Investigation Summary
Flight 621 was one of two aircraft chartered to transport the Green Cross football club back to Santiago following a match in Osorno. The team had split into two groups, with the first group arriving safely in Santiago on another flight. The second group, including star Argentine player Eliseo Mouriño, boarded the DC-3 at Castro. During the flight, the crew radioed a report of ice accumulation on the wings and propellers, a significant hazard for the unpressurized DC-3 in the high-altitude environment of the Andes. The aircraft subsequently failed to arrive at its destination. Initial search efforts in April 1961 were hampered by the rugged terrain, and although a tail section was identified, the exact location of the main wreckage remained a mystery. In February 2015, a group of mountaineers discovered the fuselage at a site different from the one officially recorded in 1961, suggesting the original search teams may have misidentified the primary impact zone or that the wreckage had been dispersed over a wider area than previously thought.
Final Conclusions
The cause of the accident is officially undetermined, though the most likely factors were controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) or a stall resulting from heavy ice accumulation on the flight surfaces. The discovery of the wreckage in 2015 confirmed the aircraft impacted the mountains at a high altitude, consistent with the crew's last radio transmission regarding icing conditions.
Video Analysis
Chilean mountaineers find plane lost in the Andes over 53 years ago — News report on the 2015 discovery of the LAN-Chile Flight 621 wreckage, which had been missing since 1961.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Wing and Propeller De-icing
The crew reported ice accumulation on these surfaces, which increases weight and drag while significantly reducing lift, potentially leading to an aerodynamic stall.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Douglas C-47A manufactured in 1943.
- 02The wreckage was found at an altitude of approximately 3,200 meters (10,500 feet).
- 03Eight members of the Green Cross football team were among the fatalities.
- 04The 2015 discovery site was located about 300 kilometers south of Santiago.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Disputed Wreckage Location
Reference ↗For over five decades, official records placed the crash site at La Gotera Hill, but the 2015 discovery of the fuselage at a different location suggested the original search findings were incomplete or inaccurate.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the official investigation report. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.