Moments Captured on Film Right Before Tragedy

31. The 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team Boarding Their Last Flight

In 1961, all 18 of the members of the U.S. figure skating team, along with their coaches and family members, boarded their last flight. They were going to Brussels to compete in the World Figure Skating Championships. 

During the flight, the pilot lost control of the plane and it plummeted, killing the entire U.S. figure skating team and everyone aboard. It was such a devasting event for the sport that the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships were canceled out of respect for the U.S. team and their family members. 

32. Visualizing Her Death

On January 16, 2014, Heather Price Papayoti was walking along the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, contemplating the ultimate choice. A bystander snapped this photo, not suspecting what was going through the blonde woman’s mind. Heather is seen contemplating her death at this very moment with no one suspecting it around her. 

Moments after the bystander took the shot, Papayoti took her life, jumping over the railing. She died instantly. The image depicts a visible sadness that in hindsight, could have saved her life had someone observed her more closely.   

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