A LANSA Lockheed L-188 Electra similar to the accident aircraft
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 December 1971 (1971-12-24) |
| Summary | Crashed following midair break-up in thunderstorm |
| Site | Puerto Inca, Peru |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-188A Electra |
| Operator | Líneas Aéreas Nacionales S.A. |
| Registration | OB-R-941 |
| Flight origin | Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima, Peru |
| Stopover | Captain Rolden International Airport, Pucallpa |
| Destination | Coronel FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport, Iquitos, Peru |
| Occupants | 92 |
| Passengers | 86 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 91 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
LANSA Flight 508 was a Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop operated as a scheduled domestic passenger flight by Lineas Aéreas Nacionales Sociedad Anonima (LANSA, a Peruvian airline company) which crashed in a thunderstorm en route from LimatoPucallpa in Peru on 24 December 1971, killing 91 people — all six of its crew and 85 of its 86 passengers.[1] It is the deadliest lightning strike disaster in aviation history.[clarification needed][2]
LANSA Flight 508 departed Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport just before noon on Christmas Eve on its way to Iquitos, Peru, with a scheduled stop at Pucallpa. The aircraft was flying at about 6,400 metres (21,000 ft) above mean sea level when it encountered an area of thunderstorms and severe turbulence. Some evidence showed the crew decided to continue the flight despite the hazardous weather ahead, apparently because of pressure to meet the holiday schedule.[3][4] Peruvian investigators cited "intentional flight into hazardous weather conditions" as a cause of the crash.[3]
The sole survivor was 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke, who while strapped to her seat fell 3,000 m (10,000 ft) into the Amazon rainforest.[5] She survived the fall with a broken collarbone, a deep gash to her right arm, an eye injury, and concussion. She was able to trek through the dense Amazon jungle for 10 days and found shelter in a hut. Local lumberjacks found her and took her by canoe back to civilization.[6][7][8] The Electra was LANSA's last aircraft; the company lost its operating permit eleven days later.[9]
As many as 14 other passengers were also later found to have survived the crash, but died awaiting rescue.[4]
The movie Miracles Still Happen (1974) is based on the story.[10] Koepcke's story was also told in the documentary film Wings of Hope (1998) by director Werner Herzog, who had narrowly avoided taking the same flight, when his reservation had been canceled due to a last minute change in itinerary.[11][12] Koepcke's memoir Als ich vom Himmel fiel was published by the German publisher Piper Malik on March 10, 2011.[13] (The English edition, titled When I Fell From the Sky, was published by Titletown Publishing in November 2011.)
The crash also features in the final season one episode of the Discovery Channel documentary Aircrash Confidential. The episode was first aired in 2011, and features an interview with Koepcke.[14]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in Peru
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| 1960–1979 |
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| 1980–1999 |
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| 2000–2019 |
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| 2020s |
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 1971 (1971)
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Jan 18 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 130 Jan 22 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash Jan 30 Jan 31 Surgut Aeroflot Antonov An-12 crash Mar 31 May 23 May 28 Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 Jun 6 Jun 7 Jul 3 Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63 Jul 25 Jul 30 Jul 30 Aug 28 Sep 4 Sep 6 Sep 13 Sep 16 Oct 2 British European Airways Flight 706 Oct 10 Nov 9 Nov 9 Nov 10 Indian Ocean Vickers Viscount crash Nov 20 Nov 24 Dec 1 Dec 2 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 712 Dec 24 | |
