Member-only story
The Sole Survivor of a Plane Crash Who Then Spent 11 Days in the Amazon Rainforest
The incredible story of Juliane Koepcke, who found herself alone in the Amazon following a crash that killed 90 people
On 24th December 1971, LANSA flight 508 from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, was struck by lightning, considered the deadliest lightning strike in aviation history, giving way to a crash which led to the demise of all 90 people on board, except for one 17-year-old girl named Juliane Koepcke. This is how she survived the crash, followed by 11 days alone in the Amazon Rainforest.
It was the day after her senior prom and just hours after her high school graduation ceremony. She was flying with her mother to see her father and celebrate with him. Along the way, the plane encountered a storm and her mother grew concerned. But Juliane, who loved to fly, didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
Lightning strikes
Suddenly, there was a bright white light over the wing and her mother said, ‘Now it’s over!’ The engine roared and people on board screamed as the plane began plummeting towards the ground and pieces of the fuselage began tearing apart.
