Part 2/9:
At just after midnight, Aero Peru Flight 603 departed from Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, Peru, on a scheduled journey to Santiago, Chile. The aircraft, a Boeing 757, was flown by seasoned pilots Captain Eric Schreiber, 58, and First Officer David Fernandez, 42, whose combined flight experience totaled nearly 30,000 hours. Along with them were 61 passengers and 9 crew members, predominantly Chilean, but with representation from various nationalities including Peruvians, Mexicans, British, and a New Zealander.