AviationGeeks.com - Juliane Köpcke and LANSA Flight 508

Juliane Köpcke from Germany was the sole survivor on LANSA flight 508. In 1971, the Peruvian airline Lineas Aéreas Nacionales Sociedad Anonima (LANSA) was on route from Lima to Pucallpa in Peru when it was struck by a lightning over the jungle in Peru. The 17 years old Juliane was thrown out of the Lockheed L-188 aircraft at about 10,000 feet, still strapped to its seat. Soon after Juliane hit the ground she gained conscious she began looking for her mother which was with her on the flight, but soon found out that she was alone.

She followed a river stream and after 10 days of walking downstream to the river, sometimes in knee high water, she came across lumbermen lodging. She waited for hours before the lumbermen returned. They assisted Juliane on her injuries in addition to her severe bug infection. They took her on a 7 hours canoe ride down the river to Tournavista were she was then airlifted to hospital in Pucallpa. She only suffered broken collarbone, gash on her right arm and some bruises, particularly on her right eye.