The Story of Juliane Koepcke

On December 24, 1971, a commercial plane called LANSA Flight 508 was flying over Peru from Lima to Pucallpa. On board were 93 people, including 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother, Maria.

During the flight, the plane entered a severe thunderstorm over the Amazon rainforest. It was struck by lightning, which caused the aircraft to break apart in midair.

Juliane was still strapped into her seat when she was thrown out of the plane. She fell from about two miles high through the air and down into the jungle below.

Amazingly, she survived the fall. Experts later believed this happened because:

Her seat acted like a parachute
She fell into thick jungle vegetation, which slowed her descent
She was young and physically healthy

When Juliane regained consciousness, she was alone in the Amazon rainforest. She had several injuries, including a broken collarbone, deep cuts, and eye pain. Her mother and everyone else on the plane had died.

Alone in the Jungle

Juliane had grown up around the rainforest because her parents were scientists, so she knew one important rule:

Follow water downstream.

She began walking along a small stream, hoping it would lead to people. She had no food, only a small bag of candy she found nearby.

Over the next 10 days, she faced many dangers:

Heavy rain
Insects
Infection in her wounds
Extreme exhaustion

At one point, insects began infecting her injuries. Remembering something her father had once told her, Juliane used fuel she later found to clean the wounds. This was painful, but it helped stop the infection and likely saved her life.

Rescue

On the tenth day, Juliane discovered a small shelter and a boat used by local workers. She stayed there, too weak to continue.

The next day, local villagers returned, found her, and were shocked to see a teenage girl alone in the jungle. They took her to a hospital.

Juliane was reunited with her father and made a full recovery.

Life After Survival

Juliane later became a biologist, just like her parents. She has spoken publicly about her experience and wrote a book called
“When I Fell from the Sky.”

She has always emphasized that her survival was due to: