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Man Survived 22,000-Foot Fall Out of Bomber
Albuquerque Journal
| 2/3/04
| Paul Logan
Posted on 02/03/2004 8:54:26 PM PST by woofie
click here to read article
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1
posted on
02/03/2004 8:54:27 PM PST
by
woofie
To: woofie
bump
2
posted on
02/03/2004 9:14:01 PM PST
by
woofie
To: woofie
3
posted on
02/03/2004 9:24:02 PM PST
by
glegakis
To: woofie
bump
To: woofie
I recall a similar story I read in elementary school in the sixties. The story I recall had the B-17 crew member leaping out after finding the chutes on fire and decided it better to fall to his death rather than burn. His boots were ablaze when he jumped and he blacked out after leaving the plane. After falling about 13000 ft I believe, he fell through pine trees and landed in deep snow on a steep slope and slid to a stop. His only injuries were burned feet. He blew his whistle and was shortly captured by the Germans, who disbelieved his story. After finding the wreckage, and extrapolating the flight path, he became somewhat of a celebrity with the Germans. Does anyone recall this? is it the same guy, or a different story altogether?
5
posted on
02/03/2004 9:25:44 PM PST
by
Boiling point
(Too well informed to be a democrat)
To: longtermmemmory
This is truly amazing
6
posted on
02/03/2004 9:27:00 PM PST
by
woofie
To: woofie
I vaguely remember reading about this before but I still find it hard to believe a man could fall 22,000 feet without a parachute and survive. A glass skylight "breaking" his fall? C'mon.
7
posted on
02/03/2004 9:28:41 PM PST
by
SamAdams76
(I got my 401(k) statement - Up 28.02% in 2003 - Thanks to tax cuts and the Bush recovery)
To: woofie
Memo to the 82nd and 101st: Think we just found a cost savings for ya.
To: SamAdams76
Does anyone want to estimate his air speed?
9
posted on
02/03/2004 9:30:03 PM PST
by
woofie
To: SamAdams76
I knew a Navy chief who fell 4 stories onto a stone courtyard, and his fall was broken by a large cactus plant. Broken pelvis among his many breaks, but he lived.
10
posted on
02/03/2004 9:33:16 PM PST
by
Travis McGee
(www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
To: Travis McGee
OK, but four stories is what, maybe 40-50 feet at most? We are talking 22,000 feet here. That's over four miles of falling. I just don't buy it.
11
posted on
02/03/2004 9:37:06 PM PST
by
SamAdams76
(I got my 401(k) statement - Up 28.02% in 2003 - Thanks to tax cuts and the Bush recovery)
To: woofie
what a story. Thanks for the post.
Thought you might like to see this. There's a great photo there too.
http://www.303rdbga.com/c-360-adams.html ADAMS CREW - 360th BS
B-17F Garbage #41-24563 (PU-H)
(original crew assigned 360BS: 26 July 1942 - photo: 14 Oct 1942)
12
posted on
02/03/2004 9:38:01 PM PST
by
amom
To: woofie
A remarkable story.
13
posted on
02/03/2004 9:41:06 PM PST
by
A CA Guy
(God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
To: woofie; snippy_about_it
HOLY SMOKE!!! It just wasn't his time.
14
posted on
02/03/2004 9:41:11 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Elevators smell different to midgets.)
To: SamAdams76; Squantos
Terminal velocity is the same whether you fall from 2,000 feet or 22,000. People have jumped from skyscrapers and landed on car roofs and lived. You just need that little cushion, whether it's a snow bank, hay stack, auto roof, awning, cactus plant or a skylight.
15
posted on
02/03/2004 9:42:06 PM PST
by
Travis McGee
(www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
To: woofie
Does anyone want to estimate his air speed? About 120 mph, plus or minus a few, depending on how baggy his flight suit was.
16
posted on
02/03/2004 9:42:40 PM PST
by
meadsjn
To: Boiling point
I remember a similar story. A tail gunner who fell out of a damaged airplane and fell head first (he could see the stars through his feet) and landed in trees and snow. The Germans believed his story when they realized his parachute harness had not been used.
That's the version I remember.
17
posted on
02/03/2004 9:43:11 PM PST
by
Taylor42
To: SamAdams76
Terminal velocity for a falling human body is around 120 MPH, faster if you are falling head first perpendicular to the ground. Since he was passed out, he probably curled into a ball back first for the fall. It pretty much doesn't matter once you get above about 300 feet, you will be at terminal velocity when you hit the ground.
Strange things do happen. I wouldn't want to make that trip though.
18
posted on
02/03/2004 9:43:28 PM PST
by
spodefly
(This is my tagline. There are many like it, but this one is mine.)
To: woofie
From Guinness:
Highest fall survived without parachute
Who: Vesna Vulovic
When: January 26th, 1972
Where: Somewhere over the Czech Republic
What: 33,330 ft.
Vesna Vulovic, a flight attendant from Yugoslavia, survived a fall from 10,160 m. (33,330 ft.) when the DC-9 in which she was traveling blew up over Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), on January 26, 1972. No other passengers survived. It is believed the plane crashed after the detonation of a bomb planted by Croatian terrorists in the forward cargo hold. Vesna Vulovic fell 10,160 m. (33,330 ft.) - breaking both legs and becoming paralyzed from the waist down.
19
posted on
02/03/2004 9:45:31 PM PST
by
jordan8
To: Travis McGee
Or a fat girl on yer tandem rig.....That's good for a dead cat bounce at least once !
20
posted on
02/03/2004 9:45:47 PM PST
by
Squantos
(Salmon...the other pink meat !)
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