A member of the U.S. Air Force was injured and later died after he fell while rappelling from the ceiling of the Alamodome stadium in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, ahead of a University of Texas at San Antonio football game.
The incident took place during a pregame ceremony, before the official kickoff of UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game against Navy, CBS affiliate KENS reported. The service member landed near the middle of the field after falling, a KENS photographer said.
Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs issued a statement saying that the service member — identified as Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas — was injured at the stadium and died at a local hospital. CBS News has reached out to Nellis AFB for additional comment.
Originally from Fort Stewart, Georgia, Patterson had served in the Air Force for 15 years, the base said Sunday night.
“This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” Brig. Gen. Scott C. Mills, 57th Wing commander, said in a statement Sunday night. “Tech. Sgt. Patterson and his service mattered immensely to our wing, and to the family, friends, and teammates who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. Our team is now focused on standing beside Ian’s family, loved ones, and fellow Airmen as we navigate this profound loss together.” Â
Patterson was one of four military service members who were scheduled to participate in a rappelling demonstration before Saturday’s game. According to an Air Force website, they were part of a team of specialists who embed with Army and Marine units and help to direct air and artillery strikes from forward ground locations.
Part of their training includes learning to rapidly drop by rope, sometimes from helicopters that are 100 feet or more above the ground.
A video of the fall that was posted on social media showed Patterson, in combat fatigues, quickly descending to the ground feet first. The fall occurred with fans in the stands and a band assembled nearby on the field. He was treated on the field for several minutes and taken away on a gurney.
The incident is under investigation.
The game between the UTSA Roadrunners and the Navy Midshipmen still took place on Saturday. The American Conference said in a statement Sunday night that the decision to play the game was made before the airman’s death had been confirmed.
“In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game,” the statement read in part. “Respect for the family’s privacy and adherence to the military’s notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member’s medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.”
The conference also noted it was “heartbroken” about the death and said, “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and members of the 57th Wing who had the privilege of serving with him. We honor his service and join the military community in mourning his loss.”
After the game, the university issued a statement saying it was “deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game.”
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues,” the statement said. “We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students.”
Taylor Eighmy, the university’s president, also spoke out in the wake of the accident.
“What was intended to be a day of camaraderie, tradition and celebration has been marked by profound sadness,” Eighmy said. “I want to extend my deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to the service member’s family, his fellow airmen, squadron and all those whose lives have been touched by this heartbreaking tragedy.”
In a separate statement, Lisa Campos, the vice president for intercollegiate athletics at UT San Antonio, added: “Moments like these remind us that we are all part of something much greater than a game.”
After the game, which UTSA won 38-34, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor told reporters that the accident was “heartbreaking” and “tragic.”
He said the team could see the effect that it had on the crowd of over 23,000 people as soon as players arrived on the field for the game, although Traylor had only been told there had been an “incident” that would delay the start of the game by about 10 minutes.
“You could tell the energy was just gone,” he said. “It just really puts things in perspective. It really does.”
