Nick Piantanida
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Piantanida was a New Jersey
truck driver
who died after his third attempt to set a record for high-altitude parachute jumping
. On May 5, 1966, during his ascent for a planned super-sonic free fall from over 120,000 feet, Piantanida's face mask
depressurized at about the 57,000 feet mark. The lack of oxygen left him brain damage
d and in a coma
from which he never recovered. Piantanida died four months after the jump at the age of 34.
Piantanida was listed in Guinness World Records
for approximately 11 years, until it was determined that an exact measurement of his free-fall attempt was not possible.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
who died after his third attempt to set a record for high-altitude parachute jumping
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
. On May 5, 1966, during his ascent for a planned super-sonic free fall from over 120,000 feet, Piantanida's face mask
Oxygen mask
An oxygen mask provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover the nose and mouth or the entire face...
depressurized at about the 57,000 feet mark. The lack of oxygen left him brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
d and in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
from which he never recovered. Piantanida died four months after the jump at the age of 34.
Piantanida was listed in Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
for approximately 11 years, until it was determined that an exact measurement of his free-fall attempt was not possible.
External links
- Photos of Nick Piantanida at Life Magazine onlineLife (magazine)Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
.