Small plane parachutes to ground after wings ripped off midair

A quick-thinking pilot saved his own life and that of his passenger when he landed his plane with a parachute - after its wings were torn off midair.

The pilot reportedly got into difficulty while flying his Pipistrel Virus light aircraft through a cloud bank, which somehow caused its wings being ripped off.

See also: Passengers escape plane crash after pilot deploys inbuilt parachute

See also: Man jumps from plane without a parachute

Putting his experience to good use, the 54-year-old Austrian deployed a parachute that carried the plane safely to the ground in Bovec, Slovenia.

Crowds watched in awe as the scene unfolded in front of them.

The Daily Mail reports that the pilot had been travelling from Venice to Austria when the incident occurred.

According to Detroit Newstime, an air accident official told local media in Slovenia: "By trying to get out of the cloud the aeroplane picked up too much speed, and that put too much pressure on the structure.

"As a result the wings were simply ripped off."

It's not the first time we've seen a plane avoid disaster with the use of a parachute.

Back in 2014, a light plane that experienced engine trouble over Australia's Blue Mountains crash landed to safety with the help of a parachute.

The pilot of the Cirrus aircraft deployed the parachute and the plane drifted down into the front garden of a house.

ITV News reports that the three people on board escaped unharmed thanks to the inbuilt parachute.

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