On December 24, 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke boarded LANSA Flight 508 with her mother in Peru.
Mid-air, lightning struck the plane — and it exploded above the Amazon rainforest.
Juliane fell two miles through the sky, still strapped to her seat.
When she regained consciousness, she was lying alone in the jungle, surrounded by wreckage.
Everyone else on board had died.
With a broken collarbone, deep cuts, and one shoe, Juliane began to walk — following a small stream, drinking rainwater, and eating what little she could find.
For 11 days, she fought off exhaustion, insects, and despair… until finally, she stumbled upon a group of loggers who rescued her.
She was the only survivor of the crash.
Years later, Juliane became a biologist, dedicating her life to studying and protecting the rainforest that nearly claimed her. 🌿
In 2010, her incredible story resurfaced when filmmaker Werner Herzog released a documentary about her survival — “Wings of Hope.”
The same filmmaker had narrowly missed being on that doomed flight in 1971.
She fell from the sky.... and walked out of the jungle alive.
📚 Sources: BBC | National Geographic | The Guardian | Wings of Hope (2010)
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Tuesday, November 11, 2025
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky and Lived.
Posted by 15h
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