Bolivia defense minister calls Colombia plane crash ‘murder’
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rescue workers recovered a body from the wreckage site of an airplane crash, in La Union, a mountainous area near Medellin, Colombia, on Nov. 29, 2016.
LA PAZ, Bolivia >> Bolivia’s defense minister says a plane crash that killed 71 people in Colombia was “murder” because the pilot only had the exact amount of fuel needed for the flight in violation of civil aviation principles.
The Bolivia-based LaMia airline flight was carrying a Brazilian soccer team to the Copa Sudamericana tournament’s finals when it crashed outside Medellin on Nov. 28. Six people survived.
In a recording, the pilot is heard radioing to the control tower that he is out of fuel. Investigations continue, but authorities say he ignored international rules on fuel reserves.
“What happened in Medellin was murder because anyone who dares take passengers, more than 70 people, with the exact amount of fuel is clearly violating the most basic protocols of civil aviation,” said Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira.
4 responses to “Bolivia defense minister calls Colombia plane crash ‘murder’”
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Isn’t this a cover-up for the ATC that ignored the pilot’s request for emergency landing? The pilot’s request was ignored.
That seems right.
No, the pilots screwed up. The distance to be flown was greater than the maximum range of the airplane. When they did run out of fuel, they NEVER declared an emergency. The blame for this accident is on the pilots. What is shocking is that the crew was told that their flight plan was wrong, flight time shown was the same as the endurance. They told the specialist who notified them of the discrepancy not to worry about it. They knew the airplanes range, they knew how much fuel they had and they went anyway!
From what I read the pilot was suppose to make a fuel stop but did not ?