15 Facts About Juliane Koepcke

Juliane Koepcke is the daughter of German zoologists Maria and Hans-Wilhelm Koepcke and sole survivor of the 1971 LANSA Flight 508 crash.

Juliane Koepcke survived 11 days alone in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest until she rescued herself after finding a local lumberjack camp.

Juliane Koepcke's parents were working at Lima's Museum of Natural History when she was born.

On 24 December 1971, just one day after she graduated, Juliane Koepcke flew on LANSA Flight 508.

Juliane Koepcke survived the fall but suffered injuries such as a broken collarbone, a deep cut on her right arm, an eye injury and concussion.

Juliane Koepcke then spent 11 days in the rainforest, most of which were spent making her way through water by following a creek to a river.

Juliane Koepcke returned to her parents' native Germany, where she fully recovered from her physical injuries.

Juliane Koepcke received a doctorate from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and returned to Peru to conduct research in mammalogy, specialising in bats.

Juliane Koepcke published her thesis, "Ecological study of a bat colony in the tropical rain forest of Peru", in 1987.

In 1989, Juliane Koepcke married Erich Diller, a German entomologist who specialises in parasitic wasps.

Juliane Koepcke currently serves as a librarian at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich.

Juliane Koepcke was portrayed by English actress Susan Penhaligon in the film.

Juliane Koepcke's story was more faithfully told by Juliane Koepcke herself in German filmmaker Werner Herzog's documentary Wings of Hope.

Juliane Koepcke had planned to make the film ever since narrowly missing the flight but was unable to contact Koepcke for decades since she avoided the media; he located her after contacting the priest who performed her mother's funeral.

Juliane Koepcke accompanied him on a visit to the crash site, which she described as a "kind of therapy" for her.