The probability of a plane crash occurring is just 0.00001%, yet when the risk does happen, the chance of survival is extremely low. On January 26, 1972, a horrific aviation disaster struck Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia and the Czech Republic), claiming the lives of 27 people aboard flight JAT367 of Jat Airways.
The aircraft was en route from Stockholm (Sweden) to Belgrade (Serbia), with stops in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Zagreb (Croatia). However, while flying at an altitude of 10,160 meters over Czechoslovakia, the plane exploded mid-air. The world was shocked to learn that one person on board had survived. That person was 22-year-old flight attendant Vesna Vulović from Serbia.
Miraculous Survival After Falling from Over 10 km
On the night of January 26, 1972, Bruno Honke, a resident of a remote village in Czechoslovakia, heard a terrifying explosion like never before. He and his neighbors rushed outside to investigate. After some time, they realized what had happened: a plane had shattered into pieces near their village. At the tragic scene, plumes of smoke were still rising.
The plane shattered into thousands of small pieces in the forest
Honke attempted to search for signs of survivors, even though it seemed like a far-fetched idea. However, he did indeed find a woman lying barely alive among the wreckage.
Seeing that the girl was still breathing, Honke tried to administer first aid to the victim. Since the crash site was in a remote area, it took several hours for rescue teams to arrive. Flight attendant Vesna Vulović, the only survivor, was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Her ribs, pelvis, and leg bones were broken, and her skull was fractured with intracranial bleeding.
The only survivor was taken for emergency treatment after several hours of perseverance
Vesna Vulović remained in the hospital for 10 months in a deep coma. During this time, the world media, medical professionals, and scientists were all curious about how this young girl could survive such a terrifying fall. Meanwhile, all 27 other passengers met tragic deaths, their bodies unrecognizable. Everyone eagerly awaited Vesna’s awakening to unravel this incredible story.
However, upon waking, the flight attendant revealed that she had no memory of the fateful day.
The 22-year-old flight attendant survived, leaving everyone puzzled.
Investigating the Cause
Under normal circumstances, anyone falling from an altitude of 10,000 meters like Vesna Vulović would have no chance of survival. They do not die from injuries upon landing; rather, they typically perish while still in the aircraft. This is because a sudden drop in altitude causes a dramatic increase in blood pressure, leading to a condition known as “heart explosion.”
So how did the flight attendant manage to escape all these normal laws? Since the victim had no memory, scientists spent years trying to find an explanation.
Vesna Vulović in the hospital.
Initially, based on the evidence left at the crash site and the nature of Vesna’s injuries, experts theorized that she had not been ejected from the plane at the moment of the explosion. She may have been trapped in a food cart, or she cleverly crawled into it, thinking it would help minimize the impact if she fell.
This cart was tightly wedged into a part of the aircraft’s fuselage, so when it was ejected, the flight attendant was “cocooned” quite well. Later, luck struck again as she fell into the canopy of a large tree on the mountain. Vesna did fall from the tree to the ground, but the descent speed was not high, and she landed on a snow-covered surface. Additionally, she was located at the rear of the plane, which is generally considered the safest part.
However, even this explanation is not sufficient, as no one can explain why Vesna did not die while still aboard the aircraft. By some miracle, her body withstood the immense blood pressure increase and did not suffer the catastrophic “heart explosion” like a normal person would.
A Final Confession
After recovering her health, contrary to popular belief, Vesna Vulović was not haunted by her past and chose to continue her career as a flight attendant. She avoided the media, did not cooperate with scientists wanting to investigate the incident, and simply wished to live a peaceful life.
She continued to work as a flight attendant despite experiencing a horrific accident.
In 2016, the “miraculous survivor” passed away in her apartment in Belgrade at the age of 66. It was not until her middle age that Vesna revealed a hidden story of her life, which likely holds the key to explaining her spectacular fall years ago.
From birth, Vesna Vulović had a congenital heart condition and significantly lower blood pressure than most people. With such severe hypotension, she should never have been accepted for a job that required frequent flying.
During her interview with Jat Airways, she had cheated by drinking a lot of black coffee to raise her blood pressure and pass the health test. No one suspected that this very condition was the secret that allowed Vesna to avoid experiencing “heart explosion” when falling from over 10,000 meters.
Vesna Vulović later admitted her secret in old age.
Despite being considered extremely lucky by others, the flight attendant herself stated that she did not feel lucky, and the accident had ruined her life. Initially, Vesna was not supposed to be the attendant on that fateful flight. Another attendant had an unexpected incident, so she had to take their place.
“If I were lucky, I would never have had to board that flight in the first place,” Vesna said.
Source: All That’s Interesting
