A plane crash is always a terrifying ordeal but sometimes they also come with stories of survival and hope. Such is the story of Vesna Vulović who miraculously survived a crash from extremely high up.
An Unusual Morning
When Bruno Honke woke up on the morning of January 26th, 1972, he was not prepared for the horrific sight that awaited him. Just outside his village in Czechoslovakia, he came across the wreckage of a plane that had been torn apart by an explosion. Even more surprising was the fact that there was a survivor.
It All Began With A Dream Come True
Serbian born Vesna Vulović wanted to travel the world and when she learned that her friend was doing exactly that after becoming a flight attendant, Vesna wanted to be one as well. However, her low blood pressure meant that it would be difficult for her to pass the medical exam, so Vesna drank several cups of coffee to cheat the test and was cleared to become an attendant.
Odd Fate
Eight months after being selected, Vesna was a part of the crew of JAT flight 367 which was flying from Stockholm to Belgrade. It was just chance that put Vesna on that flight as she shared a first name with another attendant who was supposed to be on the flight instead, but considering the mixup as an opportunity to travel, Vesna boarded the flight.
Mid Air Tragedy
The trip did not turn out as Vesna had hoped. Barely 46 minutes into the flight, disaster struck. There was an explosion in the baggage compartment which led to the aircraft breaking apart in mid-air. It plummeted 33,330 feet to the ground in Srbská Kamenice, and all the 28 people on board including the passengers and crew fell to their death, all except Vesna.
An Unlikely Survivor
Vesna was the sole survivor in the wreckage, having somehow managed to survive pinned by a food cart in the back of the plane. It was her good fortune that Bruno Honke, who discovered the wreckage, had served as a medic in the Second World War. He was able to keep her alive until rescuers arrived.
Grave Injuries
Vesna broke both her legs along with three vertebrae, fractured her pelvis, ribs, and even her skull. She was rushed to a hospital in Prague and spent several days in a coma before making a miraculous recovery. However, she suffered from total amnesia, and there was a risk that she would never walk again.
Vesna the Fighter
But Vesna did not give up. She started walking ten months later even though her doctors had originally doubted that she would even survive. In an even greater triumph of will, Vesna did not give up her dreams of travel and remained a frequent flier.
Survival Instinct
Vesna’s survival was attributed to a number of factors. Air safety investigators suggested that because she was pinned by a food cart when the plane exploded, she was not sucked out like many others. And the section that she was stuck in fell to the ground on a heavily wooded and snow-covered hillside.
A Tale of Irony
Her doctors noted that it was probably because of her low blood pressure that her heart did not burst on impact. It is definitely a tale of irony that the very thing that was threatening to prevent her from becoming a flight attendant was what saved her.
The Courage to Inspire
The explosion was a result of a briefcase bomb planted by a Croatian separatist group, and airport security was heightened after the incident of JAT 367. But the greater tale here is the survival of Vesna Vulović and the courage she showed after the incident. It is a story that should inspire all of us to not give up on our dreams, ever.
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