Christie Brinkley reflects on horrifying helicopter crash 25 years later

Christie Brinkley is opening up on the 25th anniversary of a terrifying helicopter crash that made her fear for her life. 

The model, 65, remembered the crash in Colorado's San Juan Mountains on Instagram Monday, sharing a People magazine cover from shortly after the incident. "The helicopter crash that nearly killed Christie Brinkley" text on the cover read. 

"This happened 25 years ago today and not a day goes by that I have not counted my blessing for being alive," wrote Brinkley, who injured her wrist in the crash. 

"I know for a fact that tomorrow is not a guarantee," she continued in her post, "and that each day is a gift and an opportunity to make sure that everybody we love knows it! 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛"

Brinkley at the time of the incident was married to Billy Joel. (They divorced later in 1994.) Their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, now 33, was 8. While Alexa joined her mother for the Telluride vacation, she was not in the helicopter, and Joel was on tour, People reported at the time. 

Brinkley told the magazine in her cover story that the chopper, taken for heli-skiing, "just dropped."

"All of a sudden it was like someone cut the cords to the elevator, like the mountain was sucking us in, zooming into us," she told the outlet. "And I remember thinking, ‘Oh, my God, this is really happening. This is not a movie effect. This is not a special effect.' " 

Brinkley was one of six passengers on board the helicopter that tumbled after attempting to land on a mountain.  

“Just boom, boom, boom, pow!” Brinkley said, describing the crash. “I would look out the window and see sky-mountain-snow, sky-mountain-snow.”

As the helicopter traveled down the mountain, Brinkley thought about her little girl. “All of a sudden I said, ‘Alexa.’ I suddenly thought, ‘I am her mother, and she needs me. I am not going to die. I refuse. I won’t,’ " she recalled. "With each blow I would call out her name. It was just machinery and me—’Alexa!’ Smash! ‘Alexa! ‘Smash!”

Everyone in the helicopter survived. They were saved by rescue helicopters, according to People. 

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