Her accident video was viewed millions of times. Now the Austrian paraglider pilot has commented on the incident.
May 26, 2026, 05:45May 26, 2026, 05:45
An Austrian woman commented on Instagram about the accident in which her paraglider was torn apart by a Cessna over Zell am See. The video of the incident, which she shared on the platform, went viral within a short time and was viewed millions of times. The 44-year-old survived the collision thanks to her rescue parachute and landed on a forest path with minor injuries.
In a new post on her Instagram profile, the paraglider now writes:
“To put it in my words: Oida, kiss my ass.”
She didn’t expect so many people to see the video. She thanked us for the many kind words and support. But she also responded to criticism and speculation with a series of clarifications: She had not been anywhere where she was not allowed to fly. She had no warning system and was circling in the thermals. And:
“No, as a paraglider you cannot avoid a small aircraft.”
Motorized aircraft are required to give way; aircraft circling in thermals are generally avoided.
The incident in the video.Video: Watson/Michael Shepherd
She also commented on the Cessna pilot: He also landed safely. “Yes, I know who that was,” she wrote. The case will “follow its normal legal process completely officially, without drama”. According to a report by “Bild”, the police are investigating the pilot. An official is quoted as saying:
“The pilot is facing the offense of endangering physical safety, which is punishable by a prison sentence of up to three months.”
“Hopefully you are never at fault or innocent in an accident.”
The 44-year-old pilot sent clear words to those who speculate online about guilt and innocence:
“Hopefully you are never at fault or innocent in an accident and then have to read your comments about it.”
The flying area over Zell am See is shared by paragliders, glider pilots and motorized pilots, she writes. “There are rules and accidents still happen.” She left it open whether a warning system would have prevented the collision: “I don’t know.”
She also made an appeal to motor and glider pilots: more targeted visual inspections and more caution in an area where you are traveling together with “us snails in the sky”. You have to expect a paraglider behind every crest. “It doesn’t get any more exciting on this channel, so don’t expect another stunt of this kind,” she ended her post.
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