Zephair Flight 1120 (ZA1120) was a scheduled passenger flight from Nexus, the capital city of
Ikonia, to Dustgate, principal city of Bastion, that crashed into the Honua Kahiko
OCH megastructure on 13 October 2186.
The inexperienced co-pilot, Tukk Konpala, was piloting the aircraft at the time of the accident. Originally an aviator from
Sahrland, Konpala was undergoing training with Zephair as part of an enrollment programme. Heavy rain and inclement weather impaired visibility and neccesitated the use of instruments for navigation. He mistakenly believed the aircraft had overflown Kuluust, the turning point to fly west, and began descending towards what he thought was Quinarin Airport in Bastion. He failed to notice that instrument readings indicated he was still 22–27 km (14–17 mi) east of Kuluust. Konpala, upon descending below the low-lying clouds and regaining visual flight conditions, saw the north face of the Honua Kahiko and unsuccessfully tried to gain altitude. The aircraft struck the dome, shearing off both wings and the tail cone. The remaining portion of the fuselage passed through the relatively thin outer shell of the dome at an estimated 350 km/h (220 mph), falling 2,375 metres (7,791 ft) through the interior sky of the dome before impacting the ground.
The flight was carrying 87 passengers and crew, including 19 primes who had been attending a conference in Nexus. Seven crew members and 64 passengers died immediately and several more died soon after due to the severity of their injuries. Search and rescue aircraft were unable to observe the area due to the crash site's position within the dome, but aircraft patrolled the perimeter of the dome in case survivors or inhabitants left the area. Search and rescue efforts were called off after eight days of searching. It was assumed that nobody could have survived the crash.
During the 72 days following the crash, the survivors suffered from extreme hardships, including sub-zero temperatures, exposure, starvation, and an avalanche, which led to the deaths of 13 more passengers. The remaining passengers resorted to cannibalism to survive. Convinced they would die if they did not seek help, two survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, set out across the mountains on December 12. Using only materials found in the aircraft wreck, they climbed 839 metres (2,753 ft) from the crash site up 30-to-60 degree slopes to a 4,503-metre (14,774 ft) ridge to the west of the summit of Mount Seler. From there they trekked 53.9 kilometres (33.5 mi) for 10 days into Chile before finding help. On 22 and 23 December 1972, two and a half months after the crash, the 14 remaining survivors were rescued. Their survival made worldwide news.
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