Paso del Planchón

Due to a storm, the pilot decided to stop over in Mendoza, Argentina and continue their journey the next day, but after taking off, Even with the extra stop, the skies didn't clear up.

The pilots opted to take a longer U-shaped route through the Andes through Planchon Pass instead of going over the mountains since the aircraft's max height was 28,000 feet.

With the co-pilot, Dante Hector Laguerra, on the controls, the plane navigated through the clouds.

The pilots, relying on radio navigation, thought the plane had almost reached Curaco, which was their signal to start preparing for descent towards their final destination, Santiago.