Buzz
The term 'sole survivor' evokes a wide range of emotions. For the families and friends, hearing that only one person survived brings a mixture of hope and grief—wondering if it could be their loved one who made it. For the lone survivor, it brings reflection—why was I spared? Was it fate, destiny, or simply pure chance?
As Forest Gump once mused, “I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I think maybe it’s both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.”
Note: I've kept the descriptions brief, though that was often a challenge. My aim was to include relevant details about the flight, the crash, and the individual who survived. I cross-referenced multiple sources to ensure the information is accurate, though I welcome any corrections or additions. I also acknowledge that ordering the list from bottom to top might seem a bit off, given the tragic nature of each incident. The 'order' reflects the extraordinary survival stories and the odds each survivor faced.
10. First Lieutenant Martin Farkaš
Crash Date: January 19, 2006 Aircraft: Antonov An-24 Operator: Slovak Air Force Location: Hejce, Hungary Passengers & Crew: 43 Fatalities: 42 Cause: Pilot Error
The plane, transporting Slovak peacekeepers, crashed in the snowy, forested Borsó Hill area, located at an altitude of 700 meters (2,300 feet), near Hejce and the town of Telkibánya in Hungary. The aircraft struck the treetops before igniting and plummeting to the ground. Wreckage and bodies were spread across a vast area. Michaela Farkasova, wife of the sole survivor, recalled receiving a call from her husband, who informed her that his plane had crashed in a forest and urged her to contact rescue teams. Shortly after the call, Farkas was discovered. Rescuers claimed his survival was miraculous, as he was found in the aircraft's lavatory, largely untouched by the damage. Farkas sustained minor brain swelling and lung injuries. He was placed in a medically induced coma but later stabilized. Investigations revealed the pilot had descended too early in the dark toward the lights of Košice.
9. James Polehinke
Crash Date: August 27, 2006 Aircraft: Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER Operator: Comair (operating as Delta Connection) Crash Location: Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Kentucky Onboard Passengers & Crew: 50 Fatalities: 49 Crash Cause: Pilot Error
The aircraft was assigned to take off from Runway 22 at the airport, but it mistakenly used Runway 26. This runway was too short for a safe takeoff, leading the aircraft to overrun the runway without gaining sufficient altitude. Tragically, 47 passengers and two crew members perished in the crash. The flight's First Officer, James Polehinke, was the sole survivor, sustaining grave injuries, including multiple fractures, a collapsed lung, and significant blood loss. Doctors later confirmed that Polehinke suffered brain damage and had no recollection of the crash or the events leading up to it. Though Polehinke was at the controls during the crash, it was Captain Jeffrey Clay who directed the aircraft onto the incorrect runway.
8. Foye Kenneth Roberts
Crash Date: June 14, 1943 Aircraft: B-17C Flying Fortress Crash Location: Bakers Creek, near Mackay, QLD, Australia Passengers & Crew: 41 Fatalities: 40 Cause of Crash: Unknown
For reasons related to military security and morale, this incident was kept secret by both U.S. Army and Australian civil authorities for years. The plane was carrying forty-one American servicemen who were returning from a ten-day leave. The aircraft took off into thick ground fog, leveling off at around 300 feet. Within minutes, the plane caught fire mid-air and, as it plunged into the trees, one of its wings broke off, causing a large hole in the fuselage. Most of the passengers were thrown into the bush before the final crash. The sole survivor was Foye Kenneth Roberts, who suffered head injuries that went undiagnosed at the time and lost his ability to speak for many years after lifesaving brain surgery. Roberts had no memory of the crash itself. He passed away in February 2004. Remarkably, this crash is still considered the worst aviation disaster in Australian history.
7. Nestor Mata
Crash Date: March 17, 1957 Aircraft: C-47 Skytrain Operator: Philippine Air Force Crash Location: 22 miles NW of Cebu City, Philippines Passengers & Crew: 26 Fatalities: 25 Cause: Metal Fatigue
The crash claimed the life of the 7th President of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, along with several high-ranking military officials. Nestor Mata, a reporter for the Philippine Herald, was the only survivor. The aircraft had taken off from Lahug Airport, heading for Nichols Field. Eyewitnesses reported that the airplane failed to gain enough altitude as it approached the mountain ranges in Balamban. Mata, seated next to the President's compartment, remembered a blinding flash before losing consciousness. When he regained awareness, he found himself on a steep cliff, surrounded by trees and bushes. In excruciating pain, he called out, 'Mr. President! Mr. President!' Local farmers found him and returned to the village to retrieve a hammock, carrying him for 18 hours through rugged terrain. Upon arrival at Southern Island Hospital in Cebu, he was treated for severe shock and second- and third-degree burns. Mata remained conscious and dictated a press release to a nurse, beginning with the words, 'President Magsaysay is dead.' The photo of the white cross marks the exact crash site.
6. Erika Delgado
Crash Date: January 13, 1995 Aircraft: DC-9 Operator: Intercontinental Airlines Crash Location: Maria La Baja, 500 miles northwest of Bogota Passengers & Crew: 52 Fatalities: 51 Cause: Unknown
The aircraft exploded mid-air as the pilot attempted an emergency landing near a swamp. However, it crashed onto a grassy field, exploded, and plunged into a lagoon. A farmer nearby heard cries for help and discovered a 9-year-old girl, Erika Delgado, lying on a mound of seaweed, which had cushioned her fall. She was the sole survivor. Traveling with her parents and younger brother from Bogota to the Caribbean resort city of Cartagena, Erika was found in a state of shock, with a broken arm. She later told rescuers that her mother had pushed her out of the plane just before it broke apart and ignited. Erika shared a harrowing story of someone approaching her but ignoring her cries for help, only to steal a gold necklace from around her neck before fleeing. Witnesses also reported that scavengers looted the bodies of the other passengers. Erika later made a public plea for the return of the necklace, as it was her only memento of her father.
5. George Lamson, Jr.
Crash Date: January 21, 1985 Aircraft Type: Lockheed Electra 188 Crash Location: Reno, Nevada, USA Passengers & Crew: 71 Fatalities: 70 Cause of Crash: Pilot/Ground Crew Error
After a weekend of skiing, 17-year-old George Lamson sat beside his father in the front row of the airplane’s cabin, just behind the bulkhead. The plane began to shake, and its right wing dipped as it initiated a dangerous right turn. Lamson quickly curled his knees to his chest just before the plane struck the ground. The crash force tore Lamson’s seat from the fuselage, and he was ejected from the plane, landing upright in the middle of a highway, still strapped into his seatbelt. He unbuckled and sprinted toward a field at the edge of the road as the plane exploded. Three people initially survived the crash, including George Lamson’s father, but both died from severe burns and head injuries days later. Investigations revealed that the crash was caused by the captain’s failure to maintain control, and the copilot’s failure to monitor the flight path and airspeed, leading to an unexpected vibration shortly after takeoff. Lamson, now a father himself, was recently contacted by the press but requested to remain private and not have any further details shared about his life or whereabouts.
4. Mohammed el-Fateh Osman
Crash Date: July 8, 2003 Aircraft Type: Boeing 737 Operator: Sudan Airways Crash Location: Port Sudan Passengers & Crew: 116 Fatalities: 115 Cause of Crash: *Unknown
Approximately ten minutes after departing from Port Sudan, heading northeast toward the capital, the pilot reported an issue with one of the engines. After shutting down the affected engine, the pilot informed the tower that he would return to the airport. Unfortunately, ten minutes later, the Sudanese airliner crashed into a hillside during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 people. Among the charred wreckage, a 3-year-old boy, Mohammed el-Fateh Osman, was found as the sole survivor. He had been lying injured on a fallen tree and was discovered by a nomad. His mother was among the victims. Mohammed sustained a severe leg injury and was treated for extensive burns. Due to the condition of the bodies, they were buried in a mass grave following a Muslim prayer, as it was not possible to transport them to their families.
*The government blamed the United States for the crash, claiming that sanctions had restricted the availability of essential aircraft parts. The United States, however, denied this accusation, asserting that there was no embargo on parts critical to aviation safety.
3. Juliane Köpcke
Date of Incident: December 24, 1971 Aircraft Model: Lockheed Electra L-188A Crash Location: Puerto Inca, Peru Total Passengers & Crew: 92 Fatalities: 91 Crash Cause: A combination of human error and structural failure, with possible lightning strike involvement.
This is truly two separate survival tales, which is why it takes the top spot. While there are many intricate details to this remarkable account, here’s a summary of the key facts. On Christmas Eve in 1971, a Peruvian airliner departed from Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, heading towards Pucallpa, Peru. Roughly 30 minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of 21,000 feet, the plane entered a thunderstorm with intense turbulence, possibly struck by lightning. The pilots struggled to maintain control, and the aircraft entered a downward spiral. Despite their efforts to stabilize it, flames and forces from the turbulence caused the right wing and most of the left wing to detach. The plane plummeted into the Amazon's mountainous terrain. Miraculously, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke, who had been traveling with her mother, survived the crash, still strapped in her seat. After a fruitless search for her mother, Koepcke wandered the jungle for nine days seeking assistance. On the ninth day, she discovered a canoe and shelter. Hours later, local lumbermen found her and helped her on a seven-hour journey via canoe to a lumber station, where she was airlifted to a hospital. Today, Koepcke is a successful biologist in Germany.
The image above shows Juliane Koepcke sitting beside the recreated wreckage for the documentary 'Wings of Hope.'
Contributor: Blogball
2. Cecelia Cichan
Incident Date: August 16, 1987 Aircraft Model: McDonnell Douglas MD-82 Airline: Northwest Airlines Crash Location: Romulus, Michigan (western Detroit) Total Onboard: 155 (Passengers & Crew) Fatalities Onboard: 154 (with 2 additional fatalities on the ground) Cause of Incident: Pilot error
Shortly after takeoff from Metro Airport, the aircraft experienced an abnormal roll of approximately 35 degrees in both directions during its initial climb. The left wing made contact with a light pole roughly ½ mile (800 meters) from the runway’s end, and continued to hit additional poles, the roof of a car rental facility, and ultimately the ground. Cecelia Cichan was discovered by rescuers, still in her seat, a few feet from her mother’s body. Also found nearby were Cecelia’s father and 6-year-old brother. Her miraculous survival was deemed inexplicable by many, including aviation crash investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the crash was the crew’s failure to follow the taxi checklist, neglecting to ensure the flaps and slats were properly extended before takeoff. Today, Cecelia is married and holds a Psychology degree from the University of Alabama. Though she hasn’t made public statements or attended annual memorial services for the crash victims, she does keep in touch with the families of other passengers.
1. Vesna Vulović?
Incident Date: January 26, 1972 Aircraft Model: McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 Airline: Jugoslovenski Aero Transport Cause of Incident: Bombing Crash Location: Hinterhermsdorf, East Germany Total Passengers & Crew: 28 Fatalities: 27
This incident ranks highly due to the extraordinary circumstances and the remarkable survival of Vesna Vulović. Vesna was a flight attendant on board when a bomb exploded at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,050 meters). The attack, attributed to Croatian Ustashe terrorists, caused the aircraft to disintegrate mid-air. The wreckage plummeted for three minutes before crashing into a frozen mountainside. A German man, upon reaching the crash site, found Vesna lying partially outside the plane, with the body of another crew member atop her and a serving cart pinned against her. The man, a former WWII medic, did what he could to help her until additional assistance arrived. Vesna sustained severe injuries, including a fractured skull, two broken legs, and three broken vertebrae, which left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. After surgery, she regained the use of her legs and resumed working for JAT in a desk job. It was later revealed that her schedule had been swapped with another flight attendant, also named Vesna, which led to her being assigned to the ill-fated flight.
Vesna Vulović still holds the Guinness World Record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute, from 33,330 feet. She is celebrated as a national heroine across the former Yugoslavia.
