In an almost unbelievable tale of human endurance, a 17-year-old girl survived a plunge from a disintegrating aeroplane and 11 subsequent days stranded in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. The story of Juliane Koepcke, known as 'the girl who fell from the sky', remains one of the most remarkable survival narratives of the 20th century.
A Fatal Flight on Christmas Eve
On 24 December 1971, Juliane boarded LANSA Flight 508 in Lima, Peru, with her mother. The plane was packed with passengers eager to get home for the holidays. During the flight, the aircraft entered a severe storm. Juliane recalls her mother turning to her after seeing a bright white light on the engine and uttering the chilling words, "that is the end, it's all over."
Moments later, the plane was struck by lightning and began to break apart mid-air. Juliane, still strapped to her three-seat bench, was ejected from the aircraft. She fell approximately 10,000 feet into the dense canopy of the Peruvian rainforest, losing consciousness during the terrifying descent.
Eleven Days of Solitude and Suffering
Juliane awoke on the rainforest floor, still attached to the bench. She had suffered a broken collarbone, deep cuts on her legs, and a ruptured knee ligament. Her mother was gone. Wearing only a torn mini-dress, she was utterly alone.
For days, she followed a small stream, hoping it would lead to civilisation. Her injuries worsened, and exhaustion set in. Ten days into her ordeal, she discovered a horrifying infection: a wound on her arm was infested with maggots. Remembering her father, a biologist, she recalled he had once treated their dog's similar wound with kerosene. Finding a litre of gasoline in an abandoned hut, she poured it onto the wound, enduring excruciating pain as she extracted roughly 30 maggots feasting on her flesh.
Her journey was also marked by grim discoveries. She came across the bodies of other passengers who had not survived the crash, a sight that paralysed her with panic.
Rescue and a Life Forged by Trauma
On the 11th day, Juliane heard voices. She followed the sound to a group of forest workers, who were initially terrified, believing she was a mythical water spirit. Once she spoke to them in Spanish, they provided aid and helped transport her to safety.
She was eventually reunited with her father, who was overcome with emotion. The search for her mother ended tragically on 12 January 1972, when her body was found. Evidence suggested she had survived the initial crash but died from her injuries days later.
Juliane made a full recovery and, inspired by her parents, pursued a career in biology. She earned a PhD and became a respected mammalogist, specialising in bats. She married German entomologist Erich Diller in 1989 and later worked as a librarian at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich. Her father passed away in 2000.
The story of LANSA Flight 508 is a stark testament to the fragility of life and the incredible power of the human will to survive against impossible odds.
