MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – The crashed plane that was carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense Real football team embarked on an unauthorized route prior to the accident, Freddy Bonilla, Colombia's Secretary for Air Safety has announced.
The plane was supposed to leave from an airport in Cobija "on the border with Peru and Brazil" and was not authorized to fly from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bonilla said in an interview on Belgrano radio on Thursday.
The plane, operated by the Lamia Corporation airline, was carrying 81 people including the Chapecoense Real team when it crashed on Tuesday in northwestern Colombia. Only three players from the team survived the crash, which killed 71 people.
On Wednesday, Bonilla announced that an inspection at the site of the crash revealed that the aircraft had a fuel deficiency.
