Couple Hangs Upside Down For 3 Hrs. In Plane Suspended On Hydro Lines By Single Wheel
Posted August 21, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
You’re looking at an absolutely unbelievable picture of luck and survival. It comes from the town of Durach in southern Germany. And by all rights, the people inside that craft shouldn’t be alive to tell their tale.
But they are.
It happened on Sunday when a 65-year-old man and his 63-year-old wife decided to take their light aircraft out for a spin on a nice summer day. But something went very wrong during the flight when the pilot made an error and the aircraft flipped over in mid-air and became entangled in high voltage lines 65 feet above the ground.
For three agonizing hours it hung there by a single wheel, as fuel poured out and just missed hitting the red hot engine, which would have caused a huge fireball.
There was an estimated 380,000 volts of electricity going through the cables they were suspended on and those inside were forced to sit, wait – and pray – as officials tried to figure out how to rescue them.
Experts were in radio contact with the passengers but as the minutes ticked by, their panic understandably increased. Crews considered using a helicopter to snatch them but there were fears the rotors might cause the plane to fall from its precarious perch.
High winds also added to the danger.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a special crane was brought in to keep the plane in place so workers could cut into the hull and get the duo to safety.
Both were treated for shock after their ordeal but are none the worse for wear – at least physically. “They had a very, very lucky accident,” confirms police spokesman Edmund Martin.
It’s not clear if they plan to go up for another joyride anytime soon.
Photo credit: Klaus Schlosser/DDP/Getty Images
