The Woman Who Survived a Fall from 10,000 Feet: The Story of Vesna Vulović

On January 26, 1972, Vesna Vulović, a flight attendant for JAT Yugoslav Airlines, survived one of the most incredible incidents in aviation history. The DC-9 aircraft she was working on exploded mid-air over Czechoslovakia, resulting in a 10,000-foot free fall. Remarkably, Vulović survived the fall, making her the world record holder for surviving the highest fall without a parachute.

Vulović was found by a villager, still strapped to her seat in the plane's wreckage. She suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, two broken legs, and three broken vertebrae, which left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Her survival was attributed to several factors: being pinned by a food cart in the fuselage, which cushioned her fall, and the plane crashing on a heavily forested and snowy mountainside, which further absorbed the impact.

After several months in a coma and numerous surgeries, Vesna Vulović made a remarkable recovery, eventually regaining the ability to walk. Despite the traumatic experience, she continued to work for the airline in a desk job and became a national heroine in Yugoslavia.

Vulović's survival is often considered a combination of incredible luck and human resilience. Her story remains a testament to the unpredictable nature of life and the extraordinary capacity of the human body to withstand extreme conditions. Vesna Vulović passed away in 2016, but her legacy as the woman who survived a fall from the sky continues to inspire and astonish people worldwide.