Airman dies after fall before Texas college football game

A U.S. Air Force instructor died after falling during a rappelling demonstration before a college football game at San Antonio’s Alamodome on Saturday, the military said. The game between the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Naval Academy went ahead after a brief delay, while an investigation into the fall began.

The airman was Tech Sgt Ian Patterson, a tactical air control party instructor at Joint Base San Antonio. Video showed him descending rapidly from the stadium’s rafters and landing feet first near midfield as fans watched and a band stood nearby. He was treated at the stadium and died at a hospital. The BBC reported that the Alamodome’s ceiling is 170 feet (52 metres) high.

Patterson, who was from Fort Stewart, Georgia, had served in the military for 15 years. The Air Force said he was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2. He was named the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year at the Headquarters Air Force level in 2022.

“This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” Brig Gen Scott C Mills, the wing’s commander, said in a statement. “Tech Sgt Patterson and his service mattered immensely to our wing.” Mills said the Air Force was focused on supporting Patterson’s family, loved ones and fellow service members.

According to The Guardian, Patterson was one of four military personnel scheduled to take part in the demonstration at UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game. The Guardian reported that the participants belonged to a team of specialists who work with Army and Marine units to direct air and artillery strikes from forward positions. Their training includes rapid descents by rope.

The start of the game was delayed by about 10 minutes, The Guardian reported. UTSA went on to beat Navy 38-34. The American Athletic Conference said the decision to proceed was made before Patterson’s death had been confirmed. It said continuing the game while his condition was unknown was intended “to mitigate speculation about [Patterson’s] medical status” and avoid “additional distress” for his family. The conference also cited respect for the family’s privacy and the military’s process for notifying next of kin.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and members of the 57th Wing,” the conference said.

UTSA president Taylor Eighmy offered his “deepest and most heartfelt sympathies” to Patterson’s family, fellow airmen and squadron. The university also provided students with counseling contacts after the game, The Guardian reported.

UTSA coach Jeff Traylor called the accident “heartbreaking” and “tragic.” He told reporters he had initially been informed only that an incident would delay the game, but said the effect on the crowd of more than 23,000 was clear when the players arrived. “You could tell the energy was just gone,” he said. “It just really puts things in perspective. It really does.”