This hour: two stories of regular old days that started out static and ended up seismic.

Birdy
by Michael O'Kane (Documentary on One, RTE, 2010)
Ewa Wisnierska was an experienced paraglider. She won the world cup in 2005, and a training run for the same competition two years later began as a routine exercise. But on that day, storm clouds moved in quickly and imperceptibly. In mid-flight, Ewa was sucked up into a storm cell that catapulted her higher than Mount Everest and changed her average day into one that was anything but.

Man in the Road
by Nick van der Kolk, Ben Bombard and Rehman Tungekar (Love + Radio, 2011)
Melvin Dummar was driving home from work when he spotted a man lying in the road. He did the man a kind turn by giving him a ride and a little bit of money. It was a decision that would come back to haunt him years later.