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The Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, was a chartered flight from Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains on 13 October 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known as the Andes flight disaster (Tragedia de los Andes) and the Miracle of the Andes (Milagro de los Andes). While crossing the Andes during poor weather, the inexperienced co-pilot Lagurara was at the controls of the Fairchild FH-227D. He mistakenly believed the aircraft had reached Curicó where the flight would turn to descend into Pudahuel Airport. He failed to notice that instrument readings indicated he was still 60–70 km (37–43 mi) from Curicó. He began descending and the aircraft struck a mountain, shearing off both wings and the tail section. The remaining portion of the fuselage slid down a glacier at an estimated 350 km/h (220 mph) and descended about 725 metres (2,379 ft) before crashing into ice and snow.