Vesna Vulović
Serbian former flight attendant who survived the highest fall without a parachute.
Born January 3rd, 1950 in Belgrade.
Died December 23rd, 2016 at 66 years old in Belgrade.
Vesna Vulović, an early pioneer of aviation, passed away on December 23, 2016, at the age of 66. Vulović was born in 1949 and spent her early career with JAT Yugoslav Airlines (now Air Serbia). On 26th January 1972, she became a part of aviation history when she survived the highest ever recorded fall without a parachute, from an altitude of 10,160 metres when the DC-9 she was a flight attendant on exploded in mid-air. This feat of endurance earned her the Guinness Book of Records and enduring global recognition. Later in life, Vulović dedicated her time to help and guide other surviving victims of the plane crash. She leaves behind a remarkable legacy, and is remembered fondly by fans, family, and aviation lovers.
Let children walk with Nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life. John Muir