Vault: Lone survivor of 100 passenger plane

Summary

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The Bert Show: Vault – Lone Survivor of 100 Passenger Plane

Episode Date: August 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this emotionally charged episode, The Bert Show team discusses an extraordinary and heartbreaking aviation story: the lone 10-year-old Dutch survivor of a plane crash that killed 103 people near Tripoli. While considering this recent tragedy, the hosts expand into a broader conversation about the rare phenomenon of plane crashes with only one survivor, recounting several jaw-dropping real cases throughout aviation history. The show delves into the survivor’s psychological aftermath, the notion of fate, and the extraordinary resilience required to move forward.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tripoli Crash: Devastation and Survival

• Segment: [00:33–01:40]

  • Host and News Reporter introduce the story of the 10-year-old Dutch boy, the sole survivor amid over 100 casualties when the plane failed to land in Tripoli. The plane was traveling from Johannesburg and was en route to France when tragedy struck.

  • The boy's survival is described as miraculous, with hosts expressing shock at the sheer odds.

  • The hosts emphasize the life-changing impact and the likelihood of future struggles with survivor’s guilt, especially since the child probably lost family in the crash.

    "That's a life changer right there."
    — Host [01:20]

    "I mean, he's too young now to have these questions, but in a couple of years he's gonna start thinking like, what am I on this earth to do?"
    — Host [01:25]

2. The Rarity of Lone Survivors in Aviation

• Segment: [01:40–02:24]

  • Only 14 such cases have been recorded in aviation history where one person survives among many fatalities. The show points out how statistically shocking these incidents are.

  • The topic leads to questions about the weight such survivors carry: survivor’s guilt and questions of fate and purpose.

    "They're going to struggle with survivor's guilt too for a long time, I would imagine, like, why am I here? And they're not."
    — Co-host [02:16]

3. Famous Cases of Lone Survivors

a) Vesna Vulović — 1972 Bombing (Guinness World Record)

• Segment: [02:25–03:35]

  • Vesna Vulović, a 22-year-old flight attendant, survived a 33,000ft fall after a bomb tore her plane apart. She was found alive, severely injured but miraculously alive, with a food tray reportedly acting as a seatbelt.

  • Vulović was in a coma for 27 days; all other passengers and crew perished. She later became a public figure, still traveling by plane.

    "33,000ft. That's like at the height of any flight you start going down and that's a bomb."
    — Host [02:25]

    "I don't know how I could ever get on a plane again. But she does worldwide interviews. Still talking about it. She's got no problem getting on a plane."
    — Host [03:22]

b) Annette Herfkens — 1992 Vietnam Airlines Crash

• Segment: [03:37–04:19]

  • The only survivor, Annette Herfkens, endured eight days trapped at the crash site. While she survived, others died from their injuries waiting for rescue.

    "Some reports say Herskins told authorities that other survivors died while waiting to be rescued. So some of them survived and then while she's laying there on the ground or whatever, others are dying around her."
    — Host [03:55]

c) Erika Delgado — 9-year-old Miracle in Colombia, 1995

• Segment: [04:19–05:01]

  • Delgado survived a midair explosion and crash near Colombia by being thrown from the plane and landing in a swamp, where a farmer found her alive. Her story was so unlikely, it inspired a made-for-TV movie.

    "She was reportedly thrown from the plane as it was making an emergency landing and was found in a swamp by a farmer."
    — Host [04:41]

    "That sounds like a movie story. It doesn't sound like a real story."
    — Co-host [04:53]

d) Discussion on the Role of Fate and Divine Intervention

• Segment: [05:01–05:45]

  • The panel grapples with whether these stories are pure luck, fate, or "divine intervention." The idea that every detail aligned to allow just one survivor is deeply pondered.

    "In cases like this, I think it's divine intervention... there were like nine different things and you...I'm looking at it going, it's divine intervention."
    — Host [05:01]

    "That makes me believe somebody said it's their time. But I got something for you, you know."
    — Host [05:09]

4. Survivor's Guilt and Psychological Impact

• Segment: [05:37–06:04]

  • The team connects with the emotional trauma survivors face, including lifelong flashbacks.

    "They witnessed everybody else perishing, you know, and this one could never get that out of your mind."
    — News Reporter [05:45]

    "Think about when, if you've ever been in a car accident, how you can never really get the sound of that steel on steel out of your head. Now imagine a plane crash, right?"
    — Host [05:57]

5. Final Case: George Lamson Jr. — 1985 Nevada Crash

• Segment: [06:07–06:36]

  • At 17, Lamson survived after being thrown from the plane while still in his seat, and was found upright — the crash killed everyone else.

  • Only 14 such stories exist worldwide: each prompts existential questions about purpose and destiny.

    "He was reportedly thrown from the aircraft and landed upright still in his seat when they found him."
    — Host [06:16]

    "It really does make you think like, okay, what's in store? What's in store for me? Right?"
    — Host [06:36]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "That's a life changer right there." – Host [01:20]
• "I mean, he's too young now to have these questions, but in a couple of years he's gonna start thinking like, what am I on this earth to do?" – Host [01:25]
• "They're going to struggle with survivor's guilt too for a long time, I would imagine." – Co-host [02:16]
• "There were like nine different things... I'm looking at it going, it's divine intervention." – Host [05:01]
• "That sounds like a movie story. It doesn't sound like a real story." – Co-host [04:53]
• "Imagine people dying around you... never get that out of your mind." – News Reporter/Co-host [06:04–06:07]
• "He was reportedly thrown from the aircraft and landed upright still in his seat when they found him." – Host [06:16]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro to Tripoli crash story: [00:33–01:40]
• Rarity of lone survivors: [01:40–02:24]
• Vesna Vulović’s story (33,000ft fall): [02:25–03:35]
• Annette Herfkens, 8 days in jungle post-crash: [03:37–04:19]
• Erika Delgado, 9 years old, Colombian crash: [04:19–05:01]
• Divine intervention discussion: [05:01–05:45]
• Survivor's guilt, flashbacks: [05:37–06:04]
• George Lamson Jr., thrown from plane: [06:07–06:36]

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Tone, Language, and Style

• The hosts use a conversational, empathetic, and sometimes incredulous tone, peppered with personal reflections and hypothetical questions.
• Frequent expressions of awe and empathy underline the gravity of these survival stories and respect for those who lived through unimaginable trauma.
• The episode combines somber reverence with genuine curiosity about fate, resilience, and the human mind's coping mechanisms.

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This Bert Show episode stands as a reflective, gripping exploration of rare survival in disaster, offering both factual recounting and profound emotional commentary, making listeners consider what it means to be the “lone survivor.”

Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment

[News Reporter]

of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.

[Host]

This is the bird show.

[Co-host]

Dude, this.

[Host]

Have you guys checked out the story about the flight that crashed in Tripoli?

[Co-host]

No.

[News Reporter]

Well, we talked about it.

[Host]

Let's talk a little bit about it. Yesterday.

[News Reporter]

We talked about yesterday. There was just One survivor, a 10 year old boy who is a Dutch boy who survived the crash. Like 103 people were killed on this crash. It was a plane that was coming from Johannesburg and it was landing in Tripoli and then it was going to head on to France and, and it crash landed in Tripoli. So it didn't make. It was not a successful landing. But like I said, the 10 year old boy's the only one to survive the entire flight.

[Co-host]

I mean, have they figured out how he survived it?

[Host]

They don't know yet. I mean, they were still sorting through the wreckage and stuff yesterday, so they haven't been able to figure out anything but just the fact that this is the one lone survivor. And how many people? 100, 303 people.

[News Reporter]

Wow.

[Host]

I mean, that's a life changer right there.

[News Reporter]

Passengers and the crew, everybody except him.

[Host]

I mean, he's too young now to have these questions, but in a couple of years he's gonna start thinking like, what am I on this earth to do?

[Ryan Reynolds]

What am I?

[News Reporter]

The sad thing is his parents. You assume his parents are on the flight with him. Nobody said, but I assume he was traveling with family, which is just tragic, you know, Awful.

[Host]

He is. Did you mention this, that he's one of 14 different cases where they've had plane crashes and there's only been one survivor.

[News Reporter]

Mm. Mm.

[Host]

I looked this up yesterday.

[Co-host]

14 ever, ever in the history of

[Host]

the world, history of aviation are recorded. But that's not like if there's three people on the one survivor, that doesn't count, does it? I don't know what the statistics, the statistics for it are, but I'm sure it's much grander than that. So let's assume these next couple stories I'm telling you about are pretty major flights. And it's one person living that really is going to look at their, their life forever and go, well, I got to have another purpose here.

[Co-host]

And they're going to struggle with survivor's guilt too for a long time, I

[Host]

would imagine, like, why am I here? And they're not. Why am I here? My parents aren't.

[News Reporter]

Right.

[Host]

A 22 year old flight attendant. This one might be the most shocking. And this is a Guinness Book of World Records right here. A 22 year old flight attendant was the lone survivor on a crash in 1972. The plane crashed 33,000ft, 33,000ft into the snow after a bomb on board an hour into the flight. She was reportedly in the tail section as the plane fell and, and a food tray acted like a seatbelt and held her against the plane. And she survived it. She was in a coma for 27 days. All the passengers, all the crew were killed, except she was the only one that survived. 33,000ft. That's like at the height of any flight you start going down and that's a bomb. So.

[News Reporter]

Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I just can't imagine. Yeah, the trauma, I mean, how do you get over something like that though?

[Host]

She does interviews and stuff now and she got real political. I don't know how I could ever get on a plane again. But she does worldwide interviews. Still talking about it. She's got no problem getting on a plane. That's my last flight.

[News Reporter]

Oh my God.

[Host]

Annette Hefkins, 31, was the only survivor when a Vietnam Airlines plane crashed into a mountain in in 1992. Took eight days for rescue crews to reach the wreckage. All of the crew members were dead, the passengers all died. Some reports say Herskins told authorities that other survivors died while waiting to be rescued. So some of them survived and then while she's laying there on the ground or whatever, others are dying around her. She's the lone survivor of that flight. Right.

[Co-host]

And I wonder, like, how did she find food or water during that time? Did she have broken bones? Was she like sitting there, you know, with broken legs or something?

[Host]

I mean, you gotta assume she couldn't be able to get around real well. Right. These are fascinating to me. And there's been 14 cases, two more here. Erica Delgado, 9 years old, survived a midair explosion of an Intercontinental Airlines mid air explosion in 1995 near Columbia. She was reportedly thrown from the plane as it was making an emergency landing and was found In a swamp by a farmer.

[Co-host]

You are kidding me.

[Host]

There's a movie, there's like a made for TV movie about that story that

[Co-host]

sounds like a movie story. It doesn't sound like a real story. So it must have been the swamp that cradled her fall a little bit, right?

[News Reporter]

I don't know, man.

[Host]

In cases like this, I think it's divine intervention. Like in that very first story I told you guys about, they did a History Channel special on it. I couldn't find it yesterday. But like nine things had to go, right? It's almost like that Sully flight where everything had to go just right for her to survive. Like the way the plane crashed and the angle that it was on and how she was pinned up against the wall of the airplane with that food tray. There were like nine different things and you. I'm looking at it going, it's divine intervention. Like that makes me believe somebody said it's their time. But I got something for you, you know.

[Co-host]

Yeah.

[News Reporter]

I think some way you survive, mentally survive that has, you know, I think that's a coping mechanism would have to

[Host]

be, you know, that God has something planned for.

[News Reporter]

Because I mean, they witnessed everybody else perishing, you know, and this one could

[Co-host]

never get that out of your mind. The noises, the sounds, the flashbacks that all of that.

[Host]

Think about when, if you've ever been in a car accident, how you can never really get the sound of that steel on steel out of your head. Now imagine a plane crash, right?

[News Reporter]

And imagine people dying around you.

[Host]

And in 1985, a turboprop plane operated by Galaxy Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff in Nevada. Killed all 71 passengers. Two of them actually died later, leaving 17 year old George Lamson Jr. As the only survivor. Listen to this. Okay? He was reportedly thrown from the aircraft and landed upright still in his seat when he found him.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Co-host]

What?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yes.

[Host]

He was the only survivor of that crash. So there's been 14 throughout the entire world, including this 10 year old. And it really does make you think like, okay, what's in store? What's in store for me? Right? This is the bird show.