In a miraculous tale of survival, Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian flight attendant, fell a staggering 33,000 feet from an aircraft and lived to tell the tale, making her the record holder for the highest fall survived without a parachute. Her incredible story began on January 26, 1972, when the airplane she was working on, JAT Flight 367, exploded over Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) due to a suspected bomb planted in the luggage compartment. The plane broke apart mid-air, and Vulovic, who was only 22 at the time, found herself plummeting earthward amid the wreckage.
Remarkably, Vulovic survived the fall because she was trapped by a food cart in the tail section of the aircraft, which remained intact. This section of the plane hit the heavily snow-covered slopes of a mountain, which cushioned the impact. Despite suffering a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae (one of which was crushed completely), and broken legs, she was alive. Her survival is often attributed to her being pinned within the aircraft debris, which offered some protection during the fall, and the snowy conditions that absorbed some of the force of the impact.
After the incident, Vulovic spent days in a coma and was hospitalized for several months. She underwent multiple surgeries and had to relearn how to walk. Remarkably, she held no memory of the accident or the events leading up to it. Despite the severity of her injuries and the traumatic event, Vulovic did not shy away from flying; she expressed a desire to return to work as a flight attendant. However, she spent the rest of her career working a desk job with the airline, primarily due to her fame and the subsequent publicity surrounding her miraculous downfall.
Vesna Vulovic's story became a symbol of extraordinary human survival and resilience. Her name was duly recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest fall survived without a parachute, a record that still stands. Her experience continues to intrigue and inspire people around the world, serving as a testament to the unpredictability of life and the incredible possibilities of human endurance. Reflecting on her ordeal and miraculous recovery, Vulovic maintained a positive and humble demeanor, underscoring that life, however challenging, is a precious gift to be cherished.
