the city of Chapeco, in the state of Santa Caterina, southern Brazil.
The team went on to win the state championship within a few years, and would add a few more. But big-league football eluded them for a long time.
Then, in 2014, they entered Brazil's first division, the Serie A, for the first time since the 1970s.
This year they made the finals of the Copa Sudamericana - South America's equivalent of the Europa League.
The team were filmed celebrating in the dressing room after they defeated, against the odds, Argentinian powerhouse San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Copa semi-finals.
Goalkeeper Danilo, a 31-year-old journeyman, made headlines for stopping San Lorenzo scoring. He was confirmed to have died in hospital after the crash.
Defender Alan Ruschel, a 27-year-old defender on loan from another Brazilian team, Internacional, was one of the few who survived.
The club's captain, Cleber Santana, 35, played in the Spanish Liga when he was signed by Atletico Madrid in 2007, also enjoying Champions League action.
Another player who had received attention was the 21-year-old midfielder Matheus Biteco, on loan from the Bundesliga club Hoffenheim and seen by many as a future star.
Chapecoense were the underdogs in what would have been the Copa final against Medellin's Atletico Nacional. The first leg was due to be played on Wednesday.
Atletico Nacional, which were going for a rare double after winning the Copa Libertadores in July, expressed its sorrow and solidarity after the incident.
Chapecoense were the 21st biggest club in Brazil in terms of revenue. They brought in 46m reais (GBP 10.8m) in 2015, according to an annual rich list.
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