SIT DOWN WITH STEVE: Sole Survivor of Plane Crash Spent 8 Days Alone in Jungle

Flight 474 crashed into the side of a mountain in the jungles of Vietnam

WATCH: Annette Herfkens, the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed 30 people, including her fiancé, talks with Steve Wilson in the latest edition of “Sit Down with Steve.” During this exclusive interview, Herfkens talks about the plane crash, and her eight days alone in the mountains before rescue. Among other things, she also talks about her son, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age, and how her experience in the mountains has helped her with her son.

Annette Herfkens is one very special lady, in so many ways. By November of 1992, she was a very successful businesswoman whose career took her all around the globe.

Herfkens was traveling with her fiancé, from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang Airport, for a romantic getaway when their plane lost altitude and crashed into the side of a mountain in the jungles of Vietnam.

Herfkens was the sole survivor of Flight 474 and she spent eight days surviving on her own before she was rescued.

Her story of survival is truly remarkable. With multiple injuries, including 12 fractures in her hips, she was able to survive by drinking rainwater.

Herfkens had the wherewithal to take pieces of insulation from the plane, roll them up into balls and wait for the rains to soak the insulation. She would then drink from the soaked insulation balls.

One-Hour Flight Turns Into Nightmare

The flight was only meant to take about an hour. Annette felt anxious and claustrophobic from the start. After 50 minutes, as the plane cruised over the mountainous Vietnamese jungle, it dropped. This time it was a confident Willem who was nervous.

“There was the sound of accelerating motors,” Herfkens told Vice. “Then there was a gigantic drop and everyone started screaming. We looked at each other, he stretched out and grabbed for my hand, I grabbed his, and then everything went black.”

The plane hit some trees on a ridge during the descent close to Nha Trang. It lost one of its wings and struck another mountain, flipping upside-down.

Annette said she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. That caused her to be tossed around the cabin “like a lonely piece in a (clothes) dryer” — but may have sealed her survival.

“In that plane, everyone else got mostly injured by that seatbelt, which made their ribs go into lungs,” she said.

The last thing Annette heard was the roar of the plane’s engines.

“Next thing, I wake up to this eerie jungle sound and this noisy silence, really,” she said. “And then I felt something heavy on top of me. It was a chair on top of me with a dead body.”

When asked how she survived eight days alone, Herfkens said she stayed in the moment and did not accept reality for what it was.

“I devised a plan, divided it into feasible steps and congratulated myself and also kept my sense of humor,” said Herfkens.

Herfkens talked about a “spiritual part” that took over later. She focused on the beauty of the mountains, the leaves, the raindrops, etc., and did not allow her mind to dwell on what had occurred. Throughout the duration, she continued to “stay in the moment.”

Rescue finally came on the eighth day and considering her multiple injuries, Herfkens’ rehabilitation went rather quickly. By the time she returned to her home in the Netherlands, six weeks after the crash, she was already taking her first steps.

Herfkens’ life did not come to an end after the plane crash. She eventually married and had two children, Joosje and Maxi, who was diagnosed at an early age with autism.

Herfkens’ experience has given her a unique perspective on how to deal with her son and autism.

“What I did with the diagnosis is exactly the same as what I did in the jungle.,” said Herfkens. “I accepted what it was, and I accepted what he could not do. It helped me better to see the beautiful boy that he is. He’s an angel to me and has taught me so much.”

“Turbulence, A True Story of Survival,” written by Herfkens, chronicles both the plane crash and dealing with her son’s autism.

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