Terrifying footage has captured the moment a small plane collided with a paraglider mid-air, shredding the canopy and sending a woman hurtling towards the ground. The incident occurred near Piesendorf, close to Zell am See in Austria's Pinzgau region, on Saturday, which was also the paraglider's birthday.
The 44-year-old woman, identified only as Sabrina, was flying over northern Austria when a Cessna 172 light plane, piloted by a 28-year-old man on a sightseeing flight, came into frame and collided with her paragliding canopy. The propeller severely damaged the paraglider, prompting the experienced paraglider to deploy her reserve parachute.
In the moments that followed, Sabrina wrestled with cords and limbs as she rushed to deploy the emergency parachute. She managed to free her tangled legs and land safely, narrowly avoiding a tree. She suffered bruises and contusions but avoided serious injury. The pilot also escaped injury and safely landed the aircraft at Zell am See Airport.
Police said the pilot reported he could not avoid the paraglider before the collision. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation. Sabrina later posted on Instagram, saying: 'Happy birthday to me... I actually still can't believe that I'm sitting here typing this and apart from a few nasty bumps and bruises, all around nothing really happened.'
