A Miracle from 33,333 Feet: The Story of Vesna Vulović
The most famous case of surviving an extreme fall is that of Serbian flight attendant Vesna Vulović. On January 26, 1972, JAT Flight 367 exploded mid-air over Czechoslovakia. While all 27 other passengers and crew were killed, Vulović miraculously survived.
Pulled from the wreckage by a local, she was discovered with a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, and multiple other fractures. She spent 27 days in a coma and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down but eventually made a full recovery. Her survival was attributed to being pinned by a food cart within a section of the aircraft fuselage, which cushioned her fall and landed on a snow-covered, heavily wooded slope, further absorbing the impact. The altitude of the fall was 33,333 feet (over 10 kilometers).
The Physics of Falling: Terminal Velocity and Impact
To understand why a fall from such a height can be survived, one must understand the physics involved, particularly terminal velocity and impact forces.
What is terminal velocity?
- An object in freefall accelerates due to gravity, but as its speed increases, so does the air resistance pushing against it.
- Eventually, the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity, and the object stops accelerating, reaching its maximum, or "terminal," velocity.
- For a human, this speed is typically between 120 and 200 mph (about 193 to 322 km/h), depending on body position (e.g., spread-eagled vs. head-down dive).
Impact is the key
As the old saying goes, it's not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop at the end. The critical factor for survival is how effectively the impact energy is dissipated. This is why landing on soft surfaces is so vital. The longer the stopping time and the larger the surface area of impact, the less deadly the force exerted on the body.
Factors Influencing Survival
While luck is often the largest factor, several variables increase the chances of surviving a freefall:
- Landing Surface: Snow, trees, and soft earth are far more forgiving than concrete, steel, or rock. The legendary stories of survival often involve landing in dense foliage or deep snow, which acts as a shock absorber.
- Impact Posture and Area: A landing that distributes the impact force across the body rather than concentrating it on a small area (like the head) or fragile joints improves survivability. The cushioning effect of the plane's fuselage in Vulović's case was paramount.
- Terminal Velocity Posture: A spread-eagled position, like a skydiver's, maximizes air resistance and slows descent, lowering the terminal velocity. The posture at impact also matters immensely.
- Initial Conditions: The specific nature of the catastrophic event is critical. For Vulović, the plane's fragmentation and her entrapment meant she did not freefall in an uncontrolled way. For Juliane Koepcke, another famous survivor of a plane crash in 1971, being strapped to her seat bench and the plane's wing likely slowed her descent before she crashed into the dense Amazon jungle canopy. You can read more about the physics of falling on the NASA Glenn Research Center's educational pages.
Famous Survivors of Extreme Falls
While Vulović's story is the most famous for its altitude, other incredible survivals highlight the role of different mitigating factors.
Comparison of Famous Falls
| Survivor | Event | Fall Height (approx.) | Mitigating Factor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vesna Vulović | JAT Flight 367 Bombing (1972) | 33,333 feet | Trapped in plane tail section, landing on snow-covered, wooded slope. |
| Juliane Koepcke | LANSA Flight 508 Crash (1971) | 9,842 feet | Strapped to a seat, landing in dense Amazon rainforest canopy. |
| Ivan Chisov | Shot down by German fighter (1942) | 23,000 feet | Parachute failed, landing on the snowy slope of a ravine. |
| Alan Magee | B-17 bomber shot down (1943) | 22,000 feet | Crashed through the glass roof of a railway station, dissipating impact. |
The Unpredictable Nature of Survival
Despite the analysis, fall survival remains largely a matter of chance. While a feet-first impact on a soft surface is statistically the most survivable, factors like the exact angle, shape of the body, and the nature of the landing all play an unpredictable role.
For example, Ivan Chisov's parachute failed, yet he survived by impacting a snow-covered ravine. His specific orientation and the nature of the soft landing surface were crucial. In contrast, someone falling from a much lower height onto a hard, unforgiving surface would have a near-zero chance of survival.
Conclusion: The Absence of a Universal Rule
Ultimately, there is no simple number or threshold for what is the highest fall that a human can survive. It is a testament to the fact that while physics governs the forces at play, the human body's structure and incredibly fortunate circumstances can sometimes defy the odds. The remarkable stories of Vesna Vulović and others demonstrate that mitigating factors like a cushioned landing surface and dispersed impact force are far more important than the initial altitude. These survivals are not a guide for what is possible but rather a powerful reminder of the random and unpredictable nature of trauma and recovery.
