A 44-year-old Austrian woman miraculously survived a horrifying mid-air collision when a small Cessna 172 sightseeing plane flew directly through her paraglider canopy over the Austrian Alps. The experienced paraglider was flying near Piesendorf in the Salzburg region, close to the Schmittenhöhe mountain, when the 28-year-old pilot of the Cessna 172 failed to avoid her during a scenic sightseeing flight. The plane’s propeller severely damaged her paraglider canopy, splitting it in half and sending her into an uncontrollable spiral.

A 44-year-old Austrian woman miraculously survived a horrifying mid-air collision when a small Cessna 172 sightseeing plane flew directly through her paraglider canopy over the Austrian Alps.

The experienced paraglider was flying near Piesendorf in the Salzburg region, close to the Schmittenhöhe mountain, when the 28-year-old pilot of the Cessna 172 failed to avoid her during a scenic sightseeing flight. The plane’s propeller severely damaged her paraglider canopy, splitting it in half and sending her into an uncontrollable spiral.

“Dramatic bodycam video captured the moment a sightseeing plane tore through the parachute of an Austrian paraglider,” according to Al Jazeera.

The woman reacted quickly, deploying her emergency reserve parachute while spinning at high altitude. She executed an emergency descent and landed safely on a forest road, where she was rescued by a police helicopter.

Miraculously, she suffered only bruises and contusions and no serious injuries. The pilot also landed safely at Zell am See Airport without injury.

The survivor, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed but goes by “Sabrina” on social media, posted footage of the incident on Instagram afterward.

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here,” she said in an interview, expressing disbelief at her survival. The video shows her gliding peacefully along an Alpine ridge when the sound of an engine becomes audible, followed by the terrifying moment the white plane slices through her canopy just above her.

According to aviation regulations, paragliders have right of way over all aircraft except hot air balloons. The pilot told authorities he “could not avoid the impending collision”.

The aircraft was flying in a Temporary Reserved Airspace (TRA) designated for paragliders and hang gliders, raising questions about airspace coordination.

Salzburg Police confirmed the incident, stating: “The propeller of the motor plane severely damaged the paraglider, prompting the experienced paraglider to deploy her reserve parachute”. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.

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