Posted on 07/18/2025 8:29:47 AM PDT by fwdude
Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who made a record-breaking parachute jump from the stratosphere in 2012, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy, a local mayor confirmed. Firefighters who responded to the scene said they found a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio, on central Italy's eastern coast.
"Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight," the town's Mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said on Facebook.
Baumgartner, 56, made global headlines in 2012 when he was lifted into the stratosphere, about 24 miles up, in a capsule carried by a helium balloon, and then parachuted down to a landing in New Mexico. During the jump, he broke the record for fastest free fall, descending at about 843.6 mph and becoming the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
>a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool
So the pool was empty or?
i watched the video of his space dive this morning- again...man that was sick....still don’t understand how the balloon didn’t burn up going through the atmosphere and he didn’t burn up dropping through the atmosphere...
Not too smart. Remember Carl Wallenda?
While Baumgartner’s stunts inspired millions, his political views were known to cause controversy. On social media, he mocked climate activists and others who sought to limit the effects of climate change, and voiced opposition to LGBTQ rights, according to the AFP news agency. He also once suggested Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán should receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-immigration policies.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4329247/posts
>Not too smart. Remember Carl Wallenda?
I’m guessing that he had engine trouble and tried to crash into a pool but found that was empty too late.
One line of speculation is he had a heart attack and was dead before he crashed.
That’s the thing about luck, it runs out.
The world is trying to kill you, don’t give it any help.
He was wearing what they call "a space suit."
The para-glider will land with no problems with the engine out. I suspect a medical emergency.
interesting....never heard of it....
That’s weird. I did a site search on his name and came up with nothing.
So are Wham-O toys.
darwin award
what could go wrong?
😂
His bio does not include children so it looks like you are spot on with that.
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