William Rankin, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

William Rankin

Survivor of fall through a thunderstorm cloud

Date of Birth: 16-Oct-1920

Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Date of Death: 06-Jul-2009

Profession: writer, military officer, aircraft pilot

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Rankin (October 16, 1920 – July 6, 2009) was the only known person to survive a fall from the top of a cumulonimbus thunderstorm cloud.
He was a pilot in the United States Marine Corps and a World War II and Korean War veteran.
He was flying an F-8 Crusader jet fighter over a cumulonimbus cloud when the engine failed, forcing him to eject and parachute into the cloud.
Lieutenant Colonel Rankin wrote a book about his experience, The Man Who Rode the Thunder.