They Just Wanted To Watch The Game

When the Air Rum L-1011 declared a fuel emergency, crews at the airport in Piura, Peru, sprang into action. Fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the edge of the runway. After all, this had to be serious -- the aircraft had entered Peruvian airspace "without permission," according to air traffic controllers. Indeed, there was an emergency on board, but it had nothing to do with the Tri-Star's fuel load. Instead, it was... well... a soccer emergency.

The flight crew and the 289 soccer fans from Gambia who were aboard the chartered flight were soccer fans. They were on their way to Piura to watch the FIFA Under 17 World Championships. So instead of landing in Lima, as flight-planned authorities said the L-1011 headed straight for Piura and landed near the stadium.

"It truly was a scam," Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peru's aviation authority, CORPAC, told the Associated Press. "They tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel."

Perhaps you'd be more sympathetic if you yourself were a soccer fan. The contingent, flying on a plane chartered by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh himself, had been holed up in a small hotel on their home turf for a week, awaiting permission to make the trip to Peru. They finally got that permission -- but stood a pretty good chance of missing the championship game because of the delay, according to news reports from Gambia.

So, while the passengers were able to catch the championship game at the stadium in Piura, the aircraft remained impounded at the airport, as Peruvian officials decided what, if any, fine to levy against Air Rum and its crew.

As for the soccer game? Oh, yeah. Gambia beat Qatar 3-1.

FMI: www.airrum.com