67-year-old Svetlana Mikhailovna, a spirited Russian retiree and former physics teacher, was touring China when she visited the famous Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge — a stunning structure suspended 300 meters above a forest.

Playfully showing off for her granddaughter over a video call, Svetlana lifted a decorative prop rock and pretended to slam it on the glass floor — part of a photo-op setup meant to simulate cracking.

But this time, the cracking sound was real.

A damaged glass panel, already weakened from recent maintenance, gave way beneath her. She slipped and fell — along with several others — but miraculously, all were caught by a hidden safety net beneath the bridge.

Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.

Officials later admitted the panel should’ve been replaced before reopening. Svetlana, once mocked as “the grandma who broke the bridge,” was soon praised for unintentionally exposing the flaw before a greater disaster could happen.

Her granddaughter put it best:
“Grandma always said physics is something you feel — I guess she really meant it.”