A member of the US Air Force died after he fell while abseiling from the ceiling of a Texas stadium ahead of a college football game. Footage shows the serviceman plummet feet first to the turf midfield at San Antonio's 170ft (52 metre) high Alamodome on Saturday during a ceremony ahead of the game between the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Naval Academy. The airman, identified, external by the military as Sgt Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor at Joint Base San Antonio, died in hospital.
The incident is being investigated. The game between the UTSA Roadrunners and the Navy Midshipmen continued as planned following the tragic incident. A collegiate athletic association said the decision to press ahead with the fixture was made before the airman's death had been confirmed.
"We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and members of the 57th Wing," the American Conference, external said in a statement. US Air Force Brig Gen Scott Mills said in a statement issued by Nellis Air Force Base: "This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing. "Tech Sgt Patterson and his service mattered immensely to our wing." Patterson, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, had served in the US military for 15 years, according to Nellis Air Force Base.
He held multiple military decorations and was in 2022 named the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year at the Headquarters Air Force level. UTSA president Taylor 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."
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