Who survived the plane crash. The story of Vesna Vulovich, a flight attendant who survived a plane crash. Floating on the wreckage

1. Clothing for survival.
Your chances of survival will increase if you have the “right” clothes and shoes in the event of a plane crash. “Imagine if you need to escape from a burning plane,” says Cynthia Corbett, an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) specialist - “how comfortable would it be to do this in flip-flops or high-heeled shoes?”.
In addition to shoes, it is smart to wear thick fabrics with long legs and sleeves. This will help protect the skin from burns and sharp debris. According to the NTSB report, 68% of people who die in a plane crash die after the accident, from injuries sustained in a fire.

2. The safest places.
An analysis conducted in 2007 by Popular Mechanics showed that the largest percentage of survivors is in the tail section of the aircraft (cases of crashes since 1971 were considered). These are general statistics, of course, in some cases there were exceptions.
Regardless of which part of the aircraft you choose to seat in, try to make your choice so that it is located closer to the emergency exit. Professor Ed Galea, a fire safety engineer at the University of Greenwich in England, found that most crash survivors were no more than 5 rows from the emergency exit. He also points out that aisle seats are safer than window seats, as they allow easy access to the aisle.

3. Takeoff and landing.
Safety experts have found that the most dangerous moments in flight in terms of a crash are 3 minutes from the moment of takeoff and 9 minutes before the landing of an airliner. It is at these moments that you should stay in comfortable shoes and clothes with long sleeves, and also pay attention to emergency exits.
In addition, experts recommend placing hand luggage under the front seat. In the event of a crash, this can prevent your legs and feet from getting under the front seat. A broken leg in a collision is the most common injury.
If a collision is unavoidable, it is important to adopt a “survival posture” (see instructions in the seat in front of you).
Be sure to remove sharp and hard objects such as pencils, pens, keys from your pockets.

4. The 90 second rule.
The first 90 seconds after a disaster are the most important! If you manage to keep calm and try to get out of the plane, your chances of survival will be quite high.
Some passengers get into such a state of panic that they cannot even unfasten their seat belts. Reports from the NTSB show that many crash victims are in their seats with their seat belts fastened.
“It's very important to know what to do without waiting for instructions,” Corbett says. “Some people sit and wait to be told what to do, but no one says anything and they continue to sit right in the middle of a disaster.”
One of the reasons so many people survived the recent crash is that they were able to get off the plane quickly.
Finding and collecting your luggage can also be a fatal mistake. Don't hesitate a second.

5. No more dangerous than an escalator.
According to NTSB statistics, only one in 1.2 million flights ends in disaster. Constant improvements in safety practices, fire fighting equipment and the choice of non-flammable materials make flying by plane now safer than traveling by car.
The chance of dying in a plane crash is about 1 in 11 million, while dying in a traffic accident is 1 in 5,000.
Thus, flying today is one of the safest ways to travel. However, do not take them lightly, just do not be afraid and always need to have a plan of action.

Today we decided to remember the incredible cases, a list of air crashes that occurred with multi-seat aircraft, as a result of which, of all those on board, only one person survived.

On June 14, 1943, a plane carrying American soldiers on leave crashed in Australia. In conditions of poor visibility due to fog, the plane hit the tops of trees and crashed. Only Foy Kenneth Roberts survived.there were 41 soldiers on board ), who suffered severe traumatic brain injury. The doctors managed to save Roberts and he lived until 2004. However, as a result of his injuries, he forgot everything about the accident itself and lost the ability to speak.

Julianne Dealer Kopke survives plane crash after falling 3km

On December 23, 1971, 500 kilometers from the capital of Peru, Lima, as a result of falling into a vast thunderstorm area, a passenger plane actually fell apart in the air at an altitude of more than three kilometers.

“Suddenly there was an amazing silence around me. The plane has disappeared. I must have been unconscious and then I came to. I flew, spinning in the air, and could see the forest rapidly approaching below me.

Seventeen-year-old girl Julianne Dealer Kopke was the only survivor - she was strapped to a row of chairs and fell into the dense jungle. In the fall, she broke her collarbone, injured her arm and suffered a moderate head injury.For 9 days, Juliana wandered through the jungle, trying not to leave the stream, believing that sooner or later it would lead her to civilization. The stream also gave the girl water. Nine days later, Juliana found a canoe and a shelter in which she hid and waited. Soon she was found in this shelter by lumberjacks.

On January 26, 1972, Croatian terrorists blew up a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 passenger plane belonging to JAT Yugoslav Airlines over the Czech town of Serbska Kamenice. The board followed from Copenhagen to Zagreb, there were 28 people on board. A bomb planted in the luggage compartment detonated at an altitude of 10,160 m. 27 passengers and crew members died, but 22-year-old flight attendant Vesna Vulovich survived after falling from a height of more than 10 km.

Vesna Vulovich

Vesna Vulovich after a plane crash fell from a height of 10160 m and survived

When falling from a height of 10160 meters (the case is a record for survivors of a fall from high altitude ) received severe injuries to the spine and skull, was unconscious when she was discovered. After that, she was in a coma for almost a month, the total duration of treatment was about one and a half years. After recovery, she was transferred to ground work in an airline, in Yugoslavia she was considered a folk hero.

Larisa Savitskaya

On August 24, 1981, passenger and military aircraft collided over the territory of the USSR. The only survivor was passenger Larisa Savitskaya, who ended up in the wreckage of the plane, where there were chairs in which she took refuge. When falling from a height of more than five kilometers, Savitskaya received serious spinal injuries, craniocerebral injuries, and lost almost all her teeth. For three days, she waited for rescuers, as the wreckage fell in the taiga. Unlike Vesna, Vulovich did not receive much support from the state: the fact of the disaster was hidden, the injuries she sustained separately did not allow her to apply for disability and receive maintenance from the state, she was paid 75 rubles at a time as a survivor of the plane crash.

Larisa Savitskaya spent three days in the taiga after the plane crash

On January 13, 1995, a plane crashed in Colombia after making an emergency landing in a swampy area. The landing was unsuccessful, when it hit the ground, the ship broke into pieces and exploded. Only survived nine year old girl Erica Delgado, who was thrown out of the plane by her mother as it began to fall apart. Erica fell into a pile of seaweed, but could not get out. According to her recollections, one of the locals tore off her gold necklace and disappeared, ignoring requests for help ( the bodies of the dead were also robbed). After some time, the girl was found by her cries for help and pulled out of the swamp by a local farmer.

August 27, 2006 in Kentucky, USA, a passenger plane crashed during takeoff. The crash was caused by the captain erroneously choosing a runway that was too short for this type of aircraft, and only the co-pilot, James Polehinck, survived as a result of numerous injuries ( severe concussion, many fractures, lung pierced by ribs) lost his memory and did not remember anything about the plane crash.

4-year-old Cecilia Sichan survived a plane crash in 1989

On August 16, 1989, a regular flight, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 operated by Northwest Airlines, began to take off from Detroit Airport. There were 157 people on board, including 4-year-old girl Sessilia Sichan. Her parents and six-year-old brother flew with her.

The liner began to sway already on takeoff, it touched the lighting mast with its left wing, part of the wing came off and caught fire. The plane then tilted to the right, and the other wing broke through the roof of the car rental office. The plane crashed onto the highway, falling to pieces, and caught fire. The debris and bodies of the victims were scattered over an area of ​​more than half a mile.

Firefighter John Thied, who was working at the crash site, heard a thin squeak and saw a child's hand among the wreckage. A 4-year-old girl who suffered a fractured skull, fractured leg and collarbone and third-degree burns was the only one who managed to survive the crash. She underwent four skin grafts but managed to make a full recovery.

Cecilia was raised by her aunt and uncle. When the girl grew up, she got a tattoo on her wrist in the form of an airplane, in memory of that day.

Baya Bakari

On June 30, 2009, a Yemeni airline plane crashed off the coast of the Comoros, falling directly into the ocean. Of the 153 passengers, only thirteen-year-old Baia Bakari, a Frenchwoman, who flew to the Comoros from Marseille with her mother, survived. When the girl was thrown out of the plane when it hit the water, she received multiple bruises and broke her collarbone. She managed to get out of the water onto one of the wrecks of the plane, on which she was for 14 hours, until she was discovered by the crew of a passing ship, who delivered the girl, suffering primarily from hypothermia, to the hospital.

In January 2010, Bakari published her autobiography, Survivor, with journalist Omar Guendouz.. In May of the same year, the newspaperAOL Newspublished information that Steven Spielberg Bakary offered to buy the film rights to her book, but she refused.

The chance of dying on air travel is very low: one in 9 million. A lot can happen over 10km above the ground, and if you're so unfortunate that you're on a plane when something goes wrong, it's a matter of life and death depending on the decisions you make. Nearly 95% of plane crashes have survivors, so even in the worst case scenario, your chances are not as bad as you might think. You can take precautions before flying, stay calm during a fall, and stay alive.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing for a safe flight

Wear comfortable clothing. If you survive a plane crash, you need to stay warm. Even if this factor is not taken critically, you will still get fewer burns and be able to avoid numerous injuries if your body is covered with clothing as much as possible. Wear a long-sleeve T-shirt, trousers, and sturdy lace-up shoes.

• Clothing that is loose or intricate can be dangerous on board an aircraft as there is a chance that the clothing could get caught on something and prevent free movement. If the flight path is over cold areas, dress appropriately. It is advisable to bring a jacket with you.
• Clothing made of cotton or wool is also suitable, as they consist of components that are difficult to ignite. When flying over water, woolen clothing is preferred, since wool does not lose its insulating properties when wet, like cotton.

1. Wear practical shoes. Although you would like to fly in comfort or have a professional look on board, your sandals or high heels can make it difficult to move quickly if necessary. High-heeled shoes are not recommended to be worn during the flight. Information about this can be found on the evacuation slides.

   Sit better in the tail of the plane. Passengers who sit in the tail are 40% more likely to survive in the event of a fall. Being able to exit quickly gives you a better chance of survival, so the best places are seats near the aisles, close to the exit and at the end of the aircraft.

   Read the passenger memo and carefully listen to the safety instructions given before takeoff. Yes, you may have heard all this before and perhaps this information was never useful to you. However, the information you miss because you're wearing headphones can be vital if you fall.

   Count the number of seats between your seat and the emergency exit. Find the emergency exit closest to you and count the number of seats you need to pass. During a fall, smoke, noise, or chaos may reign in the cabin. You may need to feel your way to the emergency exit, and it will be easier if you know where the exit is and how far it is from you.

   • You can even write down the number of seats on your hand. In case the number flies out of your head, the memo will be in an easily accessible place.

2. Keep your seatbelt fastened during the entire flight. Every inch of a loose seat belt triples the force of gravity during a fall. Therefore, it is best to fasten your seat belt as tightly as possible while on board an aircraft.

   • Slide the belt as low as possible so that it is in the pelvic area. The belt should fit around the ilium so that its upper projection is higher than the upper edge of the belt. In this case, you will be much better protected than if the belt was in the abdomen.
   • Do not unfasten your seat belt, even if you are sleeping. If something happens while you are sleeping, you will only be glad that the belts were fastened.

   Part 2

   Preparing for a collision

   1. Assess the situation. Try to determine which surface the plane will land on to prepare accordingly. If the plane hits water, for example, then you will need to wear a life jacket that does not need to be inflated while you are on the plane. If you land in cold water, you should wear a jacket to stay as warm as possible.

      • Divide the flight route by the time you have flown to determine where you are at the time of the fall. If you are flying exclusively over land, you can be sure that you will not fall into the ocean.
      • Use the time before the fall to find a way out. If the plane crashes, you almost always have some time to prepare. Use this time to re-determine the exit location.

   2. Prepare your place as much as possible. If you know the plane is going down, return your seat to an upright position and remove any items that could be dangerous, if possible. Zip up your jacket and make sure your shoes are tightly laced. Then assume the safety positions used to survive a plane crash and try to remain calm.

      • According to another safety position, your feet should be on the floor and slightly away from your knees (not at right angles). This will help avoid damage to the legs, which will come in handy in order to make your way to the exit after the crash. Move your legs under the seat as far as possible to avoid breaking your lower leg.

   3. Lean against the front seat. If it is located at arm's length, lean on your hand, put your other hand on top of your palm. Tilt your head towards your hands. Don't interlace your fingers.

      Try to remain calm. In the moments leading up to the fall, panic and turmoil rise on board. The main thing is not to lose your head and you may increase your chances of survival. Remember that even in the most difficult situation there is a chance for survival. You need to think rationally and methodically to increase this chance.

      If you fall into the water, wear a life jacket, but don't inflate it. If you do decide to inflate it when the cabin begins to fill with water, the lifejacket will lift you up to the ceiling of the cabin and it will be more difficult for you to swim back. Thus, you will fall into a trap. Better hold your breath and swim out, when you're out of the cabin, you can inflate it.

      Put on an oxygen mask before helping others. You've probably heard this before every flight, but it's still worth repeating. If the cabin has been breached, you only have 15 seconds or less to get your oxygen mask on before you pass out.

   Part 3

   Crash Survival

   Shield yourself from smoke. Fire and smoke account for the highest number of deaths in a plane crash. The smoke from an airplane fire can be very thick and contain many toxic substances, so try to cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief to avoid inhaling toxic substances. If possible, wet the handkerchief for extra protection.

   • While moving, try to bend down to be below the level of smoke. It may not seem important to you, but one of the most dangerous factors during a crash can be exposure to smoke if you inhale it.

   1. Get out of the plane as quickly as possible. According to the National Transportation Safety Administration, 68% of deaths in air crashes are caused by fire that flares up after a fall. It is very important to leave the plane without delay. If there is already fire or smoke, then you have less than two minutes to leave the cabin.

      • Make sure the exit you choose is safe. Look out the window to see if there is a fire or other possible risks outside the exit. If the exit is unsafe, try to find another exit.

   2. Listen to the post-crash guidance. Flight attendants go through rigorous training so trust me they know what to do in the event of a crash. If a flight attendant is able to help you, listen carefully and be cooperative in order to increase the chances of all passengers to survive.

      Leave your things. Don't try to save your property. This is a simple truth, but there are still people who cannot accept it. Leave everything behind. Trying to save your belongings will only delay you.

      • If you need to save things that are in the aircraft area, take care of it later. Now you need to make sure that you have found a safe escape route and a safe place to hide. Leave now!

   3. You need to move at least 150 meters away from the wreckage. If you're stuck in nearby areas, it's best to wait for the lifeguards, even if you don't want to stay close. A fire or explosion can be sudden, so you still need to maintain some distance from the aircraft. If you were in open water, move as far away from the wreckage as possible.

      Stay in one place, but be aware of what is happening. It's really important to stay calm after a crash, but you also need to understand when you need to act and act quickly. Help people who are in distress and provide first aid to people with injuries.

      • Take care of your wounds if possible. Examine yourself for cuts and abrasions, apply pressure if necessary. Try not to move so as not to exacerbate internal injuries.
      • Panic can only prevent you from acting effectively and properly in the current situation. For example, a passenger can stay in his seat, but you need to move to the exit. Be careful with such passengers.

   4. Wait for the rescuers. You will have a better chance of being saved if you stay where you are. Do not seek help and run away somewhere. If your plane crashes, there will probably be people on the scene soon and you need to be there to get help. Just stay where you are.

   • Remove sharp objects such as pens, pencils, etc. from your pockets before you fall. It will be better if you do not take them with you at all. Almost every item that is in the cabin of an aircraft can cause death during a crash.
   • If you can find a pillow or something soft to protect your head during a fall, by all means use it.
   • Save your life before helping others!
   • Listen carefully to the instructions and do not think of anything yourself, as this may put your life in danger. Act in accordance with the guidance received from the guides. Stand up only when it is safe to do so and you are allowed to leave your seat.
   • If you have a cell phone with you, try contacting emergency services for help.
   • Quite often, passengers forget how to unfasten their seat belt after a crash. It seems easy enough, but under the circumstances, the first instinct is to pull the belt off, as is the case with car seat belts. It's easy to panic when it doesn't work. Before you fall, make a mental reminder of how to unfasten your seat belt.
   • If you have nothing to wet your handkerchief with to protect your airways from smoke, use urine. Such a breach of decency is acceptable in emergency situations.
   • Stay in a safe area until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. Usually, the main blow is followed by a secondary one.
   • If you don't have time to prepare for a fall, or if you forgot some of these tips, you can easily find the information you need in the Passenger Aid located in the front seat pocket.
   • Keep calm.

Vesna Vulovich, Juliana Margaret Koepke, Lyudmila Savitskaya - these women from different countries combines one incredible circumstance. They all miraculously survived the plane crashes that occurred in different years. The stories of these three women involuntarily make you believe in miracles or in fate.

Vesna Vulovich

Vesna Vulovich is a stewardess of an aircraft that flew on January 26, 1972 on the route Stockholm - Copenhagen - Zagreb - Belgrade. At the time of the disaster, she was in the passenger cabin and instantly lost consciousness, and then for many years she remembered only the moment when she got on board.

The wreckage of the plane was scattered no more than a kilometer near the village of Serbska Kamenice in Czechoslovakia (now it is the territory of the Czech Republic). Later, experts will make the assumption that the plane crashed as a result of a terrorist attack, but the perpetrators will never be found.

Vesna was in a coma when she was found by local resident Bruno. He checked her pulse and immediately went for the rescuers. It was clear: the girl's spine was damaged and it was absolutely impossible to touch her. The stewardess suffered multiple severe injuries that nearly cost her her life.

She was in a coma for 27 days, and then there was a long recovery period, she spent 16 months in the hospital. Doctors were sure that she would remain disabled for life. But Vesna, contrary to all forecasts, got on her feet, after four and a half years she already walked normally and even returned to work at her airline. True, she was denied the right to fly, providing a position in the office. But she remembered the moment of the plane crash 25 years later.

It is believed that she was saved in the air by loss of consciousness and low pressure. Vesna Vulovich is a Guinness World Record holder who survived a fall from 10,120 meters.

Juliana Margaret Koepke

On December 24, 1971, 17-year-old Juliana, together with her mother, flew from Lima Jorge Chavez Airport to Iquitos. The plane was supposed to make an intermediate landing in Pucallpa and go further along the route. There were 92 people on board the LANSA plane. Juliana was looking forward to the Christmas holidays that she would spend with her father, organizing cards for different types of insects.

They were in the tail of the plane, admiring the wonderful views from the porthole. The plane began to enter the storm front, it began to shake violently. In a good way, as soon as danger arose, it was necessary to return to Lima, but both passengers and crew members were in a hurry to celebrate Christmas with their loved ones. The pilot made the wrong decision to continue flying, hoping to safely pass the danger zone.

Juliana was watching the propeller work when lightning hit that part of the plane. Everything that happened later, she recalled, like slow motion in a movie: here the plane falls apart, and she, fastened with a seat belt to her seat, begins her endless fall down. She remembered how she was spinning in the air, how rapidly the ground was approaching, and how she was swallowed along with the debris by the dense green crowns of trees on the ground. And only at the moment of contact with the ground the girl lost consciousness.

It took her a long time to come to her senses, the whole day. And then, being in shock, she did not even feel pain from her serious injuries. She had multiple cuts, she broke her collarbone, she had a torn popliteal ligament, she had all the signs of a concussion. She lost her glasses and could not see properly even with one eye, while the other was completely swollen due to a severe bruise on her face.

But having recovered a little and gathered her strength, Juliana realized that it was pointless to wait for help, the wreckage at the crash site was not visible to the search aircraft because of the dense greenery. She remembered the lessons of survival that her father had given her, and went downstream the stream she discovered in order to go out along it to the river and to people. Later, the examination will establish that at the time of the fall, at least 15 more passengers remained alive, but, unfortunately, they did not wait for the help of rescuers.

Juliana reached the empty lumberjack hut 10 days after the disaster. A day later, she was found under a canopy locals. They even mistook her for a water goddess descended from heaven. She was given first aid, fed and warmed, some of the fly larvae were removed from her wounds and floated down the river to the town of Turnavista, where they began to inject her with an antibiotic and completely cleaned the wounds from the worms that had settled there. From Turnavista, Juliana was transferred to the Pulcapa hospital, where she finally met her father.

In 1974, the feature film Miracles Still Happen will be released about her. This picture will help Larisa Savitskaya survive the plane crash.

Larisa Savitskaya

20-year-old Larisa was returning with her husband from honeymoon trip to Blagoveshchensk on August 24, 1981. They sat in the tail of the plane, Larisa dozed off in her chair, then she felt a very strong push, and immediately after it, simply unbearable cold. She flew off a meter from her chair, and the frames of the film that she watched not so long ago appeared before her eyes. The heroine survived the plane crash. Larisa took this memory as a guide to action. She reached the chair by the porthole, clung to it with all her might, and flew down with him. It was this chair that ultimately saved her life. The crash occurred as a result of a collision with a military aircraft.

Her fall lasted 8 minutes. The blow was softened by the crowns of birches. Larisa was found on August 27 with serious injuries in a state of deep shock. She survived, learned to walk, and was even able to give birth to a son in 1986.

She received minimal compensation for damages - only 75 rubles. The very fact of this catastrophe was kept secret for many years. The girl's parents and Larisa herself were ordered not to tell anyone about the incident. Only after twenty the details of the terrible crash were made public, and Larisa Savitskaya was able to tell about that terrible day.

The film that helped Larisa Savitskaya survive - "Miracles still happen"

These three girls can be called almost lucky, they managed to survive. The mystery of the death in a plane crash of a young peacekeeper is still trying to unravel.

06.09.2019 , 19:10 13160

This happens extremely rarely, but even in serious plane crashes, people survive. Sometimes with severe physical and mental consequences, sometimes vice versa - with the desire to live and even continue working on board the aircraft. How these people were able to escape, what they did after they woke up, and what trials fell to their lot - read in our article.

Through the jungle with a bag of candy

This plane crash happened almost 50 years ago, in December 1971. There were 92 people on board the LANSA plane. At some point, lightning struck the right wing of the ship and caused a fire in the fuel tank. Because of this, the wing was torn off, the plane lost control and fell from a height of 3000 meters into a forest in the region of Peru. 17-year-old passenger Juliana Margaret Koepke was the only survivor.

For 10 days, the girl was looking for help and went to people through the jungle. Not far from the crash site, a survivor found a bag of candy that helped her get through those difficult days on the road. There were deep cut wounds on her body, in addition, the girl's collarbone was broken. Juliana also lost her glasses and could not see well, so she was afraid to stumble upon snakes. At some point, larvae began to appear in the wounds of the girl, which she had to pull out through severe pain on her own.

On the tenth day, Koepke found a boat moored on the river. Nearby, she saw a hut built to shelter a boat engine, in which she discovered gasoline. Juliana treated their wounds and pulled out about 30 larvae from them. Being very weak, she fell asleep on the ground near the engine. As a result, the victim was found by the inhabitants of the nearest village.

The girl's mother was an ornithologist, and her father was a biologist. Juliana survived thanks to the knowledge she received from her dad. “Before the crash, I spent a year and a half with my parents at a research station just 30 miles from the crash site. I learned a lot about life in the rainforest, ”the heroine said after.

Juliana became a zoologist, as she dreamed. She admitted that after the disaster, she follows the accidents and is looking for an explanation of why they happen. Koepke's story was filmed and released under the title Miracles Still Happen.

Air hostess, survivor of the terrorist attack

Flight attendant Vesna Vulovich survived a plane crash that happened in January 1972. The DC-9-32 Jugoslovenski Aerotransport was flying from Stockholm to Belgrade. An hour after departure, an explosion thundered on board, and the ship collapsed. Its fragments fell near one of the villages in Czechoslovakia. As it turned out later, there was an explosive device on board, which, presumably, was left by members of a terrorist organization.

The 22-year-old flight attendant was the only one left alive after the explosion on the plane, in total there were 28 people on board. Note that the girl was not supposed to fly on this flight, she was mistakenly assigned to it instead of another flight attendant with a similar name. On the day of the incident, Vesna had not yet graduated and was a trainee.

“The person who was in charge of the flight lists made a mistake. Me and another stewardess were named Vesna. And he put “Vesna Vulovich” instead of “Vesna Nikolic”, an accidental mistake. After the plane crash, the flight attendant Nikolic quit: she never flew again in her life, ”said the survivor.

The villagers found the girl at the crash site and provided first aid. The first thing Vulovich asked after regaining consciousness was to smoke. The flight attendant fell from a height of more than 10,000 meters, but survived, according to her, due to low pressure and loss of consciousness at the time of the incident.

Vulovich did not remember the details of the plane crash, so she wanted to continue working as a flight attendant after her recovery, but she was given an office position. In 1985, the name of the flight attendant was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the holder of the world record for the height of the survivors of a free fall without a parachute.

Saved an airplane seat

In August 1981, an An-24RV aircraft heading for Blagoveshchensk collided with a Tu-16K military bomber. There were 38 people on board the ship, among whom were student Larisa Savitskaya and her husband, they were returning from their honeymoon. At the time of the incident, the girl was sleeping, but woke up from a strong blow and cold.

After breaking the fuselage in front of her seat, Savitskaya was thrown into the aisle. She made her way to the nearest chair, sat down in it, and leaned back. Later, the girl shared that at the time of the incident she remembered a frame from the film “Miracles Still Happen”, where the heroine acted in a similar way.

The tail of the aircraft landed on a birch forest, which allowed to soften the blow. Two days after the disaster, the student was found by rescuers. The girl injured her spine, received a concussion and fractures. Larisa also lost almost all her teeth, but she was in a state of shock and did not feel pain.

In total, there were 32 people on board the aircraft, among whom all died, except for Savitskaya. Later, the survivor learned that after the plane crash, graves were already prepared for her and her husband. “I didn’t hit any religion, or drunkenness, or depression. I love life. But sometimes, half-jokingly, half-seriously, I say: “I am God’s favorite girl,” Savitskaya said after.

The girl was included in the Russian Guinness Book of Records as a survivor after a fall from the maximum height (5200 meters) and as having received the minimum amount of compensation - 75 rubles.

“I think about what happened every day”

Cecilia Sichan, who at the time of the incident was only 4 years old, was the only survivor of a plane crash on August 16, 1987. Airliner McDonnell Douglas MD-82 immediately after departure from Detroit could not gain altitude, hit a lamppost and fell on the road. In total, more than 150 people died in the disaster.

The mother covered Cecilia with herself at the time of the accident, but the girl herself does not remember anything about the incident. The survivor spent 7 weeks in the hospital, after which her uncle and aunt took her to their place. For a long time, Sichan, who lost her parents and brother, was hiding from the press and decided to talk about what happened only in 2013. The girl shared that she constantly blamed herself for the fact that she survived, and not someone else.

“I think about what happened every day. It's hard not to think about it when I look in the mirror. I have scars on my arms and legs, on my forehead,” Sichan said.

The girl made a tattoo with an airplane on her left arm in memory of the disaster. Years later, Xichang found a firefighter who found her on the plane and handed her over to the medics. In 2012, she invited him to the wedding. The girl also tries to keep in touch with the families of the victims.

"I see this number everywhere"

30 years ago, on July 19, 1989, a United Airlines plane flew from Denver to Chicago. An hour later, his tail engine collapsed. The crew was able to land the ship at the airport in Sud City, but the plane hit the runway with its right wing and crashed. Of the nearly 300 people on board, 112 died. Flight attendant Susan White, who worked on Flight 232, managed to survive. She still remembers that day.

“I see this number (232) everywhere. I wake up in the middle of the night and see this number, during the day I look at my phone at 2:32. I'm going to text my mom and it's 2:32 on the clock," White said.

Specialists told White that she was one of about 8 people in the back seat of the plane who survived the crash. To this day, the woman keeps in touch with other survivors and families of the victims. And until now, she continues to work as a flight attendant.

“Many people can’t believe that I returned to work, they say that if I were in my place, they would quit. But I was so young at the time, I was 25 and I loved my job. I decided, “If I let this win me over, then I will let a lot of other things win me over.” So I took the liberty of going back. And I'm glad I did. I feel like I have a purpose and I'm so grateful to be alive," White shared.

A whole day in the ocean with sharks

On June 30, 2009, Frenchwoman Baia Bakari flew to Comoros to visit her grandparents with her mother. In total, there were 152 people on board the Airbus A310. A few minutes before landing, the plane crashed into the ocean. No one survived except Baya.

A 13-year-old girl grabbed a piece of the fuselage and spent about 9-10 hours in the Mozambique Channel, which is teeming with sharks. After that, one of the fishermen saved her and took her to a local hospital. On July 2, the girl was taken to Paris, and on the 27th she was discharged from the medical facility.

Experts believe that Baya survived due to the fact that she was thrown out of the plane through the resulting crack. According to the girl's father, Baya is rather timid, and he would never have thought that she could save herself in such an emergency.

“Dad, I saw the plane go under water. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. Also, I'm not a good swimmer, so I grabbed onto something and held on. I don’t even know what it was,” the girl told her father after the disaster.

In January 2010, Bakary published her autobiography, Survivor. In May of the same year, information appeared that Steven Spielberg offered her to acquire the film rights to the book, but she refused.

Salvation is like a second birth

This plane crash happened on April 2, 2012. The UTair airliner was flying from Tyumen to Surgut, but after almost 2 minutes it fell to the ground. Of the 43 people on board, 10 survived. One of them was 27-year-old Kamil Bazhenov. The man flew to Surgut on a business trip.

Initially, Kamil mixed up the queues at the check-in counter, for some time he stood at the check-in for a flight to Moscow. Later, the man realized that he was mistaken, and went the other way. When his turn came, Kamil got a place in the tail section of the ship.

The man woke up already on the ground, he does not remember the details of the disaster. According to him, he could only move with one arm. Kamil picked her up and called for the help of rescuers who were already working on the spot. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he woke up only after 6 days.

According to the man, he did not become afraid of heights and was going to jump with a parachute immediately after recovery. He considers April 2 his second birthday. “I want this to not happen in the future. But I don’t have such feelings that I want to take revenge on someone so that he sits in prison and suffers. I just want people to be more responsible, ”Bazhenov shared.

The baby who flew to her grandmother

The crash of the L-410 aircraft occurred on November 15, 2017, the ship crashed while landing in the village of Nelkan. There were 7 people on board, of which only Jasmine Leontieva survived, who at that time was 3.5 years old. The baby flew to visit her grandmother, accompanied by a local school teacher. According to one version, it was she who covered the girl with herself and helped her survive.

Jasmine was taken to the hospital in serious condition, but she survived the operation well and a year after the accident she was already dancing. “Jasmine feels good, she is a fidget with us - she doesn’t like to sleep during the day, runs all the time, dances - turns on the music channel on the TV and she doesn’t even need cartoons. True, if he gets too tired, he begins to limp, they say it should pass with time, ”said Jasmine’s grandmother a year after the plane crash.

The fearlessness of a flight attendant

A West Wind Aviation aircraft was on a passenger flight from the United States to Canada on December 13, 2017. Shortly after takeoff, the ship lost altitude and crashed to the ground. All 25 people on board survived the crash, however one of them later died from his injuries in hospital. The investigation into the causes of the incident continues.

26-year-old flight attendant Miranda Jenny Tate spoke about what was happening inside the plane at the time of the accident. She felt the ship trembling and the way its tail hit the ground.

“I heard how we cut down trees with our tails, passing through their crowns. Then I heard the screams of the passengers,” said Tate.

The blow tore her seat out of the wall, the girl was thrown into the galley (cooking room). She got to her feet and was able to get out of the plane, and then began to help the others. “People were screaming. There were a lot of badly injured people there.” Three more men helped her to get the victims out of the plane.

Tate spent the next 6 weeks after the disaster on crutches and underwent a huge number of physical therapy sessions. “As soon as I got to the hospital, I screamed. I was so grateful to be alive."

The CEO of West Wind Aviation called the flight attendant's efforts "heroic".

“She had a number of injuries that made it difficult for her to work, but she continued to perform her duties like a true professional,” said Mike Rodniuk.

Now back at university to study social work, Tate plans to continue as a flight attendant.

Despite these frightening stories, statistics show that the plane is a fairly safe mode of transport. By the way, throughout the existence civil aviation, which is almost 100 years old, fewer people died than die in a month in road accidents around the world. So don't be afraid to fly. If you're still stressed out, we've shown you how to increase your chances of surviving an aircraft crash.