In 1971 , while Herzog was location scouting for '' Aguirre , the Wrath of God '' in Peru , he narrowly avoided taking LANSA Flight 508 . Herzog 's reservation was cancelled due to a last-minute change in itinerary . The plane was later struck by lightning and disintegrated , but one survivor , Juliane Koepcke , lived after a free fall . Long haunted by the event , nearly 30 years later he made a documentary film , '' Wings of Hope '' ( 2000 ) , which explored the story of the sole survivor
LANSA Flight 508
LANSA Flight 508
Werner Herzog