A paraglider narrowly avoided death after a sightseeing plane ripped through her parachute above the Austrian Alps. The collision occurred near Piesendorf in the Salzburg region of western Austria on Saturday, close to the popular alpine resort area around Zell am See.
Mid-Air Collision Captured on Video
Video filmed from the paraglider's perspective showed the small Cessna aircraft approach from behind before its wing and propeller sliced through the canopy just above the pilot's head. The damaged paraglider tore apart in mid-air as lines twisted around the pilot while pieces of fabric spun away over the mountainside.
Emergency Descent and Safe Landing
The paraglider pilot then released an emergency chute and continued descending before landing safely on a forest road below. Police said the 44-year-old paraglider pilot from Upper Austria had taken off from Schmittenhohe mountain and was flying towards Piesendorf when the crash happened at around 1.15pm.
Authorities said the Cessna was being flown by a 28-year-old pilot from Tyrol who was carrying out an alpine sightseeing flight after departing from Zell am See Airport. Investigators said the aircraft had been flying from the Glemmtal valley towards Zell am See when it collided with the paraglider above the Pinzgauer Hut area.
Propeller Damage and Reserve Parachute Deployment
The propeller reportedly caused severe damage to the paraglider canopy, forcing the experienced pilot to deploy the reserve parachute. Emergency crews described it as extremely fortunate that nobody suffered serious injuries.
The paraglider pilot, 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 later confirmed the paraglider pilot suffered only minor injuries and sought medical treatment independently after the crash. A police spokesperson also said the woman had been flying straight ahead at the time of the collision and was not carrying out an aerial manoeuvre, contrary to earlier reports.
Investigation Underway
Officials said the exact cause of the mid-air collision remained under investigation. The Cessna pilot landed safely at Zell am See Airport after the incident. The paraglider pilot was later transported by police helicopter to the airport area after her emergency landing.
