Juliane Koepcke survived a plane crash in the Amazon

It is not uncommon to find people afraid of facing a trip aboard a plane. There are those who get nervous but stare, there are those who need a tranquilizer and there are those who just can't climb the stairs of an airplane to fly around. And it is no use saying that the plane is a safe means of transport and that the chance of an accident is very small.

It's small, but it happens, and some episodes are really terrifying. Brazil itself has already recorded some tragic accidents, such as the accident that victimized practically the entire Chapecoense football team, as well as journalists and other professionals.

But Juliane Koepcke's story is different. A 17-year-old teenager in 1971, Juliane has become the main character in a sad but overcoming story that shows how much the will to live can really save a life.

Juliane in adolescence. (Source: Facebook)

The teenager was born in Peru, but had German parents, who worked directly involved with nature and the environment. The mother was an ornithologist and the father a zoologist. During an overflight in the Amazon with her mother, the plane on which Juliane was was burned after being struck by lightning. The sudden and violent crash victimized her mother, who did not survive the plane crash, but Juliane struggled to "tell the story." Surviving a plane crash was just the beginning of a 10-day overcoming story in the middle of the Amazon jungle.

Being the daughter of parents directly involved with nature has given her quite an advantage. Her parents were dedicated to studying the Amazon rainforest, so she spent a lot of time in the environment that would be her biggest challenge.

Juliane explained in an interview to the BBC that at the time of the accident there was a storm and that lightning struck the plane while flying over the forest. “After about 10 minutes, I saw a very bright light on the left outboard motor. My mother said calmly, 'This is the end, it's all over.' Those were the last words I heard from her, ”he said.

Juliane and her mother, who died in the accident. (Source: Facebook)

She said she remembers being out of the cabin, tied to the seat and hanging upside down. "The whisper of the wind was the only noise I could hear, " he said. Juliane lost consciousness with the impact of the plane on the ground.

Ten days after the accident, teenager was rescued by loggers

She woke up the next day and the balance of the accident was a broken collarbone and deep cuts. The only chance of surviving the accident was to walk through the woods looking for someone who could help her, and she knew how dangerous the environment could be with wild animals and toxic plants.

With impaired vision, she used a shoe she could rescue from the fall to test the terrain. In addition, it fed on sweets that also “survived” the fall. On the way, Juliane came across bodies of some victims of the accident. “I was paralyzed by panic. It was the first time I saw a dead body, ”he recalled. On her journey, she still had to remove larvae from the wounds.

Juliane already grown up in the forest where she suffered the accident. (Source: Facebook)

The teenager was found 10 days later by loggers working in the forest. With perfect Spanish, she was able to explain everything about the accident and they rescued her and took care of her injuries, taking Juliane out of the woods the next day, where she met her father.

The teenager's mother's body was found days after Juliane was rescued. Today she maintains her mother's legacy by working as a biologist in Germany.

Juliane has kept her mother's legacy and works as a biologist. (Source: Facebook)