16-07-2025
7NEWS Spotlight: Avalon Airshow pilot's miracle story of survival
It was the moment that stunned a 40,0000-strong crowd.
Veteran stunt pilot Glenn Collins was performing a manoeuvre he had flown hundreds of times before – a triple avalanche – when something went catastrophically wrong.
His plane slamming into the ground at nearly 300km/hr.
Emergency crews raced in and somehow against all odds, he survived.
On assignment for 7NEWS Spotligh t, this Sunday at 8.20pm on Seven and 7plus 7NEWS reporter Kristy Mayr takes us inside the cockpit, with never-before-seen GoPro footage capturing every heart-stopping second, and the extraordinary rescue that followed.
Speaking exclusively to 7NEWS Spotlight, Glenn recalls the crash that nearly claimed his life and his extraordinary journey back from the brink.
'I should have realised I didn't have enough altitude ... I should have known', Glenn said.
We also hear from Glenn's wife Tracey Collins, his fellow Sky Aces, and the pyro team who raced to pull him from the wreckage, as fuel gushed into the cockpit.
'We need to get him out before it bursts into flames,' said Phil Ferguson, one of the first responders.
'This is not just a survival story. It's a story of grit, love and the razor-thin line between life and death. Watching the footage from inside the cockpit reveals just how terrifying it was for him to confront his fate,' Mayr said.
