Deaths on April 13

Patrick de Gayardon

Died on April 13, 1998

Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)

Patrick de Gayardon (French pronunciation: [patʁik də ɡajaʁdɔ̃]; 23 January 1960 in Oullins, Rhône – 13 April 1998 in Hawaii) was a French skydiver, skysurfer and a BASE jumper.

De Gayardon was famous for pushing the boundaries of skydiving. He was one of the first people to develop the unique style of skysurfing, in which skydivers use a snowboard to make aerobatic maneuvers. He also made many famous stunts with his development of a ram-air wingsuit, starting modern-day wingsuiting. In 1998 Patrick fell to his death in Hawaii during a skydive with Adrian Nicholas using the wingsuit while testing a modification to his parachute container; his death is attributed to a rigging error he made while making the modification.

References

Patrick de Gayardon

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Events on 1998

4 May

Unabomber
A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
6 May

Houston Astros
Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.
26 May

Ellis Island
The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
4 Jun

Oklahoma City bombing
Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
5 Jun

General Motors
A strike begins at the General Motors parts factory in Flint, Michigan, that quickly spreads to five other assembly plants. The strike lasts seven weeks.

Deaths on April 13

Patrick de Gayardon

Died on April 13, 1998

References

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Events on 1998

Unabomber

Houston Astros

Ellis Island

Oklahoma City bombing

General Motors