“I hadn’t left the plane… the plane had left me.”
This is the situation that 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke faced on December 24, 1971. Hit by lightning, the plane in which Juliane and her mother were traveling had broken up, and the teen– who was still strapped into her bench seat– found herself free-falling to the earth from the height of approximately 2 miles.
Miraculously, Juliane survived, only to realize that she was alone in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, injured, nearly blind due to broken capillaries and her lost glasses, and wearing only a torn minidress and a single sandal.
Be sure to join us for the fascinating story of how Juliane Koepcke survived not only a plane crash, but also 11 days alone in the Amazon jungle.
Thank you to Aletta for her shout-out at the top of the episode! Be sure to check out the podcast Scamanda, available everywhere podcasts are found, along with the docuseries of the same name, exclusively on Hulu. Our coverage of the case is in Episodes 198, 199, 205, and 206! (September & November 2025).
How to support Scandal Water:
Rate, review, and subscribe!
Follow the show on your favorite app or Scandal Water Podcast YouTube channel.
Send your shoutouts to
[email protected].
Become a member on patreon.com/ScandalWaterPodcast or buymeacoffee.com/scandalwaterpod – which will also grant you access to fabulous bonus content!
#SurvivorStories #ScandalWaterPodcast #JulianeKoepcke #PlaneCrash #AmazonRainforest #Scamanda #Survivors