Lt Colonel William Rankin, an experienced and veteran pilot of both World War II and Korea, was flying his F-8 Crusader on a routine flight with his wing-man Lt. Herbert Nolan. They were avoiding the turbulent weather below at an altitude of 47,000 feet and were just minutes away from the start of their descent when trouble forced Rankin to eject from the plane.
He knew ejecting into the -50°C temperature without a pressure suit at such an altitude would be incredibly discomforting, and quite possibly fatal. The sudden decompression caused his stomach to swell, his ears, nose and mouth to bleed, and the only thing keeping him conscious was his O2 canister attached to his helmet.
As the cockpit hatch blew open, the immense forces involved with ejecting tore his left glove from his hand, leaving it exposed to the brutally cold air. His skin immediately froze resulting in numbness and severe frostbite. He was being suspended by the powerful thunderstorm updraft, much like a hailstone. The updraft filled his parachute like a sail and rocketed him vertically thousands of feet at a velocity of nearly 100 mph.
During his ascent, he could see hail stones forming around him. The rain would pelt him from all directions, and at times was so intense that he had to hold his breath for fear of drowning. He finally landed in a field and found his way to a dirt road where someone finally picked him up and took him to town to call an ambulance.