Nick Piantanida

Nicholas Piantanida (August 15, 1932 - August 29, 1966) 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,^[1] 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.^[2] The lack of oxygen left him brain damaged and in a coma from which he never recovered. Piantanida died four months after the jump at the age of 34.^[3]

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.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "Smithsonian Books". Smithsonian Books. http://www.smithsonianbooks.com/usersection/BookDetails.aspx?bid=123. Retrieved 2010-04-14. 
2. ^ "Magnificent Failure: Free Fall From the Edge of Space". Smithsonian Books. http://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Failure-Free-Fall-Space/dp/1588341410. Retrieved 2010-07-20. 
3. ^ Dive Hard, The Globe and Mail, May 25, 2008

External links

• Photos of Nick Piantanida at Life Magazine online.

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Name	Piantanida, Nick
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Date of death	August 29, 1966
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