A paraglider narrowly escaped death after a small plane ripped through her parachute above the Austrian Alps. The terrifying incident occurred near Piesendorf in the Salzburg region of western Austria on Saturday, May 23, close to the popular alpine resort area of Zell am See.
Collision Details
Video footage captured from the paraglider's perspective showed the Cessna aircraft approaching from behind before its wing and propeller sliced through the canopy just above the pilot's head. The damaged parachute tore apart in mid-air, with lines twisting around the aircraft and pieces of fabric spinning away over the mountainside.
The paraglider, identified by police as 44-year-old Sabrina from Upper Austria, immediately released an emergency parachute and continued descending before landing safely on a forest road below. She had taken off from Schmittenhohe mountain and was flying towards Piesendorf when the crash occurred at approximately 1:15 pm.
Aircraft and Pilot
Authorities confirmed the Cessna was piloted by a 28-year-old from Tyrol, who was conducting an alpine sightseeing flight after departing from Zell am See Airport. Investigators stated the aircraft had been traveling from the Glemmtal valley towards Zell am See when it collided with the paraglider above the Pinzgauer Hut area.
The propeller caused severe damage to the paraglider canopy, forcing Sabrina to deploy her reserve parachute. Emergency crews described it as extremely fortunate that nobody sustained serious injuries.
Social Media Account
Sabrina later wrote on Instagram: "Happy birthday to me. The day a Cessna 172 takes you out of the sky while you're paragliding…" She added: "I actually still can't believe that I'm sitting here typing this and that, aside from a few nasty bruises and some general contusions, absolutely nothing happened."
Police confirmed the paraglider suffered only minor injuries and sought medical treatment independently after the crash. A police spokesperson clarified that the woman had been flying straight ahead at the time of the collision and was not performing an aerial maneuver, contrary to earlier reports.
Investigation
Officials stated the exact cause of the mid-air collision remains under investigation. The Cessna pilot landed safely at Zell am See Airport following the incident. The paraglider was later transported by police helicopter to the airport area after her emergency landing.
