Its still unclear how Vulovic survived the impact. Vulovic was working on a Yugoslav Airlines Douglas DC-9 on 26 Jan 1972 when a suspected bomb brought the plane down among mountains in Czechoslovakia. Vulovi underwent treatment in a Prague hospital until 12 March 1972, after which she was flown to Belgrade. All of the other 27 passengers and crew on board died. The stewardess was temporarily paralysed from the waist down by the fall but in time she made a near-full recovery and returned to work for the airline in a desk job. [18] Although she was advised by physicians that her injuries would not have an adverse effect on her reproductive function, Vulovi experienced an ectopic pregnancy that nearly proved fatal and was never able to have children. According to the official accident report, an explosion tore the DC-9 she was working . Fifty years ago, a 23-year-old woman fell 33,333 feet from the sky and survived, making it to the Guinness World Record (GWR) for Highest fall survived without parachute. What makes a Guinness World Records title? The Yugoslav authorities suspected that Croatian nationalists were to blame, but no one was ever arrested. Vulovi has no memory of the crash. She was an amazing woman. [4] In total, she spent sixteen months recuperating. Although she may have lost her place in the Guinness Book of World Records, her free fall is still amazing. As the cabin depressurized, the passengers and other flight crew were believed to have been sucked out of the plane into freezing temperatures, falling to their deaths. But she isnt. [3], The secondary crew of JAT Flight 367, flying from Stockholm to Belgrade with stopovers in Copenhagen and Zagreb, arrived in Denmark on the morning of 25 January 1972. While Vulovi had been hoping to go sightseeing, the rest of the group seemed focused on shopping and sitting in the hotel. Her story won her fame and a celebrity status in Serbia, which she channelled into political campaigning. Thank you for letting me know. Read about our approach to external linking. These injuries resulted in her being temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. This brought the aircraft close to a sensitive military area, where it was perceived as a threat and shot down by Czech aircraft. [11] The Czechoslovak Civil Aviation Authority later attributed the explosion to a briefcase bomb. However, this claim was debunked by flight data obtained from the aircrafts black boxes, which provided exact data regarding the planes altitude, acceleration, direction and speed at the time of the explosion. If the plane gets a flat tire on landing did they fall that whole distance? 50 years on, this remains the highest fall survived without a parachute ever. Another Vesna should have been working. She had no memory of the incident and had no qualms about flying in the aftermath of the crash. Eight months into her flight attendant career, Vesna Vulovi was told to join the crew of JAT Flight 367, flying from Stockholm to Belgrade with a stopover in Copenhagen. At 4:01 p.m., 46 minutes after take off, an explosion in the luggage compartment tore the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft into three pieces. I won't send you spam. She was thus officially acknowledged as having surpassed the records of other fall survivors, such as Alan Magee, Juliane Koepcke, Nicholas Alkemade, and Ivan Chisov. [4][16], In September 1972, Vulovi expressed willingness to resume working as a flight attendant. She was found by woodsman Bruno Honke, who heard her screaming in the dark as the rest of the plane came crashing to the ground. But it was no easy feat. 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Vesna was born on January 3rd, 1950. But Vulovic was not supposed to be on the doomed flight. [13][23] Vulovi said that she was aware of the journalists' claims, but stated that because she had no memory of the event, she could not confirm or deny the allegations. Vesna Vulovi continued to fly until her death in 2016. [3] JAT felt that her presence on flights would attract too much publicity and instead gave her a desk job negotiating freight contracts. [5] "As it was late, we were in the terminal and saw it park," Vulovi said. Next, the fuselage separated from the rest of the plane and hurtled towards the ground in a heavily wooded area. Thank you for the link! The Flight took off from Copenhagen at 15:15. "I am like a cat, I have had nine lives," she told the New York Times. [10] No arrests were ever made. A catering trolley was pinned against my spine and kept me in the plane.". We were actually talking about Felix Baumbartner, the man who jumped from the edge of space last year and made numerous records, including the highest freefall ever. Vesna and her friends grew up in Yugoslavia listening to The Beatles so this was an extra special moment for her. With a history of low blood pressure, Vulovi knew it was unlikely shed pass the medical exam. Required fields are marked *. He told me that he took the photograph in 1972 at Belgrade airport. No. She continued for two more decades to fight against nationalism. Last year, exactly 40 years after the incident, Czech magazine Technet wrote about the incident and referred to the report as a conspiracy theory. Vulovic's record fall gained her celebrity status in her home country, A Yugoslav Airlines DC-9 identical to the one blown up in 1972, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Vesna, however, seemed to have been trapped at the rear of the aircraft, probably pinned into the back of the fuselage by the drinks trolley, he revealed. [20] They also hypothesized that the call received by Kvllsposten, claiming responsibility for the aircraft's downing, was a hoax. The Czechoslovak secret police managed to spread this wild tale throughout the world, he added. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. [18] Vulovi continued to fly regularly, stating that other passengers were surprised to see her on flights and wanted to sit next to her. Vulovi was rescued by a woodsman who followed her screams in the dark forest. Following the bombing, Vulovi spent days in a coma and was hospitalised for several months. [8] Yugoslav authorities suspected that they were to blame for bringing down Flight 367. Her name was Vesna Vulovi and she was a flight attendant on JAT Yugoslave Airlines Flight 367, en route from Stockholm to Belgrade on the 26th of January in 1972. The theory has also been dismissed by the Civilian Aviation Authority and Czech army experts. Brad was reportedly thrown around so violently that his tightly-laced shoe came flying off. But, there was confusion over their names, the GWR revealed. [15] Within ten months of her fall, Vulovi had regained the ability to walk, but limped for the rest of her life, her spine permanently twisted. "[21] Vulovi declined therapy to help cope with her experiences and instead turned to religion, becoming a devout Orthodox Christian. Nobody ever expected me to live this long.. [4] Vulovi was the only survivor of the 28 passengers and crew. Their theory suggested another case of mistaken identity, with the Czechoslovak authorities covering up the evidence of what really happened. Reminded me of the British airman who fell out a Lancaster at 18,000 feet and survived. One part of my body with my leg was in the plane and my head was out of the plane. Even while suffering from a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, broken legs, broken ribs, and a fractured pelvis, Vesna miraculously recovered after spending a few months in the hospital. Remarkably, it seems Vulovic shouldnt even have been on the flight in the first place, with reports that she had been assigned to the five-person crew that day due to a mix-up with another flight attendant with a similar name. She was 66. Ukraine matters, but so did Bosnia 30 years ago. I think it was the man who put the bomb in the baggage. [4], Vulovi's parents both died within a few years of the crash. Vulovic was rescued by Bruno Honke, a woodsman who heard her screaming in the dark while the debris came down around them. She never regained any memory of the accident or of her rescue, she said, and she continued to fly as a passenger. [27], On the basis of her conversations with Honke, Vulovi disputed the assertion that she was discovered in the rear section of the DC-9, as claimed in some reports. Vulovi underwent several operations to restore her movement. BELGRADE, Serbia -- Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian stewardess who miraculously survived a plunge from 33,000 feet after her plane exploded in mid-air in 1972, has died. The rest of the 28 crew and passengers flew to their deaths when the cabin depressurized but she was trapped by the food cart. She was 66. Once taken to the hospital, Vulovic was in a coma for as long as a month (accounts here vary) and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Katie Serena is a New York City-based writer and a staff writer at All That's Interesting. 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You know that Stockholm lies in Sweden right? How did Vesna Vulovic survive? [3] Vulovi's parents had to sell both of their cars to pay for her treatment. Wrestlers protest expanding like Shaheen Baghforces behind Tukde Tukde gang seem to be involved: Brij Bhushan Singh, Sisodia planted emails to cover Delhi excise scam, claims ED. However, her dream almost didnt come true. While many other passengers were sucked out of the plane after the explosion, Vulovi became pinned by the cart. 2023 BBC. So the thing to fear is not the falling, its the landing. We'll use the information you provide us to contact you via email about our relevant content, products and services. After recovering from her injuries, Vesna continued working for JAT Airlines in a desk-based role, but she was fired in the early 1990s for participating in anti-government protests opposing Slobodan Miloevi, president of Serbia within Yugoslavia at the time. However, no one ever took credit for what was apparently a terrorist attack. The day after these events, Swedish newspaper Kvllsposten received a phone call from a self-described Croatian nationalist, who took credit for bringing down Flight 367. Thanks for the clarification on this! On This Day in 1918: The tallest man ever is born, Prizes dont come any bigger: World's tallest man Sultan Kosen visits British school after competition win, The tragic death of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever, How to set or break a Guinness World Records title. Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant who alone, and miraculously, survived the midair explosion of a jetliner over Czechoslovakia in 1972 after plummeting thousands of feet onto a snowy hill,. Fortunately, Bruno Honke, the villager who discovered her, had been a medic during World War II and was able to keep her alive until rescuers arrived. Sorry. Of the 28 passengers and crew, Vesna Vulovi was the only survivor. Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant for JAT Yugoslav Airlines in 1972, set a Guinness world record when she fell some 33,000 feet and lived.Vulovic's odds-defying plunge, which happened following an explosion of the DC-9 she was flying in, is one of the most remarkable accident-survival stories of all time, and made her a national hero in Yugoslavia. Im afraid that both of these statements are untrue. [3] The last thing that Vulovi could remember from before the crash was greeting passengers as they boarded. (AAP) "Everybody thinks I am lucky, but they a mistaken. The video also revealed that Vesna was found screaming inside the wreckage and the person who found her was a former World War 2 medic. Another Vesna should have been working. "But if nationalist forces in this country prevail, my heart will burst.". Did you know that Vesna was not actually supposed to be working on the doomed flight? She had no memory of the crash or of anything from the following month. YouTubeA young Vesna Vulovi in her flight attendant uniform. The airliner broke into three sections which came down around the village of Srbsk Kamenice close to the East German border, in what is now the Czech Republic. Vesna Vulovic's miraculously survived a fall of 10,058 metres without a parachute a world record and fearlessly flew afterward, having no memory of the event Author of the article: The . [3][6], Air safety investigators attributed Vulovi's survival to her being trapped by a food cart in the DC-9's fuselage as it broke away from the rest of the aircraft and plummeted towards the ground. The same type of aircraft that Vesna Vulovi was on before her fall. The incredible story of Vesna Vulovi, a flight attendant who fell 33,333 feet and survived "She wasn't even supposed to be on duty on the day of the fatal flight. Vesna passed away in the year 2016 at age 66. "I initially stayed with my parents' friends in Newbury," she recalled, "but wanted to move to London. Vesna Vulovi was a Serbian World record-holding flight attendant. A contemporary postcard showing a JAT Douglas DC-9-32 at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.. Vesna Vulovic looks at a large vase in a glass factory at Novy Bor, Czechoslovakia, in September 1972.. A portion of the official accident report providing details of the explosive device.. Vesna Vulovic gives an interview in Belgrade, Serbia, in February 2008.. Amid the wreckage was a woman wearing a bloodstained turquoise flight attendants uniform and no shoes. I like it. She continued her work as a pro-democracy activist until the Socialist Party of Serbia was ousted from power during the Bulldozer Revolution of October 2000. She was temporarily paralysed from the waist down, but made a near-full recovery, and returned to work for the same airline, albeit in a desk-bound position. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. However, the airline had confused her for another stewardess with the same first name, thus the plane departed Denmark with 23-year-old Vesna Vulovi on board. In Yugoslavia she was celebrated as a national hero. Since the whole story appears to have been entirely made up, based on false or misleading facts, Stockholm may as well lie in the Bahamas. Vesna Vulovic died in her Belgrade apartment in 2016. That is all. She suffered a fractured skull, two crushed vertebrae, and had broken her pelvis, ribs, and both legs. Vesna Vulovic - stewardess who survived 33,000ft fall, diesTODAY I AM BRINGING YOU A NEW VIDEO -----AND UPLOAD A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT. The cause of death was not immediately known. Air safety investigators believe that Vulovis position within the aircraft at the time of the explosion helped her survive the fall. The investigation said it was because she was away from the blast in the back, but Vulovi and eyewitnesses deny this. She was in the rear of the plane with a food cart when the fuselage broke apart. Her turquoise uniform was covered in blood and her stiletto heels had been torn off by the force of the impact. Sign up here to receive my weekly post in your inbox. Vesna Vulovic survived the longest fall on record without a parachute when her plane exploded and she fell 6 miles, 551 yards. On the day of the crash, Vesna boarded JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The explosive with ignition charge was placed in a suitcase of brown-red colour, ignited by an exploder /electric/, timed probably by an alarmclockwork, on which traces of the explosives were found. - Quora Answer (1 of 13): A person has a terminal velocity. Vulovis doctors concurred with the air investigators and added their own conclusions. I believe he survived virtually unscathed but I cant find the details on the net. According to Serbian state TV, she was found by her friends in her apartmen But heres the oddity that caught my eye. Vulovi wished to go sightseeing but her colleagues insisted that they go shopping. First was Copenhagen in Denmark, which is where the secondary cabin crew - including Vesna - boarded the plane. Original routing for flight JU367 was BEG-CPH-STO(ARN)-BEG and that explains why Danmark is mentioned. Though her injuries could have left her permanently paralyzed or even dead, within 10 months of her fall Vesna Vulovi was walking again. "[21] Vulovi lamented that her mother and father might not have died prematurely had she not been aboard Flight 367, stating that the incident not only ruined her life, but also those of her parents. Serbian-born Vesna Vulovi was 22 years old and had been a flight attendant for only eight months before the fateful crash. In 1971 she joined JAT Airways, Yugoslavias national flag carrier and the countrys largest airline. I actually just now understood fear of landing being a play on fear of falling or whatever. I'm interested, but, "The four crew members were held in custody for two weeks as they were deemed a flight risk." en.wikipedia.org 89 10 comments Best Add a Comment RCOglesby 4 yr. ago She had total amnesia from the hour preceding her fall until one month afterwards. There was another Lancaster rear gunner who, when his aircraft broke up, glided to a safe landing in the tail section. Its actually not at all clear how she survived the fall. Vesna Vulovic, from Serbia, was working as a flight attendant on a Yugoslav Airlines DC-9 plane when a bomb brought the plane down in Czechoslovakia on 26 January 1972. The small section she was in fell to the ground on a heavily wooded, snow-covered hillside. Its in the title. [4], Vulovi told reporters that she did not think of her fall every day, but admitted to struggling with survivor's guilt. Vulovi said she was told that it might have been her low blood pressure which saved her by causing her to pass out before her heart could burst. Air crash sole survivors", "Kako je Vesna Vulovi preivela avionsku nesreu nad ehoslovakom '72: udo nije bila prava re", "Woman Who Fell to Earth: Was Air Crash Survivor's Record Just Propaganda? She was in the rear of the plane with a food cart when the fuselage broke apart. They never reached the second stopover in Zagreb, Croatia. Though she realized that JAT had confused her with another attendant named Vesna, she agreed to join anyway. Vesna Vulovic was a Serbian flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160m (33,330ft; 6.31mi). Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Alerted to the situation, the East Germans continued to track the plane after it crossed into Czechoslovak airspace before the radar contact suddenly became more prominent and then disappeared. What amount of force did she have to withstand? So, he was able to administer vital first aid before rescuers arrived.. Well then by your logic this blog post doesnt belong on this blog. Her physicians also concluded her low blood pressure to be a cause. On 23 December, locksmiths discovered her body in her apartment after forcing open the door. 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It was not only me that noticed him either. The cause of death was not immediately known. [4][20] In response to her activism, pro-Miloevi tabloids launched a smear campaign against her, claiming that Flight 367 had been shot down by a Czechoslovak surface-to-air missile and that she had fallen from a lesser height than previously believed. [6] State TV in Vulovic's home country. Thats why the name of this blog is Serbia's state TV said Saturday . She was mistaken for another attendant with the same name but agreed to take her place. If the plane skids off the end of the runway did they fall 33,000 feet? She had a fractured skull, two crushed vertebrae and a broken pelvis, ribs and legs. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. At 500ft, his backup chute also failed after getting tangled in the shredded remains of the first one as he continued to plummet towards earth. ), Dangerous Aerobatics : C-17 crash at Elmendorf (2010). She had a fractured skull, two crushed vertebrae and she had broken her pelvis, several ribs and both legs. The DC-9 broke up midflight at 33,000 feet (10,160 metres) and crashed into a wooded area in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). Her recovery period was actually relatively short and incredibly successful a fact she attributes to a childhood diet that included chocolate, spinach, and fish oil.. Vesna died in December 2016 at the age of 66. The new passengers boarded and the flight eventually took off at 3:15 PM. So right before heading in, she drank several cups of coffee, hoping it would keep her blood pressure high enough. However, she ultimately made a near-full recovery and went back to work with JAT in a desk job. She said in 2008 that she could only recall greeting passengers before takeoff from the airport in Denmark, and then waking up in hospital with her mother at her side. You can also subscribe without commenting. State TV in Vulovic's home country of Serbia said she was found dead in her apartment in Belgrade. Theres no reference to Vesna Vulovi at all and the category simply doesnt exist. People Most Convinced They're Always Right About Politics Overrate Their Knowledge The Most, The Seven Unbelievable Survival Stories Of Frane Selak, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. [10] The Czech Civil Aviation Authority dismissed the journalists' claim, calling it a conspiracy theory. [1] Vulovi made an almost complete recovery but continued to walk with a limp. All 27 other passengers and crew. A regular landing isnt a free fall any more than walking down the stairs is. That said, a plane thats landing isnt falling, because free fall implies 9.8 m/s/s acceleration. Vulovi became a celebrity in Yugoslavia and was deemed a national hero. But with all 27 other passengers and crew aboard the JAT Yugoslav Airlines Douglas DC-9 being killed, Vulovics story was not an altogether happy one.