Salzburg, Austria: Paraglider hit by small plane over alps, parachute shredded
The terrifying brush with death was captured on video by the 44-year-old paraglider.
A paraglider has had a terrifying brush with death after a mid-air collision with a light plane over the Austrian Alps.
The 44-year-old woman was paragliding over the Piesendorf area of Salzburg, Austria, when she was struck.
While she has not been identified, a woman named Sabrina shared footage of the horrifying incident on Instagram.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In the video, presumably filmed on a sports camera, a woman can be seen flying over the Austrian mountains before a light plane, identified as a Cessna172, comes into view.
As it roars closer, the plane collides with the woman’s parachute, shredding it.
The woman begins to spiral as she scramble to find her emergency parachute, which she quickly deploys.
As she falls, the woman can be heard screaming and yelling in a foreign language.
The remains of her parachute remain attached as she descends.
The video ends with her safe landing in nearby grassland.
In her Instagram caption, Sabrina implied that the accident happened on her birthday.
“23.05.2026 Happy Birthday to me,” a translation of the caption read.
“That day when a paraglider takes you out of the sky as a Cessna172...
“I actually still can’t believe that I’m sitting here typing this and apart from a few nasty bruises and bruises all around nothing really happened.”
According to NBC News, the 28-year-old male pilot of the plane was unable to avoid the paraglider.
While it is not clear what happened to the plane, both the pilot and paraglider escaped serious injury.
“The propeller of the motor plane severely damaged the paraglider, prompting the experienced paraglider to deploy her reserve parachute,” police said.
