Chapecoense's Alan Ruschel changed seats before plane crash

Alan Ruschel, one of six survivors from the plane crash that killed almost all of Chapecoense's squad, directors, and staff in November, may have saved his own life by making a late seating decision on LaMia Flight 2933.

Speaking at a news conference at the Arena Conda, Chapecoense's stadium, on Saturday, Ruschel explained how he was persuaded to swap seats by Cadu Gaucho. The Brazilian full-back was asked to sit further forward by the club director, who was one of the 71 people killed in the air disaster.

"Cadu Gaucho asked me to sit further forward and let the journalists sit together at the back," Ruschel said, according to Reuters. "I didn't want to but then I saw (Jackson) Follman and he insisted that I sit beside him. Only God can explain why I survived the accident. He grabbed me and gave me a second chance."

Ruschel was one of three players from Chapecoense who survived the plane crash, which took place in the mountains just outside Medellin, Colombia. He required spine surgery and, on Friday, left the hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil in an emotional scene.

Rafael Henzel, a radio journalist who was among the few survivors, revealed Monday that at no point did the pilot tell passengers to wear seat belts or give forewarning of the crash. Investigations have been launched in Brazil, Bolivia, and Colombia, and Colombian authorities believe a lack of fuel was the cause of the tragedy. LaMia's operating licence has been suspended by Bolivian authorities.

"I don't remember anything about the accident," Ruschel said. "When they told me what happened it seemed like a dream, a nightmare. Little by little they've been telling me what happened and I'm starting to understand. I try not to speak of the accident, I avoid the news, but from the little I've seen I think it was greed on the pilot's hard."

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Among the 71 killed in the plane crash were 19 members of Chapecoense and 20 journalists joining the club en route to the Copa Sudamericana's first leg. The two other players who survived include 'keeper Jackson Follman, who had part of his right leg amputated, and defender Helio Neto, who suffered severe trauma to his skull, thorax, and lungs.