On October 13, 1972, 263 00:15:13,780 --> 00:15:17,250 Flight 571, carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, 264 00:15:17,317 --> 00:15:20,620 crashed in the Andes Mountains. 265 00:15:20,687 --> 00:15:25,291 12 of the 45 passengers were killed immediately. 266 00:15:25,358 --> 00:15:28,361 Overnight, five more died, 267 00:15:28,428 --> 00:15:31,498 leaving 28 people fighting for their survival. 268 00:15:33,700 --> 00:15:35,802 [ Indistinct conversations ] 269 00:15:38,605 --> 00:15:42,409 Upon impact, Nando Parrado had been rendered unconscious 270 00:15:42,475 --> 00:15:44,110 with a gaping head wound. 271 00:15:44,177 --> 00:15:46,946 For four days, he lay still on the ice, 272 00:15:47,013 --> 00:15:50,950 clinging to life and unaware of the ongoing struggles. 273 00:15:51,017 --> 00:15:54,554 Finally, on day five, he woke up. 274 00:15:54,621 --> 00:15:58,058 When I started to come back to my senses, 275 00:15:58,124 --> 00:16:00,026 my head was hurting a lot, 276 00:16:00,093 --> 00:16:02,429 and, you know, I touched my head. 277 00:16:02,495 --> 00:16:05,098 It was full of blood, and it actually moved. 278 00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:06,132 Oof. Ah. 279 00:16:06,199 --> 00:16:08,768 So I said, "This is not good." 280 00:16:08,835 --> 00:16:12,505 My first night with consciousness 281 00:16:12,572 --> 00:16:17,944 was very long, very cold. 282 00:16:18,011 --> 00:16:20,513 I was very afraid. 283 00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:23,049 The only thought I was asking myself was, 284 00:16:23,116 --> 00:16:24,818 "Why? Why this happen to me?" 285 00:16:24,884 --> 00:16:29,422 And I couldn't understand how slow time goes by, 286 00:16:29,489 --> 00:16:33,093 so my first night was never-ending. 287 00:16:33,159 --> 00:16:35,395 Did you have any idea where you were? 288 00:16:35,462 --> 00:16:37,831 We knew that we were in the Andes Mountains, 289 00:16:37,897 --> 00:16:40,800 but the only information was given to us 290 00:16:40,867 --> 00:16:43,269 by the pilot before he died, 291 00:16:43,336 --> 00:16:45,505 when he said, "We passed Curico," 292 00:16:45,572 --> 00:16:48,441 so you hoped helicopters would come any time. 293 00:16:51,978 --> 00:16:54,948 Curico is a Chilean city located in the foothills 294 00:16:55,015 --> 00:16:56,416 of the Andes Mountains, 295 00:16:56,483 --> 00:16:58,184 and, according to the radio reports, 296 00:16:58,251 --> 00:17:00,620 that's where the search would start. 297 00:17:00,687 --> 00:17:02,889 For three days, the survivors heard the planes 298 00:17:02,956 --> 00:17:06,960 flying overhead, so why hadn't they been spotted yet? 299 00:17:11,898 --> 00:17:13,800 What kind of challenges did the rescue team 300 00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:16,703 face in the treacherous, high Andes, 301 00:17:16,770 --> 00:17:19,539 and at what point does the mission shift from search 302 00:17:19,606 --> 00:17:22,909 to recovery to locate the wreckage and the bodies? 303 00:17:42,062 --> 00:17:44,798 Why was it so hard to find this particular plane? 304 00:17:44,864 --> 00:17:48,768 There are so many, many miles of isolated terrain. 305 00:17:48,835 --> 00:17:51,304 I's almost impossible to cover it all, 306 00:17:51,371 --> 00:17:55,775 and the size of an airplane is so small. 307 00:17:55,842 --> 00:17:57,410 That's the thing. 308 00:17:57,477 --> 00:17:59,979 It's very deceptive and disorienting that -- 309 00:18:00,046 --> 00:18:03,183 Whoa, there's some of that wind. 310 00:18:03,249 --> 00:18:04,551 That's a little frightening, isn't it? 311 00:18:08,888 --> 00:18:11,424 The rescue pilots faced the very elements 312 00:18:11,491 --> 00:18:13,493 that aided in bringing down the Fairchild 313 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:14,861 in the first place. 314 00:18:14,928 --> 00:18:17,864 Okay, well, this just got a lot more interesting 315 00:18:17,931 --> 00:18:20,166 as we hold on in the wind. 316 00:18:20,233 --> 00:18:25,105 The difficulty of finding one object in this vastness -- 317 00:18:25,171 --> 00:18:29,042 I mean, my God, it's a huge, huge area to search in, 318 00:18:29,109 --> 00:18:30,710 let alone how small that really was. 319 00:18:30,777 --> 00:18:32,779 This was no longer a plane we're talking about. 320 00:18:32,846 --> 00:18:34,948 This is part of a plane, a fuselage of it. 321 00:18:35,015 --> 00:18:36,649 Yeah. Right. 322 00:18:36,716 --> 00:18:39,219 What's the likelihood of finding anyone 323 00:18:39,285 --> 00:18:41,121 in a situation like that? 324 00:18:41,187 --> 00:18:42,655 Almost impossible. 325 00:18:48,495 --> 00:18:51,097 With no sign of the plane or its passengers, 326 00:18:51,164 --> 00:18:54,401 the rescuers were losing hope, but little do they know, 327 00:18:54,467 --> 00:18:56,536 the survivors were listening to reports 328 00:18:56,603 --> 00:18:59,339 of the search on their radio. 329 00:18:59,406 --> 00:19:02,242 The rescue pilots had to make a choice -- 330 00:19:02,308 --> 00:19:05,412 continue to risk their own lives and look for the plane 331 00:19:05,478 --> 00:19:09,482 or call off what was beginning to seem like a hopeless search. 332 00:19:13,553 --> 00:19:15,455 Finally, after 10 days, 333 00:19:15,522 --> 00:19:17,624 the rescuers made a fateful decision 334 00:19:17,691 --> 00:19:21,061 and called off the mission. 335 00:19:21,127 --> 00:19:23,663 Bask on the mountain, huddled around the radio, 336 00:19:23,730 --> 00:19:27,400 the remaining survivors learned the crushing news. 337 00:19:27,467 --> 00:19:29,569 Three of us, Marcello, the captain, was there. 338 00:19:29,636 --> 00:19:33,440 Roy Howley was there, I was there, and I froze. 339 00:19:33,506 --> 00:19:34,574 I froze. 340 00:19:34,641 --> 00:19:36,543 I froze completely, and I was so afraid 341 00:19:36,609 --> 00:19:38,211 that I couldn't even think. 342 00:19:38,278 --> 00:19:40,780 Because at this moment, that's a death sentence. 343 00:19:40,847 --> 00:19:42,916 When you're condemned to die, 344 00:19:42,982 --> 00:19:47,420 fear overcomes every feeling, every thought. 345 00:19:47,487 --> 00:19:51,858 Hope turned to despair as another tragedy struck. 346 00:19:51,925 --> 00:19:54,627 After clinging to life for eight days, 347 00:19:54,694 --> 00:19:58,264 Nando's sister, Susy, died from her injuries. 348 00:19:58,331 --> 00:20:01,067 She was 20 years old. 349 00:20:01,134 --> 00:20:03,603 The passengers were living a nightmare. 350 00:20:03,670 --> 00:20:06,106 Conditions in the fuselage were cramped, 351 00:20:06,172 --> 00:20:10,410 and subzero temperatures made sleeping almost impossible, 352 00:20:10,477 --> 00:20:14,414 and to make matters even worse, after a week without food, 353 00:20:14,481 --> 00:20:16,716 the survivors were slowly dying. 354 00:20:19,686 --> 00:20:23,556 Hunger is one of the most primitive fears 355 00:20:23,623 --> 00:20:25,258 of the human being. 356 00:20:25,325 --> 00:20:26,292 Hmm. 357 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,362 Hunger is impossible to understand 358 00:20:29,429 --> 00:20:31,464 unless the situation is real. 359 00:20:31,531 --> 00:20:33,900 I don't know if you understand that. 360 00:20:33,967 --> 00:20:36,036 It's not like fasting. 361 00:20:36,102 --> 00:20:39,606 If you fast, you only test your character 362 00:20:39,673 --> 00:20:41,341 not to open the fridge, 363 00:20:41,408 --> 00:20:45,979 but hunger, when you do not know when you're going to eat again, 364 00:20:46,046 --> 00:20:51,084 it's the biggest fear a human being can have. 365 00:20:51,151 --> 00:20:52,819 What little food was on the plane 366 00:20:52,886 --> 00:20:55,588 had been consumed in the first few days. 367 00:20:55,655 --> 00:20:58,391 The desperate passengers were now so hungry, 368 00:20:58,458 --> 00:21:01,594 they even tried to eat pieces of leather from the suitcases 369 00:21:01,661 --> 00:21:04,798 and fabric from the plane seats. 370 00:21:04,864 --> 00:21:06,866 When you're on the moon or Venus 371 00:21:06,933 --> 00:21:09,402 or in the highest peaks of the Andes, 372 00:21:09,469 --> 00:21:10,437 there's nothing there. 373 00:21:10,503 --> 00:21:11,638 -Yep. -There's nothing. 374 00:21:11,705 --> 00:21:12,906 Barren land. 375 00:21:12,972 --> 00:21:16,109 You can survive on the ocean, on the jungle, 376 00:21:16,176 --> 00:21:17,944 on the desert with more chances. 377 00:21:18,011 --> 00:21:22,349 You cannot survive on the high peaks of the mountains, 378 00:21:22,415 --> 00:21:26,653 so your brain looks for food, 379 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:28,655 and the only food that's available 380 00:21:28,722 --> 00:21:30,657 are the dead bodies of your friends. 381 00:21:30,724 --> 00:21:32,058 Yeah. 382 00:21:32,125 --> 00:21:35,161 And that's the only decision, and it is easily taken 383 00:21:35,228 --> 00:21:37,497 because it's the only decision. 384 00:21:37,564 --> 00:21:39,699 Of course. 385 00:21:41,735 --> 00:21:44,270 With no sign of help and no clear way 386 00:21:44,337 --> 00:21:45,872 to get off the mountain, 387 00:21:45,939 --> 00:21:49,709 the group had to make a choice between life and death, 388 00:21:49,776 --> 00:21:54,180 but the only way to live was to consume the bodies of the dead. 389 00:21:54,247 --> 00:21:55,882 The group made a pact. 390 00:21:55,949 --> 00:21:57,517 If any of them were to die, 391 00:21:57,584 --> 00:22:00,487 they would offer their body up to save the others, 392 00:22:00,553 --> 00:22:02,989 but out of respect, the bodies of Nando's mother 393 00:22:03,056 --> 00:22:06,626 and sister would be spared. 394 00:22:06,693 --> 00:22:08,361 For the survivors on the mountainside, 395 00:22:08,428 --> 00:22:10,130 the outcome looked bleak. 396 00:22:10,196 --> 00:22:12,365 Had their lives been spared thus far 397 00:22:12,432 --> 00:22:16,036 only to face certain death in the Andes? 398 00:22:16,102 --> 00:22:18,838 The mountain wasn't finished with them yet. 399 00:22:18,905 --> 00:22:21,074 Another tragedy was about to strike, 400 00:22:21,141 --> 00:22:23,643 and not everyone was going to escape with their lives. 401 00:22:34,821 --> 00:22:37,323 WILDMAN: In October of 1972, 402 00:22:37,390 --> 00:22:40,226 a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team 403 00:22:40,293 --> 00:22:42,962 crashed into a remote section of the Andes Mountains 404 00:22:43,029 --> 00:22:46,332 along the border between Argentina and Chile. 405 00:22:46,399 --> 00:22:50,670 Only 27 of the 45 passengers remained alive. 406 00:22:50,737 --> 00:22:54,240 In fact, things were so bad that the remaining survivors 407 00:22:54,307 --> 00:22:57,344 had been forced to consume the bodies of the dead. 408 00:23:02,248 --> 00:23:06,286 And then, on the 17th night, as they lay down to sleep, 409 00:23:06,353 --> 00:23:08,021 things took a turn for the worse. 410 00:23:14,227 --> 00:23:18,264 One second before, I was talking to somebody. 411 00:23:18,331 --> 00:23:20,533 One second later, I was buried. 412 00:23:24,704 --> 00:23:28,375 It took me four or five seconds to realize this is an avalanche, 413 00:23:28,441 --> 00:23:29,976 and I couldn't move, 414 00:23:30,043 --> 00:23:33,913 and I couldn't breathe, and I said, "I'm dead." 415 00:23:33,980 --> 00:23:36,583 An avalanche had barreled down the mountainside 416 00:23:36,649 --> 00:23:38,752 into the open end of the fuselage, 417 00:23:38,818 --> 00:23:40,620 knocking down their makeshift wall 418 00:23:40,687 --> 00:23:43,023 and burying everyone inside. 419 00:23:43,089 --> 00:23:47,060 I had snow in my mouth, in my eyes, in my ears, 420 00:23:47,127 --> 00:23:50,230 and I couldn't move. 421 00:23:50,296 --> 00:23:54,334 Miraculously, not everyone was buried deep under the snow. 422 00:23:54,401 --> 00:23:56,770 A few people were covered with only a few inches 423 00:23:56,836 --> 00:23:59,673 and were able to free themselves quickly. 424 00:23:59,739 --> 00:24:02,742 About 10, 15 seconds after the avalanche stopped, 425 00:24:02,809 --> 00:24:04,210 four guys were out of the avalanche. 426 00:24:04,277 --> 00:24:05,478 Okay. 427 00:24:05,545 --> 00:24:08,715 And then, they started digging shafts and tunnels 428 00:24:08,782 --> 00:24:12,752 to the positions where they knew the heads of the guys were. 429 00:24:12,819 --> 00:24:17,757 Unable to move or breathe, all Nando could do was wait. 430 00:24:17,824 --> 00:24:19,659 For those now trapped in the fuselage, 431 00:24:19,726 --> 00:24:23,396 an inescapable nightmare was made even worse. 432 00:24:32,038 --> 00:24:33,440 When it comes to avalanches, 433 00:24:33,506 --> 00:24:38,478 what separates those who perish from those who survive? 434 00:24:38,545 --> 00:24:41,414 As a mountain guide, Craig Ross needs to be prepared 435 00:24:41,481 --> 00:24:42,916 for avalanches. 436 00:24:42,982 --> 00:24:45,151 He understands better than most the pressure 437 00:24:45,218 --> 00:24:49,956 put on the survivors in 1972 to save their friends' lives. 438 00:24:50,023 --> 00:24:53,460 In an avalanche, there is an opportunity to survive, right? 439 00:24:53,526 --> 00:24:55,695 We call it a critical time of 15 minutes 440 00:24:55,762 --> 00:24:58,865 to be able to be rescued in. 441 00:24:58,932 --> 00:25:01,468 With every minute a person is under the snow, 442 00:25:01,534 --> 00:25:05,071 the odds of survival drastically decrease. 443 00:25:05,138 --> 00:25:07,307 To give me some sense of what Nando 444 00:25:07,374 --> 00:25:09,442 and the others were up against that night, 445 00:25:09,509 --> 00:25:11,277 Craig is going to bury me in the snow 446 00:25:11,344 --> 00:25:13,546 and put his rescue skills to the test, 447 00:25:13,613 --> 00:25:17,117 so I can see how important teamwork was to their survival. 448 00:25:20,553 --> 00:25:21,755 ROSS: Damian is going to bury you. 449 00:25:21,821 --> 00:25:23,289 I don't know where you're going to be buried. 450 00:25:23,356 --> 00:25:24,357 -Okay. -Okay? 451 00:25:24,424 --> 00:25:25,525 I'm going to go and search for you. 452 00:25:25,592 --> 00:25:26,926 WILDMAN: All right. 453 00:25:26,993 --> 00:25:29,863 So I'm going to get down into that hole there, 454 00:25:29,929 --> 00:25:35,268 and they're going to bury me, which is a little freaky. 455 00:25:35,335 --> 00:25:39,372 Yeah, exactly. 456 00:25:39,439 --> 00:25:41,274 There we go. Okay. 457 00:25:41,341 --> 00:25:43,877 -Okay. See you later. -Okay, good-bye. 458 00:25:43,943 --> 00:25:47,347 It's never a good idea to get underneath something 459 00:25:47,414 --> 00:25:49,416 and be completely buried 460 00:25:49,482 --> 00:25:51,718 and then have only limited oxygen. 461 00:25:57,290 --> 00:25:58,892 Look at all this. 462 00:25:58,958 --> 00:26:00,260 I can't move my legs. 463 00:26:00,326 --> 00:26:04,097 I can hardly move my arms this way. 464 00:26:04,164 --> 00:26:05,465 You know, in an ideal situation, 465 00:26:05,532 --> 00:26:08,101 I would've made an air pocket for myself, like so, 466 00:26:08,168 --> 00:26:12,539 but these guys were in the middle of the night, asleep, 467 00:26:12,605 --> 00:26:15,642 and suddenly immobilized, I imagine. 468 00:26:15,709 --> 00:26:19,646 With so much snow, it's just tight, compacted space. 469 00:26:19,713 --> 00:26:22,182 It was like a submarine in the bottom 470 00:26:22,248 --> 00:26:25,085 of the ocean with no engines. 471 00:26:25,151 --> 00:26:27,253 How do you get out of there? 472 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:32,425 We didn't know if we had 10 feet of snow on top of us, 473 00:26:32,492 --> 00:26:35,695 50 feet, 100 feet. 474 00:26:35,762 --> 00:26:37,063 There's no light. 475 00:26:37,130 --> 00:26:40,800 But we started fighting again. 476 00:26:40,867 --> 00:26:43,136 Back on the mountain, Nando was losing consciousness 477 00:26:43,203 --> 00:26:44,771 under the snow. 478 00:26:44,838 --> 00:26:47,440 Above him, his friends were desperately digging to free 479 00:26:47,507 --> 00:26:49,576 those trapped in the avalanche. 480 00:26:49,642 --> 00:26:51,578 So we broke one of the windows 481 00:26:51,644 --> 00:26:53,980 on the cockpit of the airplane 482 00:26:54,047 --> 00:26:55,482 with our hands and our feet. 483 00:26:55,548 --> 00:26:58,651 We didn't have any tools, and we started digging like rabbits. 484 00:27:02,389 --> 00:27:04,958 How long can you hold your breath, one minute, 485 00:27:05,025 --> 00:27:07,027 two minutes, three minutes? 486 00:27:07,093 --> 00:27:10,063 You cannot breathe under an avalanche. 487 00:27:10,130 --> 00:27:14,034 [ Exhales heavily ] 488 00:27:14,100 --> 00:27:16,169 Oh, eh. 489 00:27:16,236 --> 00:27:17,470 Yeah? 490 00:27:17,537 --> 00:27:20,674 -Hey. You okay? -Get me out of here. 491 00:27:20,740 --> 00:27:23,810 Then, suddenly, he was pulled free. 492 00:27:23,877 --> 00:27:26,813 Nando had cheated death once again, 493 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:28,748 but not everyone was so fortunate. 494 00:27:28,815 --> 00:27:30,250 They saved 19. 495 00:27:30,316 --> 00:27:32,619 -Wow. -Eight died in the avalanche. 496 00:27:40,660 --> 00:27:43,163 It had been 20 days since the plane crashed 497 00:27:43,229 --> 00:27:44,297 into the Andes Mountains. 498 00:27:44,364 --> 00:27:47,367 What had started out with 45 passengers 499 00:27:47,434 --> 00:27:49,736 was now down to 19 survivors, 500 00:27:49,803 --> 00:27:52,472 each clinging desperately to life. 501 00:27:52,539 --> 00:27:54,240 The only thing that you have is time to think, 502 00:27:54,307 --> 00:27:56,976 and then, I said, "Okay." 503 00:27:57,043 --> 00:28:00,213 I changed places with my friend on the flight, 504 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:01,781 and I survived. 505 00:28:01,848 --> 00:28:03,149 He didn't survive. 506 00:28:03,216 --> 00:28:04,417 Then I survived the crash. 507 00:28:04,484 --> 00:28:07,287 I survived a concussion on my head. 508 00:28:07,354 --> 00:28:10,924 I survived the avalanche, and I said "Why? 509 00:28:10,990 --> 00:28:15,295 Why me, and why not the other ones?" 510 00:28:15,362 --> 00:28:18,665 Once freed, the reality of losing more of their friends 511 00:28:18,732 --> 00:28:20,400 set in. 512 00:28:20,467 --> 00:28:23,403 The mountain was going to kill them, too. 513 00:28:23,470 --> 00:28:26,439 The only way to survive was to hike to safety, 514 00:28:26,506 --> 00:28:31,011 but what other deadly obstacles lie ahead? 515 00:28:31,077 --> 00:28:33,780 Could Nando and the others achieve the impossible 516 00:28:33,847 --> 00:28:35,749 and rescue themselves? 517 00:28:35,815 --> 00:28:39,452 I said, "I'm going to fight until I die." 518 00:28:39,519 --> 00:28:45,592 My only profound thought was, "If I'm breathing, I'm alive." 519 00:28:55,301 --> 00:28:58,638 WILDMAN: In 1972, a plan carrying a rugby team 520 00:28:58,705 --> 00:29:01,274 from Uruguay along with their family and friends 521 00:29:01,341 --> 00:29:03,843 crashed high in the Andes Mountains. 522 00:29:03,910 --> 00:29:06,713 He plane had 45 passengers, 523 00:29:06,780 --> 00:29:08,982 but after more than a month in the elements, 524 00:29:09,049 --> 00:29:11,117 only 19 remained, 525 00:29:11,184 --> 00:29:14,287 and it was clear that help was not on the way. 526 00:29:14,354 --> 00:29:16,523 In order the survive, those still alive 527 00:29:16,589 --> 00:29:18,358 were forced to eat the dead. 528 00:29:23,563 --> 00:29:26,566 The remaining survivors knew they had to do something, 529 00:29:26,633 --> 00:29:29,102 or they too would surely die. 530 00:29:29,169 --> 00:29:31,271 After surviving an avalanche, 531 00:29:31,338 --> 00:29:34,140 Nando had finally been pushed to his limit. 532 00:29:34,207 --> 00:29:38,611 Once you're condemned to die, you look for an escape, 533 00:29:38,678 --> 00:29:40,213 and I didn't want to die. 534 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,149 I was so afraid of dying that I said, 535 00:29:43,216 --> 00:29:45,685 "If I have a chance, I will fight against this mountain." 536 00:29:48,388 --> 00:29:50,056 As starvation threatened, 537 00:29:50,123 --> 00:29:52,659 Nando felt there was only one option -- 538 00:29:52,726 --> 00:29:55,028 to hike off the mountain. 539 00:29:55,095 --> 00:29:58,331 It was clear the only way out was by foot, 540 00:29:58,398 --> 00:29:59,766 but how were these men, 541 00:29:59,833 --> 00:30:03,403 some 70 pounds underweight and weakened from the cold, 542 00:30:03,470 --> 00:30:08,508 going to scale the highest peaks of the Andes with no equipment? 543 00:30:11,478 --> 00:30:14,914 The Andes contain some of the highest peaks in the world, 544 00:30:14,981 --> 00:30:18,551 with elevations above 22,000 feet. 545 00:30:18,618 --> 00:30:21,588 The mountains were our opponents, 546 00:30:21,654 --> 00:30:24,090 and they gave us their biggest threat, 547 00:30:24,157 --> 00:30:25,191 and we said, "Okay. 548 00:30:25,258 --> 00:30:28,161 Let's fight against them with what we have. 549 00:30:28,228 --> 00:30:29,462 What do we have? 550 00:30:29,529 --> 00:30:36,069 Teamwork, resilience, and the willing to be alive." 551 00:30:36,136 --> 00:30:37,337 Yeah. 552 00:30:44,110 --> 00:30:46,413 The young rugby players were about to face 553 00:30:46,479 --> 00:30:48,915 their ultimate test of survival. 554 00:30:48,982 --> 00:30:52,185 The fuselage was surrounded by mountains on all sides, 555 00:30:52,252 --> 00:30:54,721 with the highest peaks to the west. 556 00:30:54,788 --> 00:30:57,223 I said, "Okay. I want to get out of here." 557 00:30:57,290 --> 00:31:01,227 I was afraid of trying to escape alone. 558 00:31:01,294 --> 00:31:03,997 Accompanying him would be fellow rugby teammates 559 00:31:04,064 --> 00:31:08,168 Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintín. 560 00:31:08,234 --> 00:31:11,004 On November 17th, the hikers set out, 561 00:31:11,071 --> 00:31:13,406 knowing there was a real possibility 562 00:31:13,473 --> 00:31:14,841 they would never return. 563 00:31:14,908 --> 00:31:17,644 We didn't have any idea where we were. 564 00:31:17,711 --> 00:31:19,646 Everything is white. 565 00:31:19,713 --> 00:31:21,948 How tall are the mountains? We didn't know. 566 00:31:22,015 --> 00:31:25,218 We couldn't understand the height and the distances, 567 00:31:25,285 --> 00:31:28,655 and we said, "Maybe one day or maybe two days, 568 00:31:28,722 --> 00:31:31,591 we'll find a town or something like that." 569 00:31:32,959 --> 00:31:36,596 After hours of hiking, they made an unexpected discovery. 570 00:31:39,566 --> 00:31:41,668 About four or five hours away from the airplane, 571 00:31:41,735 --> 00:31:45,638 we found the tail by luck, by chance. Oh, I see. 572 00:31:45,705 --> 00:31:47,173 You didn't know. -We didn't know it was there. 573 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:48,375 The tail of the plane, 574 00:31:48,441 --> 00:31:50,877 missing since the crash over a month ago, 575 00:31:50,944 --> 00:31:53,079 appeared on the horizon. 576 00:31:53,146 --> 00:31:56,116 It was an incredible find, but one item they found 577 00:31:56,182 --> 00:31:57,717 among the wreckage of the tail 578 00:31:57,784 --> 00:31:59,853 would nearly tear the group apart 579 00:31:59,919 --> 00:32:02,489 and put their escape plan in jeopardy. 580 00:32:05,725 --> 00:32:08,795 Inside, they found the batteries to the plane's radio, 581 00:32:08,862 --> 00:32:11,865 which had been broken during the crash. 582 00:32:11,931 --> 00:32:15,502 Once again, the survivors were faced with a pivotal choice. 583 00:32:15,568 --> 00:32:19,205 Should they attempt to hike out or abandon that plan 584 00:32:19,272 --> 00:32:21,541 and try to get the radio to work? 585 00:32:21,608 --> 00:32:22,976 If they continued to hike through 586 00:32:23,043 --> 00:32:24,377 the treacherous mountains, 587 00:32:24,444 --> 00:32:26,780 there was no telling what their fate would be, 588 00:32:26,846 --> 00:32:29,049 but if they could get the plane's radio to work, 589 00:32:29,115 --> 00:32:32,986 they might be able to call for rescue. 590 00:32:33,053 --> 00:32:40,060 Those extreme moments define the rest of your life. 591 00:32:40,427 --> 00:32:42,629 If you make the wrong decision, you are dead. 592 00:32:42,696 --> 00:32:44,364 Mm-hmm. 593 00:32:44,431 --> 00:32:46,800 Nando believed that they needed to continue to hike 594 00:32:46,866 --> 00:32:48,935 while they still had the strength, 595 00:32:49,002 --> 00:32:51,371 but Roberto felt sure that, with the batteries, 596 00:32:51,438 --> 00:32:53,873 they could get the pilot's radio to work, 597 00:32:53,940 --> 00:32:56,209 and so, the hike was abandoned. 598 00:32:56,276 --> 00:32:59,779 The group dragged the heavy batteries back to the fuselage. 599 00:32:59,846 --> 00:33:02,382 It would be a costly decision. 600 00:33:02,449 --> 00:33:04,217 The passengers worked day and night 601 00:33:04,284 --> 00:33:06,653 to try to get a signal out. 602 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:10,090 Days turned into weeks, but as time passed, 603 00:33:10,156 --> 00:33:13,026 people became disgusted by consuming the bodies 604 00:33:13,093 --> 00:33:14,961 and stopped eating altogether. 605 00:33:15,028 --> 00:33:18,231 Three people died of starvation. 606 00:33:18,298 --> 00:33:20,734 Something had to be done. 607 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,337 This was one of the biggest decisions of my life, probably. 608 00:33:24,404 --> 00:33:27,240 I always look back, and I'm amazed 609 00:33:27,307 --> 00:33:30,176 at how did I take that decision. 610 00:33:30,243 --> 00:33:31,945 I said, "Okay, I'm leaving tomorrow. 611 00:33:32,012 --> 00:33:33,780 I am going to Chile." 612 00:33:33,847 --> 00:33:36,983 With Nando's ultimatum, they abandoned the plane's radio 613 00:33:37,050 --> 00:33:38,685 and decided to again attempt 614 00:33:38,752 --> 00:33:41,855 to climb out of the mountains and find help. 615 00:33:41,921 --> 00:33:45,058 Nando, Roberto, and Antonio agreed on one thing 616 00:33:45,125 --> 00:33:47,460 based on the pilot's dying words. 617 00:33:47,527 --> 00:33:52,198 Chile was to the west and should be just over the high mountain, 618 00:33:52,265 --> 00:33:55,669 but could they actually beat the odds and save themselves? 619 00:34:03,176 --> 00:34:06,546 As if the snow wasn't hard enough, 620 00:34:06,613 --> 00:34:08,214 the worst was yet to come. 621 00:34:08,281 --> 00:34:11,384 They meet walls of rock to climb, 622 00:34:11,451 --> 00:34:13,953 requiring expert mountaineering skills 623 00:34:14,020 --> 00:34:17,657 that they don't have, or the equipment to do it, 624 00:34:17,724 --> 00:34:19,693 but they had to go over. 625 00:34:19,759 --> 00:34:21,027 All right. 626 00:34:21,094 --> 00:34:23,430 To find a path out, the hikers would first need 627 00:34:23,496 --> 00:34:26,733 to scale a 15,000-foot peak. 628 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,303 To get a better idea of this monumental challenge, 629 00:34:30,370 --> 00:34:32,072 I'm going for a climb. 630 00:34:32,138 --> 00:34:33,740 So how am I getting up there? 631 00:34:33,807 --> 00:34:35,809 I'm going to be belaying you from the top, 632 00:34:35,875 --> 00:34:37,544 okay, so don't worry. 633 00:34:37,610 --> 00:34:40,513 Just have really good footwork. 634 00:34:40,580 --> 00:34:42,515 Take it easy. Keep your balance. 635 00:34:42,582 --> 00:34:43,817 Yeah, okay, good. 636 00:34:43,883 --> 00:34:45,585 It's hard enough with all the gear, 637 00:34:45,652 --> 00:34:48,588 but taking on a mountain, for three inexperienced men 638 00:34:48,655 --> 00:34:50,957 weak from hunger, is unthinkable. 639 00:34:53,460 --> 00:34:55,061 All right. Here I come. 640 00:34:55,128 --> 00:34:56,930 I can see there's just a ton of broken rock 641 00:34:56,996 --> 00:34:58,064 right there, isn't there? 642 00:34:58,131 --> 00:34:59,399 It is. Just be careful. 643 00:34:59,466 --> 00:35:00,700 All right. 644 00:35:00,767 --> 00:35:02,535 Get close up to this stuff, and you can see 645 00:35:02,602 --> 00:35:04,971 where you could slip and fall so easily. 646 00:35:05,038 --> 00:35:08,341 Oh, boy. 647 00:35:08,408 --> 00:35:09,843 Oh, man. 648 00:35:09,909 --> 00:35:16,549 I cannot imagine having spent 62 days on a mountain, 649 00:35:16,616 --> 00:35:18,518 underweight, 650 00:35:18,585 --> 00:35:23,123 very weak, incredibly tired climbing like this. 651 00:35:23,189 --> 00:35:25,725 I mean, you, like, got to be kidding me. 652 00:35:25,792 --> 00:35:28,128 At any moment, you know, any of these... 653 00:35:28,194 --> 00:35:30,330 Look at all the loose rock that can fall off. 654 00:35:30,397 --> 00:35:32,032 You slip and fall. 655 00:35:32,098 --> 00:35:33,433 You bang your head. 656 00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:35,602 Any number of things can go wrong, 657 00:35:35,669 --> 00:35:37,837 and, not to mention you're cold, 658 00:35:37,904 --> 00:35:40,440 you're weak, and you're hungry. 659 00:35:44,044 --> 00:35:46,346 All right. 660 00:35:46,413 --> 00:35:49,849 You got it? 661 00:35:49,916 --> 00:35:51,151 Keep this tight. 662 00:35:51,217 --> 00:35:53,486 -I've got you. -All right. 663 00:35:53,553 --> 00:35:55,889 All right. 664 00:35:55,955 --> 00:35:58,792 After the third day, they reach the summit, 665 00:35:58,858 --> 00:36:01,394 and what Nando saw was devastating. 666 00:36:01,461 --> 00:36:04,064 I'm standing there, and I'm looking, 667 00:36:04,130 --> 00:36:07,334 and everything I see is mountains, 668 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,636 more mountains, nothing but mountains. 669 00:36:12,038 --> 00:36:14,274 What they hadn't known is that the pilot 670 00:36:14,341 --> 00:36:16,409 had been wrong about their location. 671 00:36:16,476 --> 00:36:19,579 They were not near Curico in the Chilean foothills. 672 00:36:19,646 --> 00:36:24,484 They were over 40 miles away, in the middle of the high Andes. 673 00:36:24,551 --> 00:36:28,254 The three hikers were running dangerously low on food, 674 00:36:28,321 --> 00:36:31,124 so Nando and Roberto made a decision. 675 00:36:31,191 --> 00:36:32,359 They would either turn back 676 00:36:32,425 --> 00:36:34,728 and take their chances in the fuselage, 677 00:36:34,794 --> 00:36:36,796 or they would continue to hike. 678 00:36:36,863 --> 00:36:39,733 I said, "Okay, I want to get out of here." 679 00:36:39,799 --> 00:36:42,235 I was there with Roberto, and he said, 680 00:36:42,302 --> 00:36:44,504 "We have done so many things together. 681 00:36:44,571 --> 00:36:46,006 Let's die together." 682 00:36:55,749 --> 00:37:00,186 WILDMAN: In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team's chartered aircraft 683 00:37:00,253 --> 00:37:02,922 went down in the Andes Mountain range. 684 00:37:02,989 --> 00:37:05,592 The search for the missing plane was called off, 685 00:37:05,658 --> 00:37:10,196 and 62 days after the crash, with 29 passengers dead, 686 00:37:10,263 --> 00:37:11,798 the team had no choice 687 00:37:11,865 --> 00:37:14,234 but to try to escape the mountains on foot, 688 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:15,802 or they too would perish. 689 00:37:18,538 --> 00:37:22,308 At one point, Antonio was a little bit tired, 690 00:37:22,375 --> 00:37:25,812 and we took a decision. 691 00:37:25,879 --> 00:37:27,247 The two of us, Roberto and I, 692 00:37:27,313 --> 00:37:29,716 would go further and faster than three of us. 693 00:37:29,783 --> 00:37:32,018 -Mm-hmm. True. -So we took that decision. 694 00:37:32,085 --> 00:37:36,556 We sent Antonio back, and the two of us kept on going. 695 00:37:36,623 --> 00:37:39,192 Teammates Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa 696 00:37:39,259 --> 00:37:41,061 made a life-or-death decision. 697 00:37:41,127 --> 00:37:45,699 They would continue to hike and either succeed or die. 698 00:37:45,765 --> 00:37:49,669 For 10 harrowing days, the duo battled the treacherous terrain 699 00:37:49,736 --> 00:37:53,573 until they finally reached the arid flatlands of Chile. 700 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:56,209 Weak and near death, they pushed on, 701 00:37:56,276 --> 00:37:58,244 only to be stopped by a rushing river 702 00:37:58,311 --> 00:38:00,447 of ice-cold mountain water. 703 00:38:00,513 --> 00:38:03,116 The river was as wide as it was violent. 704 00:38:03,183 --> 00:38:04,918 There was no way across. 705 00:38:04,984 --> 00:38:09,489 After 10 days, they could go no further. 706 00:38:09,556 --> 00:38:12,726 I was so afraid I wanted to vomit. 707 00:38:12,792 --> 00:38:14,060 I didn't want to die. 708 00:38:14,127 --> 00:38:17,497 Suddenly, Roberto saw something across the river. 709 00:38:17,564 --> 00:38:20,734 At first, Nando couldn't see it, and then, sure enough, 710 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,535 there it was -- 711 00:38:22,602 --> 00:38:24,337 a man on horseback. 712 00:38:24,404 --> 00:38:27,607 We started shouting and shouting and shouting and shouting, 713 00:38:27,674 --> 00:38:29,309 and the guy stops and looks at us, 714 00:38:29,376 --> 00:38:31,911 so I run to the edge of the river, 715 00:38:31,978 --> 00:38:34,681 but the sound of the water was so high. 716 00:38:34,748 --> 00:38:38,351 He had a piece of paper, wrapped it around a stone, 717 00:38:38,418 --> 00:38:40,086 put a pencil and threw it across the river. 718 00:38:40,153 --> 00:38:41,121 Wow. 719 00:38:41,187 --> 00:38:43,356 Miraculously, the stone and paper 720 00:38:43,423 --> 00:38:45,325 made it across the rushing water. 721 00:38:45,392 --> 00:38:47,927 The words Nando wrote down 722 00:38:47,994 --> 00:38:50,730 would change the course of their future. 723 00:38:50,797 --> 00:38:54,100 I wrote, "I come from a plane that crashed in the mountains. 724 00:38:54,167 --> 00:38:55,502 I'm Uruguayan. 725 00:38:55,568 --> 00:38:58,171 I have 14 friends wounded on the airplane. I need help." 726 00:38:58,238 --> 00:39:00,707 -Yes. -"Please. I need food." 727 00:39:00,774 --> 00:39:03,109 The man on horseback tossed them some bread, 728 00:39:03,176 --> 00:39:06,980 and shouted, "Tomorrow," and with that, he rode away. 729 00:39:07,047 --> 00:39:11,451 For nearly 24 hours, Nando and Roberto waited and hoped. 730 00:39:14,454 --> 00:39:18,558 And then, the man appeared again, this time, 731 00:39:18,625 --> 00:39:21,494 with the police and journalists in tow. 732 00:39:21,561 --> 00:39:23,897 The helicopters were coming. 733 00:39:23,963 --> 00:39:26,499 As soon as they landed, Nando was pointing on the map 734 00:39:26,566 --> 00:39:28,868 the location of the Fairchild. 735 00:39:28,935 --> 00:39:30,603 The pilot couldn't believe. 736 00:39:30,670 --> 00:39:34,274 He thought I was lost, and he said, "No. You're lost." 737 00:39:34,341 --> 00:39:36,609 The pilot was certain Nando was mistaken 738 00:39:36,676 --> 00:39:38,244 about the plane's location, 739 00:39:38,311 --> 00:39:43,550 for he and Roberto had achieved the impossible, 740 00:39:43,616 --> 00:39:45,352 but Nando boarded the helicopter 741 00:39:45,418 --> 00:39:47,754 and directed the military to his friends. 742 00:39:47,821 --> 00:39:50,790 When we finally went over the ridge 743 00:39:50,857 --> 00:39:52,692 and I saw the airplane, 744 00:39:52,759 --> 00:39:55,795 I saw my friends around the fuselage, 745 00:39:55,862 --> 00:39:58,798 and I started counting them to see if they were all alive. 746 00:40:02,602 --> 00:40:06,239 On December 23rd, after surviving a plane crash 747 00:40:06,306 --> 00:40:10,076 and 72 days in the harshest conditions possible, 748 00:40:10,143 --> 00:40:14,080 16 of the flight's 45 passengers were rescued. 749 00:40:18,885 --> 00:40:22,255 It was one of the greatest survival stories ever told, 750 00:40:22,322 --> 00:40:24,591 covered first by the South American media 751 00:40:24,657 --> 00:40:27,293 and then becoming a global sensation. 752 00:40:32,999 --> 00:40:35,068 So do you ask yourself the what-if question? 753 00:40:35,135 --> 00:40:38,571 If I hadn't climbed into that airplane, 754 00:40:38,638 --> 00:40:40,240 what would have happened to my life? 755 00:40:40,306 --> 00:40:41,541 I don't know. 756 00:40:41,608 --> 00:40:44,477 I deal with my present time here. 757 00:40:44,544 --> 00:40:47,914 I'm alive. 758 00:40:47,981 --> 00:40:51,084 It's not possible to avoid all tragedy and disaster 759 00:40:51,151 --> 00:40:52,385 in our lives. 760 00:40:52,452 --> 00:40:54,788 There are too many unexplained moments, 761 00:40:54,854 --> 00:40:57,624 random choices and miraculous events, 762 00:40:57,691 --> 00:41:00,193 just like the ones that led, against all odds, 763 00:41:00,260 --> 00:41:05,498 to the rescue of those 16 passengers here in the Andes. 764 00:41:05,565 --> 00:41:10,537 I was lucky enough to be born twice. 765 00:41:10,603 --> 00:41:13,340 I had a first life, short. 766 00:41:13,406 --> 00:41:15,475 I was a young guy, rugby player. 767 00:41:15,542 --> 00:41:17,610 Then, I died and I resurrected, 768 00:41:17,677 --> 00:41:19,979 and I had a fantastic life afterwards 769 00:41:20,046 --> 00:41:23,183 because I chose my life. 770 00:41:23,249 --> 00:41:26,252 As for those who did not make it, 771 00:41:26,319 --> 00:41:28,722 their fate seems like an even greater mystery, 772 00:41:28,788 --> 00:41:32,992 especially when set against a backdrop of such human triumph, 773 00:41:33,059 --> 00:41:35,228 but their memory certainly survives, 774 00:41:35,295 --> 00:41:37,897 along with this incredible story that will be told 775 00:41:37,964 --> 00:41:41,401 again and again for generations to come. 775 00:41:42,305 --> 00:42:42,464