{"id":7036875,"date":"2026-07-24T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/william-rankin-fell-through-thunderstorm-1959\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T10:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T08:01:17","slug":"william-rankin-sturzte-1959-in-ein-gewitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/william-rankin-fell-through-thunderstorm-1959\/","title":{"rendered":"Der Mann, der durch ein Gewitter fiel"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<p>Am Nachmittag des 26. Juli 1959 befand sich Oberstleutnant William Rankin vom Marine Corps in 47.000 Fu\u00df H\u00f6he, als der einzige Motor seines Jagdflugzeugs mit einem knirschenden Ger\u00e4usch ausfiel. Er griff nach oben, bet\u00e4tigte die Ausstiegsgriffe und schleuderte sich aus dem Cockpit in die fast sechzig Grad unter Null Grad kalte Luft \u2013 ohne Druckanzug und mit einem direkt unter ihm tobenden Gewitter.<\/p>\r\n<p>Was dann geschah, machte ihn zu dem einzigen Menschen, von dem bekannt ist, dass er einen Sturz durch ein Gewitter \u00fcberlebt hat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><h3 style=\"padding-top:0;margin-top:0\">Kurzinfo<\/h3><ul style=\"margin:0;line-height:1.8\"><li><strong>Pilot:<\/strong> Oberstleutnant William H. Rankin, US Marine Corps<\/li><li><strong>Datum:<\/strong> 26. Juli 1959<\/li><li><strong>Flugzeug:<\/strong> Vought F-8 Crusader (einmotoriges Jagdflugzeug)<\/li><li><strong>Aussto\u00dfh\u00f6he:<\/strong> Etwa 47.000 Fu\u00df, ohne Druckanzug<\/li><li><strong>Zeit im Sturm:<\/strong> Etwa 40 Minuten \u2013 ein normaler Abstieg dauert unter 10 Minuten.<\/li><li><strong>Gelandet:<\/strong> In B\u00e4umen in der N\u00e4he von Ahoskie, North Carolina<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LfcbYMVK5k0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Aus dem Cockpit in 47.000 Fu\u00df H\u00f6he<\/h2>\r\n<p>Rankin f\u00fchrte ein Duo an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/de\/flugzeug\/f-8-crusader\/\">F-8 Crusaders<\/a> Entlang der K\u00fcste von North Carolina, \u00fcber eine Cumulonimbuswand, fiel der Motor aus. In dieser H\u00f6he ist der Ausstieg ohne Druckanzug ein Notfall f\u00fcr sich. Im selben Moment, als er in die minus 58 Grad kalte Luft eintrat, versagte sein K\u00f6rper: Die Dekompression lie\u00df seinen Magen anschwellen und verursachte Blutungen aus Ohren, Nase und Mund. Sein linker Handschuh wurde abgerissen, und seine blo\u00dfe Hand erstarrte.<\/p>\r\n<p>Er st\u00fcrzte ab. Sein Fallschirm war so eingestellt, dass er sich tief \u00f6ffnete, aber die heftigen Druckschwankungen im Inneren des Sturms l\u00f6sten die barometrische Ausl\u00f6sung viel zu fr\u00fch aus \u2013 und anstatt nach unten zu treiben, wurde Rankin vom Sturm erfasst.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=165806797  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/f-8-crusader-in-flight.jpg\" alt=\"Vought F-8 Crusader im Flug\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Eine Vought F-8 Crusader. Rankins Maschine hatte nur ein Triebwerk \u2013 als dieses ausfiel, gab es kein zweites, um ihn nach Hause zu bringen. Foto der US Navy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Auf dem Donner reiten<\/h2>\r\n<p>Ein heftiger Aufwind f\u00fcllte seinen Fallschirm und schleuderte ihn mit fast 160 km\/h Tausende Meter nach oben. Hagelk\u00f6rner wirbelten um ihn herum. Ein Blitz zuckte so nah, dass er den Fallschirm wie eine Blitzbirne erleuchtete und ihn einen Moment lang glauben lie\u00df, er sei tot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>\u201cBlaue Klingen, mehrere Meter dick.\u201d<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Oberstleutnant William Rankin<\/strong> \u2014 und beschrieb dabei die Blitze um sich herum.<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p>Der Donner war nicht zu h\u00f6ren, er traf ihn wie ein Schlag. Dann setzte der Regen ein \u2013 so dicht, dass er aus allen Richtungen gleichzeitig herabprasselte.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>\u201cManchmal war der Regen so heftig, dass er aus Angst zu ertrinken die Luft anhalten musste.\u201d<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Aus Rankins Bericht<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cDer Mann, der den Donner ritt\u201d<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img data-opt-id=86760666  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/thunderstorm-lightning.jpg\" alt=\"Blitze innerhalb eines Gewitters\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">In einem ausgewachsenen Gewitter k\u00f6nnen Auf- und Abwinde Geschwindigkeiten von \u00fcber 160 km\/h erreichen. Rankin wurde 40 Minuten lang von ihnen hin und her geschleudert. CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<p>Auf jeden Aufwind folgte ein Abwind, der seinen Fallschirm wie eine nasse Decke zusammenfaltete und ihn in den freien Fall riss. Doch wie durch ein Wunder blies sich der Schirm immer wieder auf. Der Sturm wirbelte ihn etwa vierzig Minuten lang auf und ab \u2013 ein Fall, der eigentlich weniger als zehn Minuten h\u00e4tte dauern sollen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ebgDbB8PdJU\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Unten in Ahoskie<\/h2>\r\n<p>Schlie\u00dflich spuckte ihn der Sturm aus. Er st\u00fcrzte, zerschlagen, mit Erfrierungen und blutend, durch die B\u00e4ume nahe der kleinen Stadt Ahoskie in North Carolina und taumelte zu einer Stra\u00dfe. Ein vorbeifahrender Autofahrer hielt an, sah ihn kurz an und fuhr ihn zu einem Dorfladen, um einen Krankenwagen zu rufen.<\/p>\r\n<p>Rankin erholte sich von den Erfrierungen, den Striemen und der Dekompression und nahm seine Flugkarriere wieder auf. Er schrieb ein Buch \u00fcber diesen Tag., <em>Der Mann, der auf dem Donner ritt<\/em>, und lebte bis 2009. Es ist kein anderer Fall bekannt, der vor oder nach ihm einen Sturz durch das Innere einer Gewitterwolke \u00fcberlebt hat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/24Qrjvct3yU\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p><em>Quellen: William Rankin, \u201cThe Man Who Rode the Thunder\u201d; Task &amp; Purpose; Damn Interesting; kottke.org; Wikipedia.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">\u00c4hnliche Beitr\u00e4ge<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/harold-harris-first-emergency-parachute-jump-1922\/\">Der erste Mensch, der durch einen Fallschirm gerettet wurde<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/how-ejection-seats-work-martin-baker-sequence-physics\/\">Wie Schleudersitze tats\u00e4chlich funktionieren<\/a><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the afternoon of 26 July 1959, Marine Lt. Col. William Rankin was cruising at 47,000 feet when his fighter&rsquo;s single engine died with a grinding shudder. He reached up, pulled the ejection handles, and blew himself out of the cockpit into air nearly sixty degrees below zero &mdash; with no pressure suit and a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7036793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7036875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>William Rankin: The Man Who Fell Through a Thunderstorm<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 1959, Marine pilot William Rankin ejected at 47,000 feet into a thunderstorm and was thrown up and down for 40 minutes &mdash; and survived.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/william-rankin-fell-through-thunderstorm-1959\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"William Rankin: The Man Who Fell Through a Thunderstorm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1959, Marine pilot William Rankin ejected at 47,000 feet into a thunderstorm and was thrown up and down for 40 minutes &mdash; 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