Knowing the Trails

Right before Christmas in 1971, LANSA Flight 508 took off from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru. It had 86 passengers and six crew members on board, all heading to their Christmas destinations. Foul weather reports caused an initial seven-hour delay, but the pilots could sense their passengers' impatience and ultimately decided to take off anyway.

At noon, the plane departed Jorge Chávez International Airport, but once it reached 21,000 feet above sea level, it entered into a heavy dark cloud that contained a violent thunderstorm. Major turbulence ensued. Luggage was displaced throughout the cabin and the plane went into a nosedive, ultimately snapping in half. Passenger Juliane Koepcke was sitting next to her mother, who said very calmly: "That is the end. It's all over." Those were the last words she ever heard from her.

Koepcke lost consciousness as she fell to the ground. When she awoke, all she could see was the plane's canopy. She realized she had survived the crash with a broken collarbone, a concussion and a major cut to her arm while still strapped to her seat.  Koepcke called out to her mother, but the only sounds she could hear were those of the jungle. 

Koepcke had lost her glasses, but knew from her parents that snakes, spiders and mosquitos were her greatest adversaries. She also knew to walk in the middle of the streams to avoid the poison plants, the jungle floor and the piranhas lurking in shallow water.     

Koepcke lasted 10 days until she heard what she called “voices of angels,” individuals searching for the passengers, never expecting to find anyone alive. When she approached them, they thought she was some water goddess and immediately treated her wounds, gave her food and returned her to her grieving father. 

We need to share Koepcke's amazing story with those we lead. We must remind all of those we influence each day, there is always a way — a way to make the best of the most horrific situation. Koepcke used her common sense and her knowledge from conversations with her parents to understand the dangers she faced. Essentially, she lived out an old adage, that the jungle is never dangerous if you know the trails. Despite being injured and slipping in and out of consciousness, Koepcke knew the trails. 

We should know her story.

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