The U.S. airman who died after a rapid fall while rappelling from the rafters of a stadium before a college football game in Texas was a 15-year service member from Georgia, according to the Air Force.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson died after being taken to a hospital following Saturday’s fall at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Nellis Air Force Base said in a statement. He had been rappelling toward the ground when spectators watched him plunge to the field before Navy’s game against University of Texas at San Antonio.
The military says an investigation is underway. The demonstration was part of a pregame program for the crowd during the annual “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game in San Antonio.
“This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott C. Mills, 57th Wing commander, said in a statement.
Patterson was a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, and served for 15 years, according to the military. He was from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and had numerous decorations and commendations.