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DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 370.
FOR NEARLY ALL OF US, WE CAN
ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO
BE A PASSENGER ON A PLANE THAT'S
CRASHING.
THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
"TURBULENCE" IS ONE OF THE FEW
PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO IS THE
SOLE SURVIVOR OF AN AIRPLANE
CATASTROPHE.
HER NAME IS ANNETTE HERPKINS.
HER PLANE HIT THE SIDE OF A
MOUNTAIN IN VIETNAM IN 1992,
KILLING 29 ON BOARD INCLUDING
HER FIANCE.
SHE SURVIVED EIGHT DAYS ALONE IN
THE JUNGLE DRINKING RAINWATER.
"I WAS SITTING IN WHAT'S SAID TO
BE THE LEAST SAFE PART OF THE
CABIN WITH THE LOWEST SURVIVAL
RATE.
IT WAS THE AISLE SEAT IN THE
THIRD ROW IN FRONT OF THE WING.
BUT WHERE I SATURNED OUT TO BE
IRRELEVANT.
I WASN'T WEARING MY SEAT BELT.
EVERYONE ELSE WAS."
ANNETTE HERPKINS JOINS ME NOW.
YOUR DAD WAS ARRANGING YOUR
FUNERAL, AND NOW YOU'RE HERE.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE FAMILIES
OF FLIGHT 370?
>> FIRST OF ALL, MY HEART GOES
OUT TO THEM.
I KNOW HOW IT WAS FOR MY FAMILY.
THERE'S INSECURITY, NOT KNOWING.
LIKE THEM, HEARING ONE DAY
THEY'RE LOST AT SEA, THE NEXT
DAY THE MOUNTAINS, THE NEXT
DAY -- IT'S AWFUL.
>> THE IMPACT OF WHAT THEY'RE
HEARING AND SEEING?
>> THE INSECURITY OF NOT
KNOWING.
I THINK IN A WAY IT WAS WORSE
FOR MY FAMILY, THE WHOLE
EXPERIENCE, AND MY LOVED ONES.
BECAUSE I KNEW WHERE I WAS AND
THEY DIDN'T.
IT WAS ALMOST TORTURE FOR THEM.
>> YOU KNOW, I ASKED YOU AS YOU
WERE COMING ON, I WOULD IMAGINE
WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS, DO YOU RELIVE IT ALL
OVER AGAIN?
OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT'S
CONSTANTLY IN THE EITHER FRONT
OR BACK OF MIND, TOP OR BACK OF
YOUR MIND ALL THE TIME?
>> FOR ME IT'S AN EXPERIENCE
I'VE INTEGRATED IN MY BEING.
IT'S NOT MY IDENTITY OR
ANYTHING.
BUT IT'S MAJOR.
IT'S CUT MY LIFE IN TWO.
BEFORE AND THE AFTER.
BECAUSE I LOST MY FIANCE.
THAT WAS FOR ME THE MOST
RELEVANT PART.
AND FOR ME, AGAIN, THE JUNGLE
SURVIVAL, WAS NOT AS BAD AS IT
SEEMS.
THAT'S WHY I NEVER REALLY TALKED
ABOUT IT UNTIL NOW.
THEN I FELT IT WAS A STORY TO
TELL BECAUSE IT WAS NOT AS BAD
AS PEOPLE EXPECTED IT TO BE.
THAT'S WHY I TOLD THE STORY.
ALSO I GAVE MY FAMILY A HUGE
INPUT.
AND I SHOWED IT FROM THEIR
PERSPECTIVE.
BECAUSE IT WAS FASCINATING
DOCTOR ME HOW DIFFERENT IT WAS
FOR THEM THAN IT WAS FOR ME.
AND IT WAS SO MUCH MORE
AGONIZING THAN IT WAS FOR ME.
>> IT'S BEEN TWO WEEKS.
13, 14 DAYS THAT PLANE HAS BEEN
MISSING.
YOU SURVIVED EIGHT DAYS.
PEOPLE CAN SURVIVE.
I IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE YOU GIVES
THE FAMILIES HOPE.
GIVES THEM SOME HOPE THEIR
FAMILIES MAY BE ALIVE.
WE DON'T KNOW.
HOW DID YOU SURVIVE FOR EIGHT
DAYS?
>> I BEHAVED LIKE A 75ER IN THE
WAY THAT I ACCEPTED IMMEDIATELY
WHERE I WAS.
I DIDN'T FIGHT IT.
I JUST OBSERVED.
I ACCEPTED REALITY.
AND I SURRENDERED TO THE
SITUATION.
AND I THINK REALLY, THIS IS IT.
THIS IS HAPPENING.
AND I KEPT MY EMOTIONS IN CHECK.
I DIDN'T CRY.
BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE ME VERY
THIRSTY.
I MADE A PLAN.
I KEPT MY SENSE OF HUMOR.
I DID ALL THAT.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, I
SHIFTED MY FOCUS SLOWLY.
MORE AND MORE TO THE JUNGLE
BECAUSE IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
SO INSTEAD OF FIXATING ON THE