America’s Got Talent is bringing back some of its past winners, former front-runners, and favorites for AGT: The Champions. One of these contestants includes plane crash survivor Kechi Okwuchi, who previously appeared on the show as a singer. While Okwuchi doesn’t always have the best vocals in the competition, she wins over viewers with her inspirational story and the obstacles she has overcome.
Kechi Okwuchi is one of only two survivors from a plane crash that killed some of her fellow classmates in 2005. The other survivor from the crash has not been revealed. Because her body was covered in burns, she faced a long recovery, going through surgeries and painful moments, so Okwuchi used music as an escape. The Sosoliso plane crash that Okwuchi was in claimed the lives of 107 passengers and Okwuchi was very lucky to come out of the incident alive. She has had well over 100 surgeries because of the burns, which cover over 65% of her body.
The Nigerian flight that crashed was traveling between the cities of Abuja and Port Harcourt when it went down. It crash-landed at Port Harcourt International Airport, as reported by CNN in 2005, and the reason for the crash was reportedly because the plane missed its approach. This was because of “pilot error aggravated by windshear.” After the plane crashed to the ground, it burst into flames. As a result, a total of 60 of Okwuchi’s schoolmates from Loyola Jesuit College died on board the plane.
In a blog on href=”https://www.bellanaija.com/2012/11/bn-our-stories-our-miracles-a-tragic-plane-crash-over-75-surgeries-later-kechi-okwuchi-is-the-beautiful-personification-of-faith-strength” target=”_blank”>Bella Naija, Okwuchi wrote about her experience in the crash that nearly claimed her life. Okwuchi wrote:
Fifteen minutes to the end of the flight, the pilot announced that we were soon to land in the Port Harcourt airport. I remember I was sitting in an aisle seat, and my close friend Toke was on the aisle seat to my right. The ensuing turbulence was getting very frequent, but I didn’t think too much of it until someone from the back shouted ‘Is this plane trying to land?’ I couldn’t see out the window from my seat, but now I think about it that was probably for the best. Everything was so surreal in that moment. I turned to Toke and we held hands, and I was like ‘Maybe we should pray?’ Before we could even start, there was this sudden shrill sound ringing in my ears, and next thing I knew, I was waking up in Milpark Hospital, South Africa. To this day I don’t remember the actual impact of the crash.
See a before photo of Okwuchi, prior to the crash, below.
Also in her blog, Okwuchi talked about what she remembered from after the crash. Okwuchi recalled:
The first voice I heard was feminine and unfamiliar; it was a nurse and she kept calling my name, asking me if I could hear her. As I roused, I remember feeling completely numb and completely exhausted in a way I couldn’t quite understand. Eventually I saw my mom’s silhouette; I could tell she was smiling, but I remember wishing I could see her face more clearly, ‘cause my vision was very blurry. As I lay there, I knew that things were pretty bad, but that she was right there beside me made me feel such relief, I can’t even explain.
Okwuchi went on to recover, though she still has severe scars all over her body. She became a college graduate and a contestant on season 12 of America’s Got Talent.