Larisa Savitskaya survived a 5,220-meter fall after a mid-air collision with a Soviet bomber, overcoming incredible odds and a government cover-up.
We’ve covered some incredible survival stories here at DMARGE — just consider Vesna Vulovic, the flight attendant who survived a 30,000-foot fall from the commercial jet she was working on or Juliane Koepcke who survived alone in the jungle for 12 days at the age of 17. None, however, have involved a decades-long military and government cover-up scandal…
In another mind-boggling tale of survival, Larisa Savitskaya’s life changed forever on August 28, 1981. At just 20 years old, she became the sole survivor of a mid-air collision between a civilian Aeroflot flight and a Soviet military bomber, an incident the Soviet Union kept hidden for years.
RELATED: Flight Attendant Survives 30,000 Feet Fall From Plane Without Parachute
Honeymoon Turned Tragedy
The story starts all too sweetly: Larisa and her husband Vladimir were returning from their honeymoon aboard Aeroflot Flight 811. The couple had chosen seats at the back of the nearly empty aircraft for a more comfortable and spacious journey. Little did they know, this decision would ultimately save Larisa’s life. Mid-flight, their Antonov An-24 passenger plane collided with a Tupolev Tu-16K bomber over Amur Oblast, resulting in a catastrophic accident.
The collision ripped the plane apart and Larisa found herself plummeting towards the ground from a staggering height of 5,220 meters. Somewhat miraculously, she remained conscious throughout the fall, clutching to her seat, and later described the experience as being like something out of a disaster movie.
Survival Against The Odds
On impact, birch trees cushioned her fall, preventing what would, in any other universe, have been certain death. Despite a swathe of severe injuries — including multiple fractures and a broken spine — Larisa managed to survive the crash, landing in the forest. It probably won’t surprise readers to hear, however, that her ordeal was far from over. With no immediate rescue in sight, she endured three days in the wilderness, battling cold, hunger, and (we’d hazard to guess) a lot of pain.
Despite the brutal injuries which could have reasonably plunged anyone else into outright despair, her survival instincts kicked and she used blankets from the wreckage to keep warm along with plastic to protect herself from relentless masses of mosquitoes.
Drinking from a puddle to quench her thirst, Larisa waited for help. In a further, almost comical, frustration, a helicopter passed overhead but mistook her for one of a group of local geologists. On the third day, destitute but determined, she began to walk and was eventually found by rescuers.
The Cover Up
In the aftermath, Larisa faced the additional trauma of Soviet secrecy. Authorities classified the incident, instructing her family to “forget what happened.” It was only with the fall of the Soviet Union, a full decade later, that the truth began to slowly but surely emerge. The crash, caused by a tragic failure of military and civilian air traffic coordination, had taken 37 lives, including Vladimir’s.
Over 40 years later, Larisa’s story of survival is finally receiving the recognition it deserves. Documentaries and films are shedding light on her journey, making known not only her remarkable endurance but also the secrecy that shrouded one of the Soviet Union’s many hidden tragedies.