How close have you come to death?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A recurring Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Ray Mears said elsewhere, not written here
In a helicopter crash in Wyoming in 2005. My cameraman broke his back and both legs; the pilot broke his back. The helicopter didn’t catch fire, so I’m still here today.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 September 2016 source ↗

Others on this question

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John Malkovich Actor
When I was an idiot high school student, as opposed to being an idiot adult, I used to drive very fast.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 March 2018 source ↗

Courtney Pine British jazz musician
We were doing a tour in Japan and as our plane landed, it rose again, out of the blue. About 10 years later there was this programme about 10 of the nearest misses, and it was my flight. There was another plane on the runway and we nearly landed on top of it. I didn’t know until 10 years later.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 September 2022 source ↗

Joan Jett American singer, songwriter and guitarist
Right after 9/11, Kenny and I went to perform for the troops in Pakistan and Uzbekistan. As we were flying in, an electronic voice went off: “Warning: missile launch! Warning: missile launch!” The Taliban had fired a rocket at us. I was waiting to see the back of the plane blow up, but it didn’t and we landed.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 November 2020 source ↗

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