Horror in the air as small plane SLICES woman's paraglider sending her plummeting to Earth
A woman's paraglider was sliced by a small plane in a horror incident in Austria.
The 44-year-old woman, identified only as Sabrina, was soaring over the Schmittenhohe mountain when the small plane struck her equipment.
Remarkable footage shows the aircraft's wing cutting straight through her canopy, which was the sole barrier preventing a fatal fall.
The touring plane came within mere feet of hitting Sabrina directly, instead tearing through her parachute just above her head.
Her canopy was torn completely apart by the impact.
The shredded material whipped around her as she fought to access her backup parachute.
Sabrina managed to free herself from the tangled wreckage and successfully activated her reserve chute while hurtling towards the ground.
Her rapid response almost certainly averted death.
Writing on social media shortly after the ordeal, Sabrina said: "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."
A police helicopter retrieved her and took her to a nearby airport.
The aircraft which snagged her went on to land without incident at Zell am See Airport, officials said.
The pilot, aged 28, has defended his actions, insisting that it was simply not possible to avoid the paraglider.
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The near-fatal collision comes after a deadly paragliding tragedy in Spain several months prior.
Cristina Colturi had been flying tandem with a qualified instructor when they crashed into rocks close to La Enramada beach in Costa Adeje, Tenerife.
Paramedics arrived to find the woman suffering cardiac arrest.
Hospital staff were unable to save her, and she succumbed to her injuries two days following the accident.
The trip had been a Christmas present from her partner.
Paragliding leads the way as the most dangerous airborne sport, with 10.8 injuries reported per 1,000 participants, studies have shown.
Fatalities are also not uncommon, with 1.4 deaths reported for every 100,000 flights taken.
The vast majority of accidents - between 80 and 90 per cent - occur during take-off and landing, with the most common injuries occurring in the legs and ankles.
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