# ESPN: Plane flying Brazilian football team Chapecoense crashed **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 29, 2016, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367 "2016-11-29T07:41:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/61 "2016-12-03T15:03:16Z")
Hence the saying “the regulations are written in blood”, whether you’re referring to legal regulations or just customary best practices. Aviation is not forgiving of fools. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/62 "2016-12-03T20:31:20Z")
I’m hearing rumbles that the use of this airline by the team was the result of corruption on the part of their soccer league. If true, there’ll be hell to pay. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/63 "2016-12-03T21:20:37Z")
Corruption, in soccer, in South America? Well, I’m shocked! The corruption on the part of any aviation related people that allowed this to happen will be the ones really paying debts to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/64 "2016-12-03T22:44:21Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Corruption, in soccer, in South America? Well, I’m shocked! > > The corruption on the part of any aviation related people that allowed this to happen will be the ones really paying debts to hell. Lamia manager Gustavo Vargas Gamboa is reportedly the son of Gustavo Vargas Villegas, a former Bolivian Air Force officer and a current official in the General Directorate of Civil Aviation of Bolivia. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/65 "2016-12-04T01:24:14Z")
In some positive news from [Globo](http://globoesporte.globo.com/rs/futebol/noticia/2016/12/pai-de-ruschel-comemora-melhora-do-filho-que-nao-recorda-do-acidente.html) on the survivors, Alan Ruschel has made significant improvements and is now breathing on his own, eating, talking with his family, and able to move all four limbs. But he does not remember the crash and it doesn’t sound as if they have explained to him the full extent of what happened yet. What a horrific conversation that’s going to be. ---
**Author:** ![Emerald\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/66 "2016-12-21T17:58:14Z")
Update: A Bolivian government investigation has concluded that the airline and pilot were directly responsible. CNN: [http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/20/americas/bolivia-plane-crash-human-error/](http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/20/americas/bolivia-plane-crash-human-error/) The Guardian: [Pilot and airline to blame for Colombia plane crash, Bolivian investigation finds | Colombia plane crash 2016 | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/20/pilot-airline-blame-colombia-plane-crash-bolivian-investigation) The articles are light on details about the investigation. However, my assumption is they concluded that the fuel gauge was working properly and pilot failed to declare an emergency when he should have. On top of, obviously, following an insane flight plan which would have had them landing exactly as they ran out of fuel. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/67 "2016-12-21T18:59:26Z")
Note to self: Avoid long, nonstop flights on budget airlines in South America. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/68 "2016-12-23T06:53:05Z")
What probably won’t be in the Colombian aviation authority’s report, since it isn’t really their jurisdiction, is what role CONMEBOL and/or CBF may have had in steering teams toward this dodgy airline. The negligence, stupidity, and recklessness of the pilots is on immediate display for the world to see, but that is also part of the story and I’ll be shocked if we ever hear the full truth of it. On a happier note, Helio Neto has gone home from the hospital and Alan Ruschel was a guest of honor at a charity friendly today and looked very steady on his feet, unlike last week. If either one of them returns to play at this level, it will be a miracle, but getting to where they are now is incredible enough. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/69 "2016-12-23T13:52:10Z")
Bolivia is also investigating the officials who greenlighted both the airline as such (at the national level) and this flight plan specifically (at Santa Cruz). ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/70 "2017-11-29T02:17:43Z")
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the crash, and ESPN has republished a [long article](http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/19444318/the-unthinkable-fate-chapecoense) on the tragedy that was originally put out in June and has been updated for today. No final report yet from the Colombian aviation authorities, though it is due out this week. Of the three surviving players, only Alan Ruschel has recovered enough to return to the pitch, but Neto is still rehabbing and they seem to be grooming Jakson Follmann for management. Chapecoense filled out a squad with free loans from other Serie A clubs and is holding a respectable 9th spot in the table. The stupidity and criminal negligence that led to the deaths of all these people still staggers me. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/71 "2018-04-29T12:15:47Z")
The final report is out. An English translation of the key points is here, [Crash: LAMIA Bolivia RJ85 near Medellin on Nov 28th 2016, electrical problems, no fuel, impact with terrain](http://avherald.com/h?article=4a16583c/0017&opt=0). ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367/72 "2018-04-30T15:11:01Z")
If the owner of the airline died in the crash, is there anyone to answer to criminal charges? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/espn-plane-flying-brazilian-football-team-chapecoense-crashed/773367.md?page=3)