One of the world’s top alpine skiers was nearly crushed by a drone during a race today — yes, you read that right.

Marcel Hirscher, a four-time World Cup champion, was racing down the mountain during a World Cup event in Italy on Tuesday when a TV operator lost control of a drone. As it pummeled into the ground, the device came just inches away from smashing Hirscher.

Hirscher told the Associated Press that “this can never happen again.” His tone was a bit more playful on Instagram:

Heavy air traffic in Italy ? #crazy #drone #crash #luckyme

A photo posted by Marcel Hirscher (@marcel__hirscher) on

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