Surviving a plane crash is rare. Surviving a plane crash from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) in the air and then navigating a dense jungle alone for 11 days is nearly impossible. Yet, Juliane Koepcke did just that. This is the unbelievable true story of the girl who fell from the sky and lived to tell the tale.
The Fateful Flight
On December 24, 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother boarded LANSA Flight 508 in Lima, Peru. They were flying to Pucallpa to visit her father, a biologist working in the Amazon rainforest.
An hour into the flight, the plane flew into a powerful thunderstorm. Lightning struck the aircraft, causing it to disintegrate in mid-air. As the fuselage broke apart, Juliane, still strapped into her seat, plummeted 10,000 feet into the Amazon jungle.
The Fall and Survival
Somehow, Juliane survived the fall with only a broken collarbone, a deep gash in her arm, and a swollen eye. Experts believe that the dense jungle canopy and her seat acted as a parachute, slowing her descent just enough to save her life.
When she awoke, she was completely alone, barefoot, and wearing only a thin summer dress. She had lost her glasses and one of her sandals. Her mother was nowhere to be found.
Eleven Days in the Jungle
Despite her injuries, Juliane relied on the survival skills she had learned from her parents, both zoologists. She knew that following water sources could lead to civilization.
For eleven days, she waded through rivers, swam to avoid predators, and searched for food. She survived by drinking water from the streams and eating whatever small amounts of fruit she could find. At one point, she discovered a bag of candy from the wreckage, which helped keep her energy up.
Her wounds became infected, and maggots began burrowing into her injured arm. With no medical supplies, she used kerosene from a crashed fuel tank to clean the wound, recalling how her father once treated infections. The pain was excruciating, but she pressed on.
The Rescue
On the eleventh day, Juliane stumbled upon a small hut belonging to local woodcutters. The men were shocked to see her—weak, covered in insect bites, and barely conscious. They tended to her wounds and transported her to a nearby village, where she was flown to a hospital.
She was the sole survivor of the 92 passengers and crew on Flight 508.
The Aftermath
Juliane later learned that her mother had also survived the initial crash but died from her injuries before being rescued.
Determined to honor her parents’ legacy, she went on to study biology and became a scientist. She even returned to the crash site years later, retracing her steps for a documentary.
Her story was later turned into a book, When I Fell From the Sky.
Conclusion
Juliane Koepcke’s survival is one of the most remarkable stories in aviation history. Not only did she survive an almost certain death, but she also endured eleven days in one of the most dangerous environments on Earth—all while being a teenager. Her story is a testament to the power of knowledge, determination, and the will to survive.
