'No Parachute, Mid-Air Explosion': How Vesna Vulovi Survived 33,000-Foot Fall From Plane

As the world reels from the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171 on Thursday afternoon, which went down minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport and killed nearly all 242 people on board, the story of a miraculous survivor from another aviation disaster decades ago is resurfacing: Vesna Vulovic, the woman who lived through a mid-air explosion and a fall from 33,000 feet, without a parachute.

On Thursday, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London crashed into a hostel for doctors at a medical college. Authorities confirmed a mayday call was made before the aircraft went silent. Visuals from the crash site showed plumes of smoke, wreckage, and ambulances rushing to the injured. Remarkably, one passenger seated in 11A reportedly survived the crash and is being treated in a hospital.

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Unbelievable Tale Of Vesna Vulovic

The current tragedy reminded many of Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant who, at age 22, became the sole survivor of JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367 on January 26, 1972. The plane, flying from Stockholm to Belgrade with a stopover in Copenhagen, exploded over Czechoslovakia and crashed into the snowy terrain near the village of Srbská Kamenice.

Everyone on board perished, except Vesna, who fell from a height of 33,333 feet. Her survival was attributed to being pinned by a food cart in the tail section of the plane, which crash-landed at a favourable angle in the snow-covered forest.

Guinness World Record

Vesna was found alive, unconscious, and severely injured by a local villager and ex-WWII medic, Bruno Honke. She had a fractured skull, broken legs, vertebrae, ribs, and a crushed pelvis. Initially paralysed, she made a near-full recovery and rejoined her airline in a desk role. She had no memory of the crash.

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In 1985, Guinness World Records recognised Vesna for surviving the highest fall without a parachute. British musician Paul McCartney personally presented her with the award. Later, in 2009, journalists questioned the official account, suggesting the plane was likely shot down at a lower altitude, a claim never fully verified.