Story by Rasmus Senator
11/15/2026
Woman who survived 33,000ft fall from plane without a parachute opened up about her experience decades later
Imagine falling out of an airplane, knowing you will die. What do you think about in those last moments? Well, one woman can probably tell you, since she survived. 40 years after the shocking incident, Vesna Vulović, then 23, shared a haunting admission.
Surviving a plane crash is something most people could hardly imagine. But for one woman, the experience was even more extraordinary and true
In 1972, Vesna Vulović survived a fall of more than 33,000 feet after the plane she was working on broke apart in mid-air. She had no parachute, and every other person on board was killed.
Her survival made headlines worldwide and earned her a place in the Guinness World Records. But while she survived, it turned out it wasn’t just a miracle, but also a deep burden..
Vulović was just 23 years old when she boarded JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367 on January 26, 1972. The plane was traveling from Stockholm to Belgrade when an explosion tore the aircraft apart over what was then Czechoslovakia.
Investigators believed a bomb hidden inside a briefcase caused the disaster. But in a remarkable twist, Vulović was not even supposed to be on that particular flight.
A mix-up involving another crew member with the same first name led to her being assigned to it. She would become the only person to survive.
According to reports, she was trapped in the tail section of the aircraft, pinned down by a food cart. The wreckage crashed into a snow-covered, wooded area near the village of Srbská Kamenice.
A local villager named Bruno Honke, who had worked as a medic during World War II, found her among the wreckage and rushed to help.
Vulović had suffered horrific injuries, including a fractured skull, broken legs, and a crushed spine. She spent time in a coma but eventually learned to walk again after months of recovery.
Her survival became internationally famous. In 1985, she received a Guinness World Records medal from Beatles legend Paul McCartney. Guinness recognized her for surviving a fall of 33,333 feet (10,160 meters) without a parachute.
However, the official explanation of the crash has been questioned. In 2009, two journalists suggested the aircraft may have been shot down at a much lower altitude. The theory remains disputed to this day.
“My colleagues had a feeling that something would happen to them”
The world celebrated her survival, and Vulovic became a national hero. But while that happened, Vesna was dealing with a much more difficult reality. Decades later, she opened up about the emotional burden of being the only survivor.
In a 2002 interview with security training firm Green Light Limited, she recalled that something had seemed wrong among the crew before the flight.
“My colleagues had a feeling that something would happen to them. The captain was locked in his room for 24 hours. He didn’t want to go out at all,” she told security training firm Green Light Limited, as reported by Unilad.
Despite her injuries, Vulović eventually returned to work for the airline in an office role. She also became involved in politics and took part in protests against Slobodan Milošević.
Vesna Vulović opened up about guilt 40 years later
However, the memories of the disaster continued to haunt her. Speaking to The Independent in 2012, 40 years after the crash, she revealed the guilt she sometimes felt about surviving when everyone else had died.
“Whenever I think of the accident, I have a prevailing, grave feeling of guilt for surviving it and I cry, she said. “Then I think maybe I should not have survived at all.”
Vesna further explained that she had no memory of the actual crash, only that she woke up “in the Czech hospital the next day and asking a doctor for a cigarette.”
“The last thing I remember before the accident is passengers boarding the flight in Copenhagen and nothing else until my coming out from coma at the hospital,” she cotninued.
In December of 2016, Vesna Vulović sadly died in her apartment in Belgrade. She was 66.
Her extraordinary survival remains one of the most remarkable stories in aviation history. But still, it’s important to remember that even though you might be lucky, just like Vesna was, it can also bring a lot of pain with it.
Rest in peace, Vesna, and all the others who died in the plane accident involving JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367.
Read more:
- Pilot says “give me a minute” as two passenger jets nearly crash over LAX
- Pilot’s haunting final words before US-bound plane vanished as all passengers presumed dead
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