Ms. Vulovic returned to work at Yugoslav Airlines later in 1972, but to an office job in which she negotiated freight contracts, not as a flight attendant. It was not only me that noticed him either. Vesna Vulovi was found dead by her friends in her apartment in Belgrade, Serbian state television reported. In addition to her extensive bodily injuries and her fractured skull, her brain had also hemorrhaged and she had total amnesia. When Vesna awoke from a coma two weeks after the crash her body was ravaged. Serbia's state TV said Saturday Vulovic was found dead by her friends in her apartment in Belgrade. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [19] Around the same time,[e] Vulovi was fired from JAT for speaking out against Serbian statesman Slobodan Miloevi and taking part in anti-government protests. A brother appears to have been her only survivor. Ms. Vulovic was the only one of 28 passengers and crew members to survive but just barely. "But if nationalist forces in this country prevail, my heart will burst. Show more Show. Her physicians believe her low blood pressure kept her heart from bursting on impact with the mountainside. Serbia's state TV. [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. But an investigation by two reporters in Prague in 2009 challenged that account. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I was broken and the doctors put me back together again, she told The New York Times in 2008. [3] Vulovi's parents had to sell both of their cars to pay for her treatment. Vulovic entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1985 for the highest fall survived without a parachute.. Serbian radio reported her death without giving a cause. The cause of death was not immediately known. [1][2] Her father was a businessman and her mother was a fitness instructor. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. I looked up to the sky and saw bodies, suitcases, chunks of the plane falling down.. 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. Vesna Vulovi was a Serbian flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 m . I felt for them. 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, was reported dead on Saturday in Belgrade. Ia jatuh dari pesawat setelah terjadinya sebuah ledakan di kompartemen bagasi JAT Penerbangan 367 . WHAT MAKES A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS TITLE? YouTubeVesna Vulovi continued to fly until her death in 2016. 31M subscribers in the todayilearned community. The first thing I remember is seeing my parents in the hospital, she said in 2002 in an online interview with Green Light Limited, a security training firm. The cause of death was not immediately known. Vulovic was rescued by Bruno Honke, a woodsman who heard her screaming in the dark while the debris came down around them. Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian flight attendant who holds the world record for surviving the highest fall without a parachute when her plane broke apart. She was rushed to a hospital, where she fell into a coma for 10 days. 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. She was in the rear of the plane with a food cart when the fuselage broke apart. An air stewardess who miraculously survived a plunge from 33,000 feet after her plane exploded in mid-air has died at the age of 66. The cause of death was not known. 9 October 2017. place of death. In 2008, Ms. Vulovic campaigned for the Democratic Party of President Boris Tadic. Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian woman who in 1972 survived a reported six-mile fall after the plane she was on exploded over Czechoslovakia, died last week at age 66, according to several media reports. She was 66. GET IN TOUCH WITH A RECORD SPECIALIST (Opens in a new window), Rumeysa Gelgi, tallest woman living, breaks three new records, Love is in the air as highest speed dating event record is set on board jet plane. List of sole survivors of aviation accidents or incidents, "Vesna Vulovic, Flight Attendant Who Survived Jetliner Blast, Dies at 66", "Vesna Vulovic, air stewardess who survived a plane crash obituary", "Vesna Vulovic: How to survive a bombing at 33,000 feet", "Serbia's Most Famous Survivor Fears That Recent History Will Repeat Itself", "Vesna Vulovic: Flight Attendant Who Survived Mid-Air Explosion and 33,000-foot Fall, Dies at 66", "Njemaki mediji o sluaju JAT 1972: Napad hrvatske emigracije je plod mate tajnih slubi", "Vesna Vulovic, stewardess who survived 33,000ft fall, dies", "Official Abstract of the Final Report (English)", "Highest fall survived without parachute", "Bask in the Bracing Unsentimentality of Vesna Vulovic, the Only Person to Survive a 1972 Plane Crash", "Fate or fluke? Foi a nica a sobreviver, depois que uma bomba explodiu no compartimento de bagagem do voo JAT 367 em 26 de janeiro de 1972, causando um acidente prximo a Srbsk Kamenice, na Checoslovquia. She was the sole survivor after an explosion tore through the baggage compartment of JAT Flight 367 on 26 January 1972, causing it to crash near Srbsk Kamenice, Czechoslovakia. I thought I was in Slovenia, as I had just visited Ljubljana the capital city before going to Copenhagen., In less than a year, she recovered well enough to walk, but with a limp. [4] In total, she spent sixteen months recuperating. She recalled that she should not have been there; another flight attendant, also named Vesna, was supposed to be on the roster. She joined JAT, the national flag carrier and dominant airline of Yugoslavia, in 1971. [4] Vulovi was the only survivor of the 28 passengers and crew. She was the sole survivor after an explosion tore through the baggage compartment of JAT Flight 367 on 26 January 1972, causing it to crash near Srbsk Kamenice, Czechoslovakia. [20], In the early 1990s, Vulovi and her husband divorced. Guinness World Records Kids (opens in a new window), GWR Merchandise Store (opens in a new window), Corporate Social Responsibility activities & fundraising ideas, Community engagement & tourism marketing activities. A Serbian woman who survived what was said to be a 10,000-metre (33,000ft) fall after a plane exploded in mid-air in 1972 has died aged 66. Call it a miracle or call it pure luck, but Vesna Vulovi was the only survivor of the crash. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ms. Vulovic was working as a Yugoslav Airlines flight attendant on Jan. 26, 1972, when the DC-9 airliner she was aboard blew up high above the snowy . She never regained memory of the accident or her rescue. The cause of death was not known. She was trapped in the cone of the tail and landed on a slope after plunging 10,160m from the DC-9 aircraft. Ms. Vulovic disagreed that luck played any part in helping her to survive the 33,000-foot fall. The crew had the entire afternoon and the following morning to themselves. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In the morning, during breakfast, the co-pilot was talking about his son and daughter as if nobody else had a son or daughter. All 28 passengers and crew aboard perished, apart from Vulovic (left), who would enter the Guinness Book of Records for her fall (pictured right with David Frost). Officials suspected that JAT Yugoslav Flight 364 was brought down by explosives planted in a suitcase by a Croatian terrorist group. [4], Vulovi told reporters that she did not think of her fall every day, but admitted to struggling with survivor's guilt. You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? She remembered greeting passengers for the flight, and then nothing until she saw her parents in her hospital room. In 1972, Vesna Vulovic, a cabin attendant, survived a 10,160m fall when the DC-9 she was in . She never regained any memory of the accident or of her rescue, she said, and she continued to fly as a passenger. Serbian-born Vesna Vulovi was 22 years old and had been a flight attendant for only eight months before the fateful crash. [4] By the time she had reached her sixties, Vulovi's deteriorating health prevented her from taking part in annual commemorations at Srbsk Kamenice, which she had previously attended for many years. I was talking to them and asking them why they were with me in Slovenia. As for people who have described her as lucky, Vulovic said they are mistaken. [10] No arrests were ever made. Vulovic holds the Guinness World Record for highest fall without a parachute a miraculous 33,333-foot plunge to Earth. Serbia's state TV said Ms Vulovic was. "People always want to sit next to me on the plane," she said. 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. In response to the attack, airport security measures were tightened in the country. All 27 other passengers and crew. She was 66. Vesna Vulovic has similar horoscope. Initially paralysed from the waist down, Vulovi eventually made almost a full recovery and even returned to work for the airline in a desk job. date of death. With a history of low blood pressure, Vulovi knew it was unlikely shed pass the medical exam. As her death-defying tale continues to fascinate people around the world, she will also live on as a symbol of survival against all odds. Where was the outcry then? Her final years were spent in seclusion, and she struggled with survivor guilt. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ms. Vulovic entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1985 for the highest fall survived without a parachute.. The comments below have not been moderated. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! We'll use the information you provide us to contact you via email about our relevant content, products and services. BEOGRAD - Vesna Vulovi, stjuardesa nekadanjeg jugoslovenskog JAT za koju je uo itav svet poto je preivela avionsku nesreu i pad sa 10.000 metara, danas je sahranjena na Novom groblju u prisustvu brata i ezdesetak prijatelja i poznanika. It was there that I met up with a friend who suggested we go to Stockholm. "Nobody ever expected me to live this long.". 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. The guards changed shifts every six hours, and no one was allowed in to see her except for her parents and doctors. On 26 january 1972 an explosion on JAT Flight 367 (Jugoslavenski Aerotransport) caused the plane to break apart. Everybody thinks I am lucky, but they are mistaken. The Guinness Book of World Records says the plunge was from a height of 33,000 feet, the longest recorded fall without a parachute. No arrests were ever made. Vesna Vulovic is believed to have been born on Jan. 3, 1950, in Belgrade. The theory has also been dismissed by the Civilian Aviation Authority and Czech army experts. 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, was. Everyone except Vesna, who survived a fall of 33,333 feet (10,160 metres; 6.31 miles). 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. On the day of the crash, a bomb exploded aboard a train travelling from Vienna to Zagreb, injuring six. Vesna Vulovi in 1972. 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. [1] She was soon made an honorary citizen of Srbsk Kamenice. YouTubeA young Vesna Vulovi in her flight attendant uniform. The explosion was determined to be from a briefcase bomb planted by the Ustae a Croatian separatist group seeking independence from Yugoslavia. Her name was Vesna Vulovi and though even she didnt know it yet, she had just survived an epic fall of 33,330 feet in what is one of the strangest world records: surviving the highest fall without a parachute. Vulovic holds the Guinness World Record for highest fall without a parachute a miraculous 33,333-foot plunge to Earth. Vesna Vulovi recovering in the hospital. [3] In 1985, The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Vulovi as the world record holder for surviving the highest fall without a parachute: 10,160 metres (33,330ft; 6.31mi). The explosion and crash killed everyone on board. [22] Hornung-Andersen conceded that the pair's evidence was only circumstantial. landed on a snowy, tree-covered hillside, claiming that documents showed the aircraft may have been mistakenly shot down. [3][4] Nevertheless, Vulovi said that she was excited to travel to Denmark because it was her first time visiting the country. Vesna passed away at 66 in 2016 (Source: guinnessworldrecords.com) 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'. Serbias state TV said Saturday Vulovic was found dead by her friends in her apartment in Belgrade. She had no memory of the crash or of anything from the following month. About 18 years after she returned to work, she said, the airline forced her to retire for trying to persuade co-workers not to vote for Slobodan Milosevic, the Serbian nationalist and president known as the Butcher of the Balkans. She demonstrated in the streets against Mr. Milosevic, who died in jail before a verdict was reached in his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 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. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. Ms. Vulovic was rescued by a woodsman who followed her screams in the dark forest. She eventually made a full recovery but never regained memory of the incident, as she explained in a 2002 interview with Green Light Limited. When I told my parents I was living in the Swedish capital, they thought of the drugs and the sex and told me to come home at once." Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. All 27 other passengers and crew aboard perished. According to Serbian state TV, she was found by her friends in her apartmen Find a Grave. Ms. Vulovic was working as a Yugoslav Airlines flight attendant on Jan. 26, 1972, when the Douglas DC-9 airliner she was aboard blew up high. Vesna Vulovi was born in Belgrade on 3 January 1950. The cause of her death was not immediately known. Vesna, a Belgrade native, entered the Guinness World Records book after surviving the highest ever fall without a parachute. It crash landed in the thick snow at a favourable angle, which is most likely what saved Vesnas life. She suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, broken legs, broken ribs, and a fractured pelvis. On the 26th of January 1972, Vesna Vulovi was a flight attendant onboard JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367. When was the accident bound to have happened? [9] A man, describing himself as a Croatian nationalist, called the Swedish newspaper Kvllsposten the following day and claimed responsibility for the bombing of Flight 367. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The aircraft broke apart in mid-air before falling 33,330 feet down to the ground in Srbsk Kamenice, Czechoslovakia. Maybe it was a bad place., Vesna Vulovic, Flight Attendant Who Survived Jetliner Blast, Dies at 66, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/world/europe/vesna-vulovic-died-flight-attendant-in-plunge.html. or redistributed. [1][a] Vulovi's physicians concluded that her history of low blood pressure caused her to pass out quickly after the cabin depressurized and kept her heart from bursting on impact. When she arrived, however, she found a downtrodden crew. So right before heading in, she drank several cups of coffee, hoping it would keep her blood pressure high enough. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. Additionally, Vesnas physicians determined that her low blood pressure caused her to quickly pass out when the cabin depressurized, which prevented her heart from bursting upon impact. languages spoken, written or signed. online interview with Green Light Limited. Vesna Vulovic was found dead by her friends in her apartment in Belgrade, according to Serbian state TV. She had a fractured skull, two crushed vertebrae and a broken pelvis, ribs and legs. The length of time that Vulovi was comatose is the subject of considerable contradiction, with different sources indicating three days, A 2005 newspaper article published by the Croatian. 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. According to Guinness World Records, 30 years after the crash, Vulovic said: Im not lucky. She seems not to have lived the life of a celebrity at all and to have kept mostly to herself, Eric Gordy, a cultural and political sociologist at University College London who studies the former Yugoslavia, said in a phone interview. How she managed this isn't entirely clear, but the . The small section she was in fell to the ground on a heavily wooded, snow-covered hillside. Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian flight attendant who survived a 10,000-meter plunge after her plane exploded mid-air in 1972, has died at the age of 66. . Vesna Vulovic, an air stewardess who survived the highest ever fall by a human being after her plane broke up at 33,000ft (10,000m), has died aged 66. The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, landed at Copenhagen Airport at 2:30p.m., whereupon Vulovi and her colleagues boarded the plane. She now holds the Guinness world record for highest freefall without a parachute. 50 years on, this remains the highest fall survived without a parachute ever. Vesna Vulovi was found dead by her friends in her. They concluded that the DC-9 was mistakenly shot down by the Czechoslovak Air Force at an altitude of only 800 meters, or about 2,625 feet. Vesna Vulovic, an air stewardess who survived the highest ever fall by a human being after her plane broke up at 33,000ft (10,000m), has died aged 66. Three vertebrae were broken, and she was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and in a coma for a time. Vesna and her friends grew up in Yugoslavia listening to The Beatles so this was an extra special moment for her. Initially paralyzed from the waist down, Vulovic eventually made a near-full recovery and even returned to work for the airline in a desk job. "I am like a cat, I have had nine lives," she told the New York Times. He managed to escape with a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises. Market data provided by Factset. YouTubeVesna Vulovi recovering in the hospital. It was suspected that a bomb had been planted inside the jet during a stopover in Copenhagen. I think he had checked in a bag in Stockholm, got off in Copenhagen and never re-boarded the flight. December 24, 2016, 2:49 AM BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Vesna Vulovic, a Serbian stewardess who miraculously survived a plunge from 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) after her plane exploded in mid-air in. Vesna Vulovic was a stewardess back in the '70s working on a Serbian airline. Other crew members saw him, as did the station manager in Copenhagen. DR ELLIE CANNON: My breast has not got lumps but it's itchy, should I be concerned about cancer at age 72? She was not scheduled to be on that flight; she had been mixed up with another flight attendant who was also named Vesna (wikipedia: Vesna Vulovi? She was rushed to a hospital, where she fell into a coma for ten days. The Douglas DC-9 went down on January 26 that year over the mountains . [4] "I don't know what to say when people say I was lucky," she remarked. [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. Based on secret documents mainly from the Czech civil aviation authority, unearthed after more than a year of research, Peter Hornung and Pavel Theiner said they did not believe the aircraft had been blown up by Croatian nationalists as the Yugoslav government, backed by Czechoslovakian authorities, claimed. 1 reference. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Vulovic was working as a flight attendant on January 26, 1972, when her Douglas DC-9 airliner blew up high above the mountain ranges of the former Czechoslovakia. [7] Vulovi said that she was aware of her low blood pressure before applying to become a flight attendant and knew that it would result in her failing her medical examination, but she drank an excessive amount of coffee beforehand and was accepted. Vesna Vulovic, who survived a midair explosion in 1972, has died at the age of 66. 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