Saved by a Second Chance: 20 Lives Spared from Catastrophic Plane Crashes
In the story of aviation disasters, the tragic loss of life is often punctuated by remarkable tales of providence—the seemingly random twists of fate that caused certain individuals to miss a flight that would later crash. Whether delayed by traffic, saved by a faulty alarm clock, or simply choosing a different itinerary, these 20 people found themselves on solid ground while the flight they were meant to take became a casualty of history.
Here are the stories of two dozen people whose lives were spared by moments of delay, distraction, or destiny.
The Ethiopian Airlines Tragedy (2019)
1. Elizabeth Kabuth: A Kenyan woman, Elizabeth Kabuth was scheduled to fly on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi in March 2019. The flight, which crashed minutes after takeoff, killed all 157 people on board. Kabuth’s life was saved by a common, frustrating delay: she was stuck in the airport toilet at Bole International Airport, which caused her to miss the final boarding call. The small, inconvenient delay turned out to be the reason she lived.
The Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing (1988)
Pan Am Flight 103, which was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, resulting in 270 deaths, is one of the incidents linked to the largest number of known near-misses.
2. Kim Cattrall: The actress (known for Sex and the City) was booked on the flight but changed her ticket to a later date because she had forgotten to buy a specific teapot for her mother from Harrods.
3. John Lydon & 4. Nora Forster (The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon and his wife): Lydon and his wife missed the flight because Nora took too long packing, leading Lydon to cancel their tickets in frustration.
5-8. The Four Tops: The iconic Motown group, consisting of Levi Stubbs, Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, Renaldo ‘Obie’ Benson, and Lawrence Payton, were saved after the time for their television appearance on Top of the Pops was changed, prompting them to delay their flight.
9. Kim Wickham: A Syracuse University student who was scheduled to be on the flight but decided to change her ticket at the last minute to visit friends in Germany instead.
10. Harry Trenton: Another Syracuse student, his mother was worried about a long layover in New York and changed his ticket to an earlier flight, inadvertently saving his life.
The Tenerife Airport Disaster (1977)
The collision of two Boeing 747s in the Canary Islands remains the deadliest accident in aviation history.
11. Robina van Lanschot: A Dutch tour guide based in Tenerife, she was due to fly on the Pan Am flight but, going against airport protocol, she managed to leave the plane and go home after deciding against the journey, a disobedience that saved her from the crash.
12. The Pan Am Flight Attendant: One of the flight attendants on the Pan Am flight, who survived the crash itself, later narrowly missed Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie) when she turned down a last-minute request to take an extra shift.
Other Notable Near-Misses
13. Christian Panucci: The former Italian national football team player was scheduled to fly on TWA Flight 800 (crashed in 1996, 230 fatalities) but was ruled out of the team’s tournament due to an injury, forcing him to cancel his ticket home.
14. Andrea Orlandi: The former professional footballer was scheduled to be on Germanwings Flight 9525 (crashed in 2015, 150 fatalities) but an injury ruled him out of the trip, saving him from the fate of the doomed flight.
15. Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman): The famous DJ missed Spanair Flight 5022 (crashed in 2008, 154 fatalities) because he was late checking in, and the check-in desk refused to let him board.
16-20. The James Bond Producers: While scouting locations in Japan for the film You Only Live Twice, five key crew members canceled their flight home from Tokyo to the UK to stay an extra day and watch a ninja demonstration. The flight they missed was the one that crashed. These five people were:
- 16. Harry Saltzman (Producer)
- 17. Albert Broccoli (Producer)
- 18. Lewis Gilbert (Director)
- 19. Freddie Young (Cinematographer)
- 20. Ken Adam (Production Designer)
These accounts serve as powerful, albeit sobering, reminders of the delicate line between chance and tragedy, where a simple twist of fate can mean the difference between life and death.
More From Searchng.ng
“The Flight They Never Boarded: 20 Miraculous Cases of People Who Missed Planes That Later Crashed”
History is filled with spine-chilling coincidences — and few are as haunting as the stories of people who, by accident or intuition, missed a doomed flight. These rare cases blur the line between chance, fate, and divine intervention.
1. The Kenyan Woman Turned Away for Being 10 Minutes Late (2024)
In one of the most recent incidents, a Kenyan woman arrived just 10 minutes after the boarding gate had closed. Heartbroken and frustrated, she watched the plane taxi away — only to hear minutes later that it had crashed shortly after takeoff. Her story went viral across Africa, serving as a sobering reminder that lateness can sometimes save lives.
(Source: MSN Africa, 2024)
2. Seth MacFarlane – Creator of Family Guy
In 2001, the American comedian and animator missed American Airlines Flight 11, which struck the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. He arrived late because of a mix-up with his departure time. That accident changed history — and his life forever.
3. Mark Wahlberg – Actor and Producer
Wahlberg was originally booked on the same 9/11 flight as MacFarlane. A last-minute change to a private jet saved him. He later said he was deeply shaken by how close he came to tragedy.
4. Juliane Koepcke’s Parents’ Flight (Peru, 1971)
Juliane’s mother almost missed LANSA Flight 508 but boarded at the last moment. The flight crashed in the Amazon jungle. Juliane, just 17, was the sole survivor — she lived 11 days in the wilderness. Many other passengers missed the flight because of the Christmas rush and survived by chance.
5. Graham McCrobie – Missed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 (2014)
The Scottish man changed his ticket at the last minute because he wanted to spend an extra day in Amsterdam. That decision saved him — the plane was later shot down over Ukraine.
6. Kayla Burt – American College Basketball Player
Burt was scheduled to fly on Alaska Airlines Flight 261 in 2000 but decided to stay home due to illness. The flight crashed off the coast of California. Every passenger and crew member perished.
7. Michael Jackson – The Flight He Refused
Before his 1993 world tour, Jackson was reportedly urged to board a charter flight that later crashed. He had a “bad feeling” and chose to delay his travel. His team later confirmed he missed the doomed flight by hours.
8. Bono (U2) – Missed Helicopter Transfer (1999)
Bono switched travel plans last minute for a concert. The helicopter he was meant to take crashed in Germany, killing the pilot. His spontaneous decision saved him.
9. Nigel Farage – British Politician (2010)
Farage missed a small campaign plane that later crashed during takeoff in Buckinghamshire, U.K. The pilot was seriously injured. Farage was late — and lucky.
10. Rebekah Roth – Flight Attendant (9/11)
Roth, a scheduled flight attendant on one of the 9/11 planes, swapped shifts at the last minute. That act of generosity — covering for another colleague’s flight — saved her life.
11. Marcel Cerdan – French Boxing Legend (1949)
The famous boxer was supposed to fly from Paris to New York but missed the flight to stay longer in France. The plane crashed in the Azores, killing singer Edith Piaf’s lover and dozens onboard.
12. Giovanna Maccari – Italian Student (1988)
She missed Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie bombing) because she stayed longer with her family. That decision spared her from one of the worst terror attacks in aviation history.
13. Aleksandr Tyurin – Soviet Scientist
He missed Aeroflot Flight 217 in 1972 due to a delayed train in Moscow. That flight later crashed near Sheremetyevo, killing everyone aboard.
14. Luciano Pavarotti – Opera Singer
In the 1980s, the famed tenor cancelled a flight due to a sudden illness. The plane crashed hours later. He later described it as “a voice from heaven telling me to rest.”
15. Andy Murray – British Tennis Star
Murray narrowly missed a flight connection from New York to Miami in 2001 that later crashed (American Airlines Flight 587). He was only 14 at the time, travelling for junior tournaments.
16. Uche Okafor – Nigerian Footballer
During his playing career in the U.S., Uche reportedly missed a connecting flight that later experienced engine failure and crash-landed. Though details are less publicized, he shared the story in interviews before his death in 2011.
17. Gerhard Schröder – Future German Chancellor
In the 1980s, Schröder missed a domestic flight in Germany due to a long meeting. That same flight later crashed; he called it “the delay that saved my life.”
18. Barbara Rottman – Survivor by Proxy
Rottman was booked on Turkish Airlines Flight 981 (1974), but her travel agent changed her to another route due to overbooking. The original plane crashed near Paris; 346 people died.
19. Peter Ustinov – British Actor
Ustinov once joked that being “hopelessly unpunctual” saved his life — after missing a connecting flight in the 1960s that crashed en route to Rome.
20. The “Coincidence Passengers” of MH370
Several travelers reportedly missed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 (2014) due to passport issues or delays. The flight vanished over the Indian Ocean, and to this day, its fate remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
Are These Miracles or Mere Probability?
Psychologists call these “survivor stories” examples of retrospective luck — moments when ordinary delays become life-changing. Statistically, the odds of missing a fatal flight are astronomical. Yet when it happens, it sparks deep spiritual and philosophical questions about destiny.
Aviation analysts say that for every high-profile tragedy, a few people inevitably miss their flights due to lateness, illness, or schedule changes. But when the unthinkable happens, those coincidences feel almost supernatural.
Final Thoughts
Whether you believe in fate, divine timing, or just bad traffic, these stories remind us that sometimes, being late is the luckiest thing that can happen to you.
So next time you miss a flight — take a breath before you panic. You never know what disaster you might have just avoided.
