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Translation of Dragan Curcic Article

From Glas-Javnosti
Translation courtesy of Andrija Pesic

Member of the 63rd paratroop brigade of the Yugoslav Army luckily stays alive

Survives a fall from 1,000 meters!

With a tangled parachute, Dragan Curcic fell through the roof of a military building at the airport and survived with only minor bruises.

NIS-Dragan Curcic Cure, member of the Yugoslav Army's 63rd paratroop brigade survived a drop from an altitude of 1,000 meters after his training jump. According to the unofficial information, Curcic's main parachute failed to open so he tried to open his reserve.

At that moment, both parachutes opened and their ropes tangled, so he was dropping only with some irregular and small pieces of cloth. He was fluttering through the air like a sheet of paper and finally flew through the roof of a building at the military airport, claim some eyewitnesses of this accident. They add that "only God himself saved Curcic from certain death"!

"A miracle happened! Nobody at the airport can understand (or explain) how our colleague is still alive and unhurt, after this kind of problem. After all analysis about the cause of the malfunctioning parachute, we cannot explain this lucky circumstance" said, not even trying to hide their pleasure, anonymous airport workers.

They add that Curcic was the Yugoslav vice-champion last year and that he had about 3,000 jumps until that day.

Curcic, who is about 40, jumped again yesterday and claimed to his friends that it was the first jump in his life.

Sidebar:
Gremlins in the parachute: Some paratroopers of the 63rd Paratroop Brigade in Nis figuratively say that these cases happen once in a million jumps. They call it a case of "gremlins" entering the parachute.