Juliane Koepcke was born on October 10, 1954 in Lima, Peru. She is the daughter of the famous German biologist of Peru, Hans-Wilhelm Koepcke. Juliane grew up with a passion for nature and biology and a dream to become a zoologist in the future.
It was a tragedy, a miracle: Juliane Koepcke, traveling with her mother, survived alone in the huge forest after the plane was struck by lightning.
Years have passed since the incident, but the trauma still continues.
Juliane’s life changed exactly on December 24, 1971. She was on a flight back to Lima from Peru with her mother. However, the LANSA Airlines plane was caught in a storm in Peru’s Amazon Jungle. The plane was shattered by a massive lightning strike and Juliane Koepcke crashed alone into the rainforest 3,000 meters below.
“We were waiting for the plane to travel with my mother and the plane was 7 hours late,” explains Juliane. Everything seemed normal at first. Until the plane crashes into the dark cloud. The situation, which was thought to be a simple turbulence, became serious after a while. According to what they said, the violent shaking scattered the luggage in the cabin. The stormy weather that severely shook the plane was a sign that something was wrong.
Passengers were screaming, unable to sit still. What happened is like a horror movie.
Seeing a bright light in the outboard after what had happened, Juliane added her mother’s last words: “This is the end, it’s all over Juliane!”
When Juliane opened her eyes, she found herself alone deep in the forest. She was holding on to a crimson piece of sofa. His memory was weak and he was confused. She couldn’t remember how she had escaped the plane that had been shattered by lightning. He only remembers the last time he hugged his mother as she fell rapidly. The silence and desolation of the forest terrified him. But even more difficult for him was the sight of other passengers lying dead around him.
He mustered the strength within him to survive. He describes those moments as follows:
“I was in free fall but tied to my seat and suspended upside down. The only sound I heard was the whisper of the wind. I felt completely alone and helpless. I could see the shadow of the forest turning towards me. Then I lost consciousness and I have no memory of the crash. I later learned that the plane broke into small pieces about two miles above the ground.”
When Juliane woke up, she slowly began to realize, shouting to her mother, but hearing only the echo of her own voice in the vast forest. On top of that, she noticed that her collarbone was broken and cuts on her legs.
The 1.5 years he spent at a research station before the accident gave him a big advantage in life in the jungle.
Experienced in living in the woods, Juliane felt somewhat lucky. 4 days after the accident, she was still looking for any sign of life in the forest. She then describes how she heard a vulture’s voice and was frightened:
“The other thing I knew was that there were bodies from the accident. Turning a corner in the creek, I came across a bench where the three travelers had their heads smashed into the ground. I felt paralyzed by panic. It was the first time in my life that I saw a corpse. For a moment I thought my mother might be one of them, but when I touched the corpse with a stick, I saw that her toenails had nail polish. My mother never put nail polish on her nails and I was immediately relieved. However, after a while, I was very ashamed of this thought I felt.”
How did the young woman, who survived under difficult conditions alone, managed to survive until she was found?
After the accident, Juliane moved away from the debris site, looking for sources of food and water. She fed on plants and quenched her thirst from the streams she found nearby. She also struggled with the injuries she received as a result of the accident.
He cleaned his wounds on his own and tried to reduce the risk of infection by dressing. Despite the pain, she persisted with her determination and inner strength to survive. He tried to reach the hoped point of salvation by following the directions of the sun and the streams.
Meanwhile, Juliane’s moral and psychological resilience was also of great importance. She used her inner strength to deal with loneliness, struggle with the pain of her lost loved ones, and maintain hope for the future. This was perhaps the most important element in his struggle for survival.
10 days after the accident, he found a hut.
Juliane reports that she found a hut in the forest 10 days later. She spent the night in the hut she found empty, trying to bind up her wounds as much as possible, and when she woke up in the morning, she heard human voices for the first time in a long time.
When Juliane saw people in front of her, she introduced herself in Spanish and talked about the plane crash. These people also helped Juliane. She was soon reunited with her family. Days after she was rescued, the lifeless body of her mother was found. Findings show that her mother also survived, but was seriously injured and died a few days later.
Juliane Koepcke’s story has garnered worldwide attention as a great example of survival. His will to survive has inspired many. Juliane returned to Germany after the events and continued her training as a zoologist. She also gave lectures to raise awareness about survivors and plane crashes and calls for people to live in harmony with nature.
You can find the video on the subject at this link.
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