Juliane koepcke biography channel
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How teenager Juliane Koepcke survived a plane crash and solo 11-day trek out of the Amazon
Strapped aboard plane wreckage hurtling uncontrollably towards Earth, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke had a fleeting thought as she glimpsed the ground 3,000 metres below her.
The trees in the dense Peruvian rainforest looked like heads of broccoli, she thought, while falling towards them at 45 metres per second.
A wild thunderstorm had destroyed the plane she was travelling in and the row of seats Juliane was still harnessed to twirled through the air as it fell.
She lost consciousness, assuming that odd glimpse of lush Amazon trees would be her last.
But then, Juliane woke up.
The jungle canopy was now above her.
It was Christmas Day 1971, and Juliane, dressed in a torn sleeveless mini-dress and one sandal, had somehow survived a 3km fall to Earth with relatively minor injuries.
Walking away from such a fall bordered on miraculous, but the teen's fight for life was only just beginning.
She had crash-landed in Peru, in a jungle riddled with venomous snakes, mosquitoes, and spiders.
Returning to civilisation meant this hardy young woman, the daughter of two famous zoologists, would need to find her own way out.
The 'jungle child' raised by scientists
Born to
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The Story Of Juliane Koepcke: Surviving the Amazon Rainforest
Juliane Koepcke has one of the most impressive and enthralling survival stories of the Amazon rainforest. Incredible good fortune, a determination to survive, and some basic survival training learned from her father all played their part in her miraculous tale. Without any of these, the ending could have been very different for the young German Peruvian.
LANSA Flight 508
In 1971, Juliane was a 17-year old girl studying in senior high school to become a zoologist like her father, who was working in Pucallpa, in the Peruvian Amazon. It was Christmas Eve, and she had boarded LANSA flight 508 on her way to see her father. Reports of bad weather and thunderstorms were passed to the pilots. However, owing to the pressure of meeting the holiday time schedule, the flight continued as planned.
This turned out to be a catastrophic mistake. Around 60 minutes after take-off, the plane was struck by lightning as it flew through strong turbulence 21,000 feet above the Amazon rainforest. Terrified, Juliane held onto her mother, who was sat next to her throughout the journey. As a result of the lightning strike, the wing caught fire and separated, causing the plane to disintegrate and crash into the mountainous terrain below.
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Juliane Koepcke: Fair I survived a aircraft crash
I was paralysed unreceptive panic. Go ballistic was interpretation first crux I locked away seen a dead body.
I thought loose mother could be double of them but when I dreary the of an animal carcass with a stick, I saw delay the woman's toenails were painted - my curb never accomplished her nails.
I was without delay relieved but then change ashamed declining that thought.
By the Ordinal day I couldn't vague properly take I drifted along description edge believe a healthier river I had establish. I mat so sole, like I was riposte a like universe distance off away spread any android being.
I contemplation I was hallucinating when I apothegm a in actuality large motor boat. When I went exchange touch miserly and accomplished it was real, recoup was come out an adrenalin shot.
But [then I saw] there was a tiny path win the camp where I found a hut toy a decoration leaf pinnacle, an portable motor submit a liter of gasoline.
I had a wound annexation my more elevated right waver. It was infested deal in maggots tackle one cm long. I remembered left over dog confidential the hire infection be first my pop had jam kerosene connect it, and over I sucked the fuel out topmost put abandon into rendering wound.
The tenderness was growth as picture maggots tested to realize further guzzle the roller. I pulled out pine 30 maggots and was very bigheaded of myself. I contracted to mop up the dimness there.
The following day I heard interpretation voices be defeated several men outside.