A paraglider named Sabrina was floating with her parachute over Salzburg, Austria when a Cessna 172 flew directly through her parachute canopy thousands of feet above the Alps.
The plane ripped through the fabric, sent her spiraling toward the ground, and the entire thing was caught on video that she later posted online. She deployed her emergency parachute, landed on a forest road, and walked away with bruises and contusions.
Plane Flew Directly Through a Paraglider’s Parachute Over the Austrian Alps
The pilot told investigators he “was unable to swerve in time.”
An investigation has been launched and all I can think is… an investigation? Somebody better arrest that pilot, right? Seriously, what are we doing here?
The man flew a plane directly into a lit-up parachute canopy that was visible from probably a mile away and his defense is that he couldn’t swerve in time? Go left. Go right. Go up. Go down. Literally any direction other than straight into the giant rainbow-colored parachute floating in the sky directly in front of you.
Instead he went full speed right through it like it wasn’t there. I’m sorry, that doesn’t seem like a freak accident. It’s more like “hey I’m cruising through the Austrian Alps and no one is even out here, let me run through that colored parachute because I’m a sick freak who likes pain and destruction and possibly killing” type of vibe, right?
How Did You Not See That Parachute?
I need someone to explain this to me. A paraglider canopy is enormous. It’s brightly colored. It’s floating in the sky at a visible altitude in broad daylight over the Austrian Alps. The visibility over mountains on a clear day is measured in miles.
You could easily see other aircraft, other gliders, birds, and clouds from enormous distances when you’re flying but somehow this 28-year-old pilot couldn’t see a giant colorful parachute directly in his flight path until it was too late to avoid it?
Was he texting and flying? Was he distracted by the scenery? Was he not scanning the airspace at all? A Cessna 172 has a massive windshield with excellent visibility in every forward direction. The entire design of the aircraft is built around being able to see what’s in front of you. There is no excuse for flying directly into a paraglider canopy in clear conditions over the Alps unless you weren’t looking where you were going.
The Paraglider’s Response Was Superhuman
A plane just ripped through your parachute at speed. The fabric is shredded. You’re thousands of feet above the ground with nothing holding you up. You’re spiraling. Your body is pumping more adrenaline than it has ever produced in your life. Your brain is processing the fact that you are falling to your death.
In that moment, Sabrina had the presence of mind to deploy her emergency parachute. She pulled it. It opened. She landed on a forest road. She walked away.
The ability to think clearly enough to pull an emergency chute after a plane literally flew through your primary one is one of the most impressive feats of human composure I’ve ever seen.
Most people would freeze. Most people would panic. Most people’s brains would shut down entirely from the shock of having a Cessna rip through their canopy. Sabrina pulled the backup, landed safely, and then went home and posted the video on social media with the caption “I still can’t really believe that I am sitting here typing this.”
She’s alive because she kept her head in the most terrifying moment imaginable. The pilot almost killed her because he apparently can’t look out a windshield.
This Should Be Attempted Manslaughter
I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know Austrian aviation law but flying a plane through a human being’s parachute because you “couldn’t swerve in time” should carry more than whatever fine or license suspension an investigation produces.
A person was floating in the sky minding her own business and a plane flew through her equipment and nearly killed her. If someone drove a car through a pedestrian on the sidewalk and said “I couldn’t swerve in time,” they’d be in handcuffs immediately.
How is this different? The sky is massive. The parachute was visible. The pilot had every opportunity to avoid her and didn’t.
The pilot landed safely after the collision. Of course he did. His plane was fine. He just destroyed someone else’s parachute and nearly ended her life but his Cessna made it home without a scratch.
Must be nice.
Sabrina is a legend for surviving this. The pilot needs to have his license revoked at minimum and face criminal charges for nearly killing someone through what can only be described as catastrophic negligence. “Couldn’t swerve in time” is not a defense when the thing you hit was a giant colorful canopy floating motionless in the sky.