Sucked into a Thunderstorm | Paraglider Carried Up to the Death Zone

[@outdoordisasters]

Question for the experts out there. Many people are asking why she couldn't cut the cord and use an emergency parachute. Can anyone explain? Thanks in advance. If you want to see me pumping out more content, please buy me some fuel! www.buymeacoffee.com/outdoordisasters This story may be the most shocking I've ever covered. Ewa should've died 3 times at least. The lightning. Being at 10k meters in -50 temps for 45 mins. And falling from that elevation. Just an incredible story of survival.

[@kbusse]

First, the emergency parachute doesn‘t sink much faster than Pro Pilots can fly down a normal wing, while providing significant less control. Even more relevant is that throwing the reserve in such conditions would risk damage to it, which could then be fatal.

[@mcbrite]

@@kbusse Almost correct... I'll just add/amend, that it's even more in favor of the wing: Below the wing you can spiral at up to 15m/s, where the rescue would roughly be 5m/s, so it would hurt you, rather then help...

[@T6Ber62]

The updrafts inside of a nimbocumulus cloud can and have carried a human body up and down for long periods just like hail stones. You can't just free fall out of one.

[@etonelli1]

@@kbusse So don't deploy the emergency parachute until about 2,000 ft from the ground. Pretty easy solution, no?

[@jussjess2829]

@@etonelli1if your conscious

[@mattlassen5948]

Well done. I have to suggest that you do a video on Juliane Koepcke, a German teenager who in 1971 survived a fall from a Peruvian airliner while still buckled in her seat after the fuselage of the aircraft ripped open. Trees broke, and the spiraling motion of the row of seats she was attached to broke her 30,000+ foot fall. After discovering her mom's dead body nearby where she landed, she spent 11 days trekking through the Amazon rainforest while badly injured until she was found by local fishermen.

[@eemoogee160]

Absolutely mind boggling

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

did she get a refund?

[@miri-dz9oy]

I listened to an interview she gave with a detailed account which had me on the edge of my seat. I believe it was in German if I recall it correctly. It can be found on KZbin. With KZbin's subtitles on can manage to listen to it in almost any language, I guess. She or somebody else wrote also a book about this. Great suggestion!

[@thomasw.glasgow7449]

not her time , aye !

[@reindeerheadgames]

That's wild

[@cynthiadriver9781]

Wow, unbelievable!! My mum told me long before her 80th birthday she had always wanted to parasail. She had never mentioned that her whole life. So i organized it for her 80th birthday. I knew she couldnt run fast enoigh to take off with the instructure so the next best thing was delta plan and so with family and friends along with the local newspaper she lived a dream. It was a beautiful day and she was like a little girl grinning and ne er felt scared. She even got it all on go pro !! No disasters just pure joy✌️

[@outdoordisasters]

How amazing! Way to go Mama!

[@susanhilton3436]

At that age yes but younger people are selfish. Just think how their poor Family feel

[@ltvanburen8555]

That’s fantastic! What a wonderful gift you and your family gave her and WHAT A GAL she was!

[@cynthiadriver9781]

@@ltvanburen8555 it really was and the newspaper did a wonderful story. She's 84 now and living her best life !!

[@MostGratefulOwl]

That's beautiful 💗

[@0bm31770]

It's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground.

[@donc9751]

That was always the saying back in my days, flying paragliders! And very true it is. There was also the old saying "there are old pilots and bold pilots. But there are no old bold pilots.

[@MichaelJoseph-id2lc]

Brilliant!😂

[@paulis7319]

I learned that my first week of flight school in 2001.

[@AudioFreqx]

@@paulis7319 aye 1979

[@simonbellamy67]

Good lesson to learn when you start flying lesson in form...​@paulis7319

I met Eva when I offered her a ride from Warsaw to Berlin via an app. During the 5 hour drive I found her to be a friendly and great person. She told me about this experience and later I saw her on a German television show. She has a school for paragliders in Germany and I decided to take a course there.

[@ExMachina70]

Her story is amazing, and terrifying. Not knowing her story, when they came to the part where she was plummeting to the ground with a collapsed glider, I really thought it was over for her.

[@Alfred-Neuman]

In the video he doesn't even say who won the freaking competition! Do you know who was the winner? I'm assuming it's not the Chinese guy...

[@Crimetvuk]

Her name is Ewa

[@AimeeAimee444]

Life has unexpected gifts. Happy you had a chance to meet Ewa. She’s not only a phenomenal athlete but a wonderful person. 😊

[@TheCulio]

@@Alfred-Neumanthis wasn’t the actual word championship. This was a test run 10 days before the event. Crazy that after this ordeal Ewa still managed to participate in the 2007 World Paragliding Championships in Manila 10 days after and she came 10th in the Woman’s category. You can find the results here www.fai.org/sites/default/files/civl/documents/10th_fai_world_paragliding_championships_female.pdf

[@RedDwarf-r4x]

On the day described in the video I was flying a sailplane approximately 135 miles South above the town of Tooraweenah. I could observe the dangerous T/S forming ahead and turned away into safer airspace. I was able to hear several radio calls from some of the hang glider pilots trying to escape the storm. I am amazed at Eva's survival. A true miracle!

[@Jiraiyashouse666]

45 minutes in CryoSleep then waking up and taking control during freefall...Damned what a BOSS! Where is her movie?!

[@STR82DVD]

I'd watch that one. She's the extreme man.

[@cashflowglo7262]

They really should do a movie about this !🎉

[@velvetbees]

I feel so much respect for her. What a gal.

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

BOSS IDIOT for getting into the problem.

[@JohnnyDanger36963]

@@velvetbees super stupid gal.

[@funshinebear4822]

This is the craziest survival story I've personally heard. This woman is a badass. Wakes from cryo sleep and pilots down like nothing.

[@ripwednesdayadams]

There are only two other survival stories that I can think of that are as crazy as this one. The girl from Minnesota who survived being frozen solid in the snow overnight and the Serbian flight attendant who survived a fall from 33,000 feet after her plane exploded.

[@outdoordisasters]

I have a backlog of stories that I plan to do and try to do them in order. This story could not wait. I was so fascinated by this story. I've heard many survival stories. I don't know if there's one that has captivated me like this one.

[@keithmetcalf5548]

That lady is more gangster than most that's for sure 😮

[@raheesom]

Nevermind reawakening fr cryo sleep, her paraglider collapsed & she free-fell, then glider spontaneously opens again. .... That's straight up intervention.

[@majimespirit8421]

@@raheesomShe had been praying. God answered her prayers. Miracles do happen. She’s living proof.

[@bg9509]

Unbelievable!! I am a retired Flight Attendant (flew 30 years)… I experienced many scary circumstances, but this would be much more terrifying! No broken bones, nothing but frostbite! I’d say her Guardian Angels were with her that day. Go, EWA!😳😊

[@Catpanl]

She made bad choices but got lucky. Others with her, died. Not so angelic of a situation when looked as a whole.

[@Tatonka322]

The Lord was with her. Praise Jesus!!!

[@oldman-zr2ru]

@@Catpanl God is far wiser and knowledgeable than you can possibly imagine. It was His decision whether to save anyone at all. God obviously wanted her here for now.

[@Catpanl]

@@oldman-zr2ru it’s interesting that when things don’t make sense or are unjust or unfair some people say “God is wiser than we can understand”. But things also don’t make sense when they are just random. I guess it depends on your point of view; if you believe in God, you’re going to attribute random things to some great plan. If you don’t believe in god then it’s easy to just accept randomness of life.

[@Catpanl]

@@Tatonka322 no when he sent her up that high. Just stopping the cloud formation that morning would have saved her and the other pilot that god killed.

[@catkeys6911]

Now THIS is a well done, professional video, from beginning to end. There is SO much crap out here, but *this one* is a breath of fresh air. Excellent narration; well put-together telling of a true story. Thank you!

[@outdoordisasters]

Thank you for your kind words. So many comments of people who say I drag it on or this could've been a 5 min video, or just get straight to the action. But I do not believe that's telling a story. It's about the what led up to the event, the aftermath and how it affects people. These things are important, telling the whole story. I produce these stories for people as yourself. Like you, I enjoy the totality of the story. Being dismissive of the people involved or the story is doing a disservice to their story and is exploitative if you only focus on the "good parts". Thank you again for your comment, it's much appreciated!

[@bobcunningham9590]

​@@outdoordisasters I guess I'd just ask where the limit is on lifting content from intellectual property owners. You use an awful lot of material from the television production "Miracle in the Storm" from 2010 (directed by Leo Faber and Guy Norris). Did you have to stay within some constraints in order to remain within the fair use parameters?

[@binkwillans5138]

@@bobcunningham9590 Give over, man, this is a nicely put together video, I wouldn't have seen the story otherwise.

[@bobcunningham9590]

@@binkwillans5138 It's stolen content. Someone invested in producing it. They should be compensated for its use.

[@binkwillans5138]

@@bobcunningham9590 Please consider it is either fair use of imagery, or otherwise permission was obtained to the extent required by the copyright licence.

[@finesupplements9698]

This story is absolutely unbelievable! I can’t comprehend this being a real life event. Hollywood definitely needs to make this into a movie. ASAP

[@modavies8401]

Whilst flying a German Ka2 glider from an RAF base in the 1960‘s, I once found myself in a „large cumulus“, as I had few instruments, I put on full airbrakes. This normally produced more than 10m/second sink. The variometer remained on the“ full up „stop. Luckily, I fell out of the side of the cloud, with an iced up airframe and canopy. Eventually once I realised this, a landing back home was carried out by looking through a small direct vision panel. The trip down was accompanied by the sounds of ice melting, breaking off, and hitting the tail surfaces. I did not go near large clouds for several years after that!

[@happycamper4ever873]

Wow that sounds thrilling yet terrifying! What an incredible life you’ve had. I hope you’ve recorded all of your adventures.

[@captainlegs1]

The fortitude of Eva is truly amazing. Surviving an encounter with the core of a CB is utterly terrifying. I’m sure her skills and instincts as a pro competitor had much to do with the seeming futile outcome. At the same time, I believe Divine intervention was very much present. I say this having full knowledge of the dynamics of thunderstorms as a 25,000 hour pilot/instructor/examiner and accident investigator. I survived a very near fatal forced landing crash in my homebuilt high performance aircraft. After two years of all kinds of surgery, I returned professionally to the cockpit - only this time with the use of bilateral above knee prosthetic devices. Not to brag but simply assert “I know from whence cometh my strength”. Eva, May your appreciation for life continue to be greatly magnified now recognizing its fragility and the need to partner up with a loving caring Creator.

[@starrystarrynight6281]

I am so glad you made it! God bless!!!

[@Whyusemyname]

What about the other guy? Was he not worthy of intervention?

[@rickquist3992]

​@@Whyusemyname Apparently not.

[@stephenkelly7397]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅😅ONE lucky lady, can YOU send 5 numbers & 2 lucky nu mbers for the EURO LOTTERY . Hahaha. Just joking.😅😅😅

[@h8GW]

@rickquist3992 Probably because he couldn't pass as a white American

[@Lopfff]

There’s a similar story told by a military pilot who had to eject and fell directly down into a thunderhead, was blown around inside the cloud with huge pillars of lightning all around him, until he finally got low enough to float to the ground with his parachute. It can be googled fairly easy, it’s a great story

[@EricBussman]

Yeah that was William Rankin. Dude reached 45,000 ft 😮

[@Lopfff]

@@EricBussman Thanks

[@williammoreno2378]

I think he wrote what helped him survive that egress from 45K feet was that he was very avid about weight training.

[@JordanEmede_376]

If it can be Googled it must be 100% fact 😂

[@africkinamerican]

No GoPro video??

[@robertwhite3752]

And yet many people will chalk all this up to sheer “LUCK.” She is no doubt blessed by the best.

[@vershaladyn]

I've heard this story before, but you did a really exceptional job of going into the details. What an amazing story..

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

I've watched all your videos, and this is far and away the most terrifying. She's a badass with nerves of steel and a will to live.

[@outdoordisasters]

Awesome, thank you so much for watching!

[@mikaross4671]

This is absolutely one of my favorite stories you have ever told! I've been following your channel since the beginning, but I was drawn to the my laptop. Your narration is perfection. Thank you for telling Eva's story. What an incredible tale of survival!! Eva is truly a champion. This is just one of the most amazing tales. I had no idea paragliding could get that intense. Thank you for teaching me the terms like cloud suck, etc. The fact that she flew so high into the atmosphere is beyond. Wow!! RIP to He Zhongpin.

[@scottdavidson526]

He's a very good Narrator.

[@outdoordisasters]

Thanks Mika! Yeah, this is one of my favorites as well. Many times, I hear about a story, I put it on my lists of stories to do since I have so many backlogged. When I first heard about this, it was instant when I started working on this. It was to incredible to wait.

[@kristi1949]

This was almost better than the Wizard of Oz!

[@adambane1719]

Champion ??? She literally saw the MASSIVE storm cell coming, and was like "yeah, nothing to worry about here". Wtf ??

[@xqt39a]

@@adambane1719 In the 1990s in Virginia I was hanging gliding into an incoming weather front, lift was good, then suddenly my vario pegged at maximum value of 1600 FPM, the best I ever did before was 600 FPM. Instinctively I pulled the control bar to my knees and was able to descend and eventually land. To this day, I wonder where I would have gone if I had the nerve to ride up in the updraft. This was not a thunderstorm so I probably would have been ok landing 20 miles down wind. I flew until my mid sixties when I quit after missing by 5 feet a mid air collision with a paraglider.

[@DavidGilesColorado]

Wow!!! I’m taking that off my bucket list

[@Catsmeow90]

Your comment made me a laugh, much needed thankyou!

[@AkChiVibes]

Same!

[@Onelightoftheworld]

😂😂😂

[@ronniejones8148]

😂😂😂😂

[@mountainflyhigh]

She made horrible decisions and paid the price. Like any activity, paragliding is only as dangerous as you make it. That said, most people are cowards anyway.

[@fl3522]

Imagine, you're on a flight at cruise altitude, usually around 32,000 ft, look out the window and there is a Paraglider; it is amazing this woman lived, surely she had divine help.

[@Zerpersande]

Yep, divine intervention. You see God has a cap on ‘divine intervention’. This should be obvious given that about 25,000 die of starvation DAILY, about 10,000 being children. This is due to ol’ Yahweh not helping bc he’s divinely intervening a lot. He just reaches his DDIC (Daily Divine Intervention Cap). Now preventing starvation is a snap, just give them food. And the Jewish Zombie fed a multitude with a couple of fish and a couple of loaves of bread. But getting a woman on a paraglider down from 30,000 feet? That really had an impact on how many children got saved from starvation that day.

[@davethemagnificent2576]

That's what I was thinking while listing to this story. Being on a flight and look at the window and see Ava passing you. 😂

[@RagTownDolls]

I seriously doubt some divine faerie popped out and helped her down.

[@BVN-TEXAS]

It wasn’t divine help it was just she lucked out. She was in good health and the hypoxia and cold didn’t kill her.

[@studenheim8388]

​@@BVN-TEXAS it drives me crazy that religious people will go oh look at how good my God is, he totally performed a miracle to save this life... while there are millions of children starving around the world

[@NorthPoleJeff]

As a private pilot, I was never taught about cloud suck, we just called them updrafts. But, the cloud suck describes it much more clearly. However, I did experience this exact super up draft experience in a Cessna 150 climbing out of Peoria, Illinois. When I described the super climb rate that I had experienced, everyone said that I was exaggerating, yet, I wasn't. I never reached over my desired altitude, by the way, it was just a much faster climb than a Cessna 150 could normally do. Thank you for this super fantastic story, I sure learned a whole lot.

[@melissasmess2773]

How many feet per second was the updraft? That paraglider is nuts and I am a helicopter pilot 😂

[@siricaplan7777]

I met a doctor in Kandersteg, Switzerland, who survived a similar experience which was big news at the time. He got sucked into a storm and ended up 28 miles away, waking up with multiple bone fractures having crash-landed half-way up Mont Blanc.

[@outdoordisasters]

Wow, might have to research this story a bit more. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for watching!

[@MoosesValley]

I flew a hand glider in the 1980's, and after many dozens of safe flights, I was sucked into a squall that suddenly appeared, up into the cloud ... After about 20 minutes of not being able to see the ground or any landmarks, performing constant wing overs to try and lose height as fast as possible, I finally fought my out of the cloud and managed to land reasonably safely - just a minor concussion. Trainee paragliders and hang gliders pilots are always told stories of other pilots being sucked into storm clouds and eventually spat back out as ice cubes. Important rules are: stay the hell away from storm clouds or better yet don't fly when they are around, and never, ever enter cloud.

[@kenw2225]

You went to 11000m ? Own it. Be proud you went that high. This one got a story and video out of it. You went higher ;) ;)

[@MoosesValley]

@kenw2225 No, I didn't get to such height. I always flew without my instruments - altimeter, etc - as my instructors advised, so I would improve my flying by feel and not rely on instruments. So, I cannot say for sure how high I got, but it was nowhere near 11Km. The "mountain" I launched off was approx 2,000m high. The squall's cloud and heavy rain enveloped the top section of the mountain. I probably didn't get much above 2,500m for most of the flight in the cloud, because I was fighting so hard to get down once the storm hit - wings vertical to the ground spinning in tight circles, trying desperately to lose height with my glider getting bashed and torn by the gusty wind, and me wondering what part was going to break off. I would drill down and see tree tops, have no idea what part of the mountain In was over, let the storm such me up again, and then drill down again and find tree tops again. After numerous tries and being extremely exhausted, I finally drilled down and found clear air below me on the back side of the mountain. Sadly no video. But I'm going to make a video retelling what happened..

[@admiralbenbow5083]

What is/was a `hand` glider ??

[@chrisplacido4737]

Clouds are floating oceans.

[@macman975]

You flew a Hand Glider and you don't know that they're called HANG Gliders. Story sound legit🤔😂

[@standubaj8989]

Unbelievable,God was with her 👍

[@robertpresha9504]

Amazing story 😮. God bless her.

[@timeforcoffee485]

This is the most amazing survival story...thank you, and what a brave lady Eva is.

[@cashflowglo7262]

I so remember this event back then. It scared and shocked me. I had so much pain and hurt for her. I could not imagine the horror of being in that situation. How could you not die of a heart attack? She truly is a beautiful badass ! I love her !

[@Jeff-sp7bg]

The heart is a very strong and robust organ

[@stephenkelly7397]

I'M NEARLY 70YRS OLD, GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME TOO.

[@velvetbees]

Thank you for covering her story. It's thrilling and sad. It's one of the best survival stories ever.

[@JacqLean]

This is one of the best stories I have heard! I just knew they were going to say she didn't make it. But she is here and well. What a story. Thank you for posting

[@outdoordisasters]

Me as well! My jaw was on the floor when I first heard of it. Thanks for watching!

[@artemis1993]

In my heart, she's already the World Champion. She deserves it after miraculously surviving seemingly impossible odds.

[@sonnynick1]

I’m sure after that experience the last thing she would ever care about is a trophy or title. I agree she is a champion but not of one single competition she is a champion in life.

[@jeepliving1]

What a helpless feeling it must be to just rocket upwards into a storm cloud like that.

[@outdoordisasters]

I've had a recurring nightmare about sailing upwards unable to descend. So helpless.

[@rule1dontgosplat]

i wonder if she had a reserve, would it be possible to cut the lines and fall, and then deploy the reserve close enough to the ground that the uplift wasn’t that bad?

[@adambane1719]

Helpless ?? She literally saw the MASSIVE storm cell coming, and was like "yeah, nothing to worry about here". Wtf ??

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

@@adambane1719similar to the attitudes of mountaineers. It’s all about the attempt to achieve a personal goal regardless of obvious extreme danger or potential fatal consequences.

[@charlieross-BRM]

I had those dreams for the longest time in my early teens. The dream would start as me jumping on my bed, and sometimes a trampoline. Higher and more sustained on each bounce and at some point I kept going up. A sickening helpless feeling in my guts. The dreams never continued past me still rising. ​@@outdoordisasters

[@Bix06068]

Wow! What a story. What courage and what luck. This video has excellent narrative, excellent narration and amazing visuals. I'm just a regular guy, never before exposed to paragliding, but this video left me beyond spellbound.

[@turtle4614]

There's nothing scarier to me than waking up from being unconscious while free falling from those heights. Holy hell that was very intense to hear.

[@gerald-gs2vh]

She lived her life! She has a determination unparalleled by most others. I applaud her and hope she continues with more successes.

[@papalegba6796]

Took a very determined, skilful & physically fit person to get out of that situation.

[@JosieJOK]

And a healthy amount of luck! After all, the Chinese glider didn’t make it, and he was at least as physically fit, and skillful as Eva. (Can’t speak to his determination.)

[@papalegba6796]

@@JosieJOK the Chinese guy got all the bad luck, nothing he could do about a lightning strike. No point saying "what if?" after that.

[@teresacorrigan3076]

Wow. Inspires me to ride my horse on trail after a bad freak accident that left us both nervous 😬 🐴

[@A-Grammie-On-the-ROCK]

And the God she prayed to I d add.

[@mat1500]

The amount of luck she had after a less than conservative, aggressive decision to continue her flight in the face of danger, that amount of luck was unimaginable!

[@Sommers234]

I can appreciate how she was drawn to the sport. About 15 years ago I jumped off the side of a mountain in Aspen , 😮with the owner of the paraglide company since I had no instruction and never did it before. It was the most thrilling experience-- we sailed for about 35 minutes. As a lifelong sailor, I felt right at home Dancing With The Wind.😊

[@Sabotage_Labs]

That's one tough bird! Bless her heart! She's a warrior and has my respect!

[@MrPatvee]

Her chute collapses and spontaneously opens up on a downward highspeed descent.....that was a miracle

[@Z0RDR4CK]

also the impact of the opening chute kind of woke her up and she was able to use her senses to make it down to earth.

[@janeenharrison1953]

That was God giving her another chance at life! Wonderful story. I really want to know the maker of the glider!

[@idekav.]

…right below the “death zone”… wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t for the gps data man.

[@tony.bickert]

It was science.

[@grimknight1452]

No that’s how the glider wing is designed. As long as it catches air it will reopen. No miracle required.

[@ronaldmillard8994]

this is the best story I have EVER heard ! God was with her! Thank you.

[@larrydugan1441]

A talented lady that exercised bad judgement at great cost. Fortunately she survived.

[@phildavies7666]

Unless you know something else she is still alive

[@douglasr.c.5622]

We all exercise bad judgment at one point or another.

[@larrydugan1441]

@@douglasr.c.5622 Aviation is very intolerant of bad judgement for a good reason. There are always poor decisions. The expression there are old pilots and bold pilots but there are no old bold pilots fits.

[@altavosloo9415]

Miraculously

[@Shaolin91z]

Thanks Lord for your salvation Thanks Lord for your salvation Thanks Lord for bible study class Thanks Lord for your mercy

[@seviregis7441]

I love her, she’s awesome, thank God for saving her.

[@musicmaker99]

Not blame god for putting her in danger?

[@markRunner8871]

God answered her prayers.

[@JeffMTX]

Agreed! Gotta remember God saves each of us over and over every day!

[@YoshiYosheda]

​@@JeffMTXreally? Than why did over 300 people die on Everest?

[@JeffMTX]

@@YoshiYosheda same reason you’ll die from walking into traffic

[@Dark0_Cl0ud]

This video was put together well. Light years ahead of some channels in this genre.

[@outdoordisasters]

Thank you so much!!!

[@johnpringle9967]

Wow.... Wow.... Wow..... That is the most amazing thing, event, story, beyond words I have ever seen..... just simply beyond words....

[@jackanderson1418]

INCREDIBLE story and the testimony to the will to survive and the power of PRAYER!!!

[@cb2000a]

She wasn't alone up there that day....a miracle.

[@fumblerooskie]

Great story. Thanks for sharing. She's amazing. May her unfortunate fellow competitor rest in peace.

[@broncotia3125]

Absolutely amazing. Thank u for sharing this story. Such a miracle she survived 🙏❤

[@joehohmann6015]

What a lucky and beautiful woman. I hope she lives a long and good life.

[@melodymerritt8419]

Are you a paraglider? Your narration is done with genuine authority and knowledge! Great video! And as always....Love your channel!!!!

[@laurencejohnston2191]

Congratulations EWA. To say you are a survivor would be an understatement.👍👍

[@Tatonka322]

She prayed, and she was heard. I hope she realizes this. Praise the Lord!!!

[@Tatonka322]

@dankfinch Not according to the latest Science in Biology, Mathematics, DNA, Astrophysics. It's become evident, there was Intellectual Design.

[@colinwhite5355]

I’d love to believe that, but did the other guy not pray hard enough? Can’t imagine any supposed god sitting back, waiting for a prayer to arrive, while watching someone slowly dying.

[@craiggibson9922]

Ridiculous!!! So he answered her but ignores millions of starving and dying children around the world???

[@normanbaratelli4651]

Having been thoroughly frozen myself, I can understand her mind at the time of her landing. I was literally an ice cube as I had landed in water, not from altitude but during a New England winter storm. I passed out and, when I came to, realized that I was half-dead. It was around 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) as I stumbled home. Barely alive, I collapsed inside the house. I was rushed to hospital where quick thinking saved my life. But saving my hands was very much in doubt. Do not risk this if you have any decision in the matter! It is a terrifying experience to awaken from blackout with the realization that you might die. My hat's off to Ewa for keeping her wits about her and for her good luck. I had a little luck myself and have both hands and all digits today though I suffer from pain and stiffness and hand cramps. Better flying ahead, girl!!

[@catholiccrusader5328]

What a brave woman! I went paragliding when I was young during my second trip to Big Island, Hawaii. The highest I flew was a mere 1,000 feet. This woman went over 30,000 feet! I can't even imagine such a feat!

[@mikemoon6245]

This was one of the most terrifying, exciting adventure stories I've heard in my 62 years. I had goosebumps this whole video. Incredible.

[@outdoordisasters]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@davidkoerner1565]

As someone that has more than a touch of acrophobia this story is crazy. She's has a guardian angel.

[@binkwillans5138]

Fear of spiders, right?

[@helengormlie966]

what a remarkable woman!! God Bless her!!

[@chrisman714368]

Congratulations on going where no man has gone before. A true pioneer

[@neltins5308]

One of most legendary moments in adventure sports history.

[@outdoordisasters]

Most definitely!

[@sarahpoynter9652]

Dude this lady is amazing. She wakes up FALLING and still has enough wherewithal to take control of her craft

[@galenicalhoover6508]

She has yet something to accomplish. She is here for a reason.

[@PacificAirwave144]

I was an Intermediate/H3 hang glider pilot in California when this happened and was being talked about. All your training is how to find lift and stay up and there's not much you can do to get down when conditions get strong. I've seen several documentaries about Ewa and this event and every time I get very emotional--that feeling of 'ah shit...!!'

[@davidmurray2829]

This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. ❤

[@outdoordisasters]

Me too

[@ericgman1]

I really enjoyed this video. 33,000 feet of altitude! Epic!!!!

[@outdoordisasters]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@coverup7428]

Amazing woman …I am very happy for her …she is superb 💪🏼❤

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

What a crazy thing! Being at that altitude for any length of time without supplemental oxygen is dangerous. This made me think about an even crazier story of survival at altitude and temperature. There was a mountaineer that was in the death zone and passed out- his colleagues actually thought he had died so they took most of his equipment and left him. Turns out his was just unconscious and spends the *entire night* at that altitude! Walks all the way back to camp and survives😊

[@waynemyers2469]

I read a similar story about two friends who were climbing together when the ground opened up and both were swallowed by a crevasse. The guy who was leading ended-up hanging at the end of his line which was attached to the second guy who was HIMSELF hanging from a line that was anchored outside the crevasse. Even worse though was that the lower climber had collided with the side of the crevasse and injured himself and no matter how much his friend yelled and jerked on the rope he remained unresponsive and as the minutes passed the upper guy noticed blood soaking through his friends jacket...then it started getting cold as the sun moved and the crevasse fell into shadow. The upper guy tried to haul his friend up, without luck, the guy was just too heavy, then he tried to haul himself up with his friend dangling below him, again, no luck. The hapless climber tried everything he could think of to either raise his friend or wake him up but his friend was just a dead-weight trapping them both in the crevasse and it was getting colder and colder. Late in the afternoon the exhausted climber had, quite literally, reached the end of his rope and just couldn't hang there any longer, he reasoned that if he didn't do SOMETHING they would both die there but if he could get out there'd be a chance he could go find help and return to save his friend. So he did the only thing he COULD do...he cut the rope. After watching his friend drop-away into the shadows followed by the bone-crushing sound of the impact the desperate climber pulled himself up and perched on the edge of the crevasse calling his friends name over-and-over again without a response and so, reluctantly, he began hiking back to their temporary camp where he planned on replenishing his water and food and various other supplies so that he could either go back to the crevasse or head down the mountain for help ( this was in a time before GPS or cellphones.). To his astonishment, when he reached their camp and threw back the flap of their two-man tent his friend was curled-up inside, cold and battered but alive and his story was this: He didn't remember anything about what had happened to them, all he knew was that he'd felt a tremendous blow and regained consciousness at the bottom of the crevasse, freezing and hungry. Thinking they had both fallen he went looking for his friend and discovered that the crevasse, opposite to the side he'd woke-up on, sloped gently up to the surface and within less than five minutes he was free and discovered the rope, still anchored and hanging into the crevasse! Calling out for his friend and receiving no answer he decided his best bet was to return to their camp, regroup and then figure out his next move. So he started down the mountain and although he was moving slowly due to his injuries he also knew the mountain much better than his friend and so arrived at the tent before his buddy, who had followed their original tracks to find his way and arrived five or ten minutes after the other climber. Here is the saddest part of the story: Although his friend had cut the line and watched him drop into darkness he considered it the best thing his friend could have done, it woke him up and allowed him to find his way out and resulted in them both surviving, he was grateful that the other climber had made the right move and saved them both. On the other-hand, the other man was devastated, he felt that he had taken the coward's way out of the situation and had abandoned his friend to the cold so that he could survive. No matter what the grateful climber said to his buddy his buddy just couldn't look him in the eye without shame and regret eating away at him. When they returned to the world they separated and never associated again, they had both survived but their friendship had died. Sorry for taking up any of your time but I thought you might enjoy the story, all true but also, profoundly sad. Peace.

[@nephimcknight5832]

Those climb rates the gps logged are insane! I think I saw this story on a show called "I Survived" on cable TV years ago. Easily one of the craziest I've heard.

[@eltomas3634]

What an amazing story. I've been paragliding for a number of years, but this incident reminds me of my own personal event in my early days of flying. I had a major structural malfunction and was speeding toward the earth desperately trying to rectify my dire situation. As I passed through about 6000 feet above ground level, I actually met a Polish handyman who was on his way upward from the surface. Upon seeing the man rushing up and away from the ground, I called out to him and begged, "Hey there, would you happen to know anything about paragliding equipment?!?" When the man heard my cry for help, he shook his head and replied "Sorry Sir, I don't know a thing about paragliding. But, hey, can I ask you if you possibly know anything about gas stoves?!?"

[@Bluebutterfly-cf3pg]

Wow this woman is amazing. How on earth did she even survive the powerful winds and storm blasting in her face as that would literally take your breathe away and thats not even mentioning going up 10,000 meters.

[@dgundo]

What an incredible story of survival! Amazing content as always, keep up the great work!

[@johnchedsey1306]

Some of these stories are just examples of incredible people overcoming insane situations. Genuine badass here. I hope she won some sort of world championship, especially since she did something that I'm assuming no one has ever done before.

[@kurtniznik8116]

Well, she was one of the first to SURVIVE going into a T-storm, but she certainly wasn't the first to do it. A Chinese pilot nearby her in the storm was struck and killed by lightning.

[@bobbybanks77]

Dumb people more like it

[@stephenkelly7397]

Very sad, not everyone has a God on there side.

[@carlmorgan8452]

If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us wings

[@YosemiteJ]

This is insane! What a story!

[@SilentThundersnow]

Ahhhh! You never disappoint! Fantastic storytelling. What a great story! Thank you ! 💕

[@tedgaeta]

Very nice video ... Ewa is a brave pilot ! I am glad to know that she lives !

[@SteveSiegelin]

Has anybody else ever been in that fuzzy feeling where you know if you stop your body is going to give up and you are going to die? All you keep doing is running everything that's going on through your head as well as everybody that you care about and you just keep going. You don't know how you made it where you did or even remember what you did 5 seconds ago but your body is so trained to do what you have to that even though your head is ringing and your limbs are numb, your heart is throbbing so hard you can hear it and feel it in your ears and temples, your bladder feels like it's going to explode and you want to just release everything in your body yet you keep yourself going. This girl is amazing for losing consciousness at that altitude for that long of a Time and literally going White but managing to regain herself to a level that she could walk away from this event relatively unscathed! I've been in situations that were comparable but not quite to this level so I know that feeling of near death! It's something you will never forget and will change your perspective on life.

[@johnblyth9787]

I am from Australia and spent some 9 years close to Manilla. I could not imagine the thought of being at that altitude. I am an alcoholic who drank for 17 years. I have my own story of survival every day of those years. So happy she returned to the sport. Also she learned a great lesson. Thinking of you up there in the sky, enjoy your next adventure.

[@buzzbair2]

What a great story. It was well worth the time.

[@outdoordisasters]

Thanks for watching!

[@moonshadowessentialssoapsn5287]

I don’t know why , but I started crying. I hope she won I mean to survive that is incredible and for a woman as small as she is I don’t know how she didn’t die. She has cheated death twice and she went back a third time. I don’t know if she’s crazy, has a death wish, is an adrenaline junkie, or just dedicated to what she loves and just has a passion that burns, what I can say is this woman is literally a force of nature and a wicked bad ass and I mean that with the utmost respect! This was incredibile!

[@Shaolin91z]

Thanks Lord for your salvation Thanks Lord for your peace Thanks Lord for bible study class Thanks Lord for your mercy. Psalm 50

[@sky173]

What a great story. I wonder if anyone mapped out her flight in Google Earth using the GPS concordance. Glad she is OK. Thanks for sharing.

[@joeramsey6211]

This is one truly incredible story.

[@MaryWahlen]

Wow!! That was crazy!! 😮 Thank you so much for another riveting episode!!! Always a treat!! 💖

[@MaryDoyle-xl2ri]

❤❤

[@MaryWahlen]

​@@MaryDoyle-xl2ri🌼💖

[@deepat]

Reminds me of the boat race from Ireland to England in the 90's. Worst storm, perfect time.

[@cnocbui]

Fastnet?

[@Y0uKnoWh0]

What an absolute boss

[@outdoordisasters]

For sure!

[@ronaldgadget]

This video is actually _better than I expected_ after seeing the first 30 seconds...

[@bingdong8571]

she always got the best story in the room forever.

[@maxhugen]

I remember this event, and with friends who lived in Manila, we went to the spot that they launch from. It's really just a hill. It was quite a shock when I first heard how high Ms Wiśnierska was sucked up by that storm cloud.

[@fidiusjwhoopie]

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY FOR THIS OUTCOME, thankfully she prayed to God

[@davexenos9196]

Where is god when children are violated

[@artysanmobile]

Yeah children, you go ahead and play with your sky-fairy. Leave the real world and all its magnificence to us who think, who understand.

[@oldowl4290]

I'm a pilot and the FAA rules state that you can’t spend more than 30 minutes above 10-12,000ft MSL without supplemental oxygen for the pilots. If more than an hour, it also has to be provided for crew and passengers. As the air gets thinner with altitude you get hypoxia and fall asleep. If prolonged, you will eventually die. FAA rules also state above 35,000 feet, one pilot in the cockpit must have an oxygen mask on in case of rapid decompression which can make the pilots, crew, and passengers pass out within 3 to 5 seconds.

[@DanSmithBK]

You’re a pilot, and you think airline pilots are flying around with one of them wearing a mask?! Lol!

[@oldowl4290]

@@DanSmithBK Ok smartass, I'm quoting regulation. I thought that was pretty clear. You might want to take a look at 14 CFR 135.89

[@andyroid5028]

​@@DanSmithBK *Not just a mask... an OXYGEN mask. And only at 35k feet or more. Geez.*

[@CaptainRon1913]

@@andyroid5028 It used to be the case ONLY when one of the pilot's left the cockpit at FL350, and always on at or above FL 410 per FAR Part 91.211. Ultimately it's the pilots discretion which is why almost nobody does it anymore. Automatic Emergency Descent Systems in modern aircraft will automatically descend to MSA if pilots fail to respond to a cautionary alert. This system will even sidestep off-track to avoid traffic conflict. For the explosive decompressions at FL510 (or even rapid, depending on the situation), we know we're pretty much doomed and the mask won't be much help as our internal pressure exceeds what is humanly possible to stay alive. The instant pain will be overwhelming, and hypoxia will be instant, even with a pressure demand mask. If we have an explosive decompression up there, something is seriously, structurally wrong and an O2 mask won't fix that. A gradual decompression is just as deadly (and more probable) because you don't sense it before hypoxia settles in…but the airplane will.

[@lisazinn866]

That's quick!

[@jeffreyknight3884]

What a amazing story and woman. She learned her lesson, always think safety over victory. Beautiful woman too.

[@beckylynn209]

Wow, what a great story! I loved this! Good job Ava!! 🤗

[@Vakthund1]

I flew PG from 94 to 2015. Great sport.

[@cherylfox6765]

WOW! First of all, being sucked up into that updraft would be perilous enough, but climbing to 10,OOO feet, where it was -50° was heart stopping. Then, when her parachute just collapsed, & she was hurling down at G forces, my heart did stop! How did her parachute re-inflate like that? It seems God had a thing or two to do with that. At least she was unconscious for all that! It would have been terrifying! Waking when she did, must have given her strength knowing she could manage this part of gliding to ground. The poor fellow who was struck by lightning probably didn't feel it happen. I'm wondering how his glider managed to get him back down to earth? What an incredible story!

[@outdoordisasters]

I couldn't had said it better. Thank you for watching!

[@zaphod333]

10k meters, not feet. And that God thing has nothing to do with it as it doesn't exist.

[@JosipRadnik1]

Well, I personally would not take the depiction of the parachute "collapsing" and then suddently reopening as face value. Certainly not in the way its shown here. I can imagine ice building up within the chute and folding it partly in a downwind since there often are turbulences within those clouds though. That way it would be plausible that her uncontrolled ascend might have turned into a rapid descent as indicated by the gps data - which is the only evidence we likely have since she was unconcious at the time and there was no camera team around to film her. I've read a similar story of an airforce jet pilot who had to eject at around 30'000 ft when he lost control in a storm. He spent about 2 hours in the cloud being thrown up and down repeated times by a vicious cirlcle of up and downwinds. One must keep in mind that while the air at such hights usually is too cold and to thin to survive 45 minutes (never mind 2 hours), she got trapped in an upwind of air from lower altitudes. That means that she was in a bubble of air that was decisively warmer and richer in oxygen than the air that's normally found at that altitude. So the same physics that put her life in perill ironically also saved her somehow - and since I truly believe that this "God thing" is what defined the laws of physics one can assume that God saved her in a way - after torturing her for a while and unfortunately claiming the life of the other guy. Make of it what you will.

[@reverett0508]

@@zaphod333 Okay, now we know for sure because some random KZbin person said so.

[@zaphod333]

@@reverett0508 No, we know because the vario memory readout told us.😜 But of course you mean the other part. That we know because over millennia there has never been any evidence.

[@kathduncan9618]

Stunning! Thank you. Felt like I was there 😮

[@brucethecurmudgeon8538]

What an amazingly beautiful lady, luck and perseverance allowed her to live and fly another day.

[@pamelaphelan4144]

What a journey and what a miracle‼️👏👍❤️😱😇🤯

[@terrionlacy976]

This story is so inspiring...Where as my family just lost our little Ava...Going to church in an auto accident on this last Easter Sunday. So this felt very comforting and hopeful for me. Appreciate the video.

[@TheCulio]

Crazy that 10 days after her ordeal she still went to participate in the World Paragliding Championships 2007. She came 10th in the women’s category

[@fl3522]

Thank you for the update; I wondered if she had competed and where she might have finished. She finished First in my heart,

[@magicpainthorse]

This may be an unpopular comment, but being a parent who knows first hand the agony of losing a child, it hit me hard when she worried about how her death would affect her parents. Even though they want her to be happy, doing what she loves, it's hard for them to be closer to the reality of what almost happened. And, I know her risk of being in a fatal accident is greater by just driving her car. If she can't at least temporarily give it up for their sake, I'm so glad that she'll at least be more cautious and not take unnecessary risks in this sport.

[@thomaswayneward]

I am sorry for your loss. Nothing worse than losing a child. The pain is unbearable. We concentrated on: for this reason Jesus died on the cross, so we never have to actually die, but are instantly with Jesus. We will see our daughter again some day, in heaven.

[@magicpainthorse]

@thomaswayneward Thank you very much. And I'm a believer, too. I don't know how I ever would have then, or continue to now, live through the loss of my son without the love of Jesus being there for me to lean on. For whatever reason God allowed this to happen, I have to accept it because even if God were to explain the reason for it all to me, I'd still be incapable of understanding, so I just have to trust Him.

[@HowToGetToTheThirdHeaven]

Wow! What an amazing experience you had. Glad you LIVED to tell about it!

[@bozach99]

Astonishing ... so glad Eva survived.. stay safe lady.

[@lanamuir9352]

I am in my cozy warm bed watching this. Call me a coward, but paragliding is now a major no-go for this earth bound woman. Ewa is a woman that I will always hold in a high regard.