LA UNION, Colombia — The pilot of a chartered plane with 77 people aboard told air traffic controllers he had run out of fuel, moments before crashing Monday night in Colombia’s Andes Mountains.
A recording from the air traffic tower leaked to W Radio shows the pilot repeatedly requesting permission to land due to a “total electric failure” and lack of fuel. A controller can be heard giving instructions as the aircraft loses speed and altitude about 8 miles from the Medellin airport.
Just before going silent the pilot says he’s flying at an altitude at 9,000 feet. Monday’s crash killed all but six of the people aboard, including most members of a soccer team from Brazil.