Posted on 10/19/2026 8:03:03 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd
An Air Force member has died from injuries he suffered on Saturday while rappelling from the ceiling of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, as part of a college football pre-game ceremony honoring the Armed Forces and military veterans, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before kickoff between Navy and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
"Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down," witness Adrian Corey, one of more than 23,000 people who attended the game, told ABC San Antonio affiliate station KSAT.
The airman was identified as Sgt. Ian Patterson, assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, a spokesperson for the Nellis Air Force Base, where the airman was stationed, said in a statement. Nellis Air Force Base is located in Nevada.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.com ...
Witnesses said the airman was one of three service members conducting a rappelling demonstration from the Alamodome's ceiling, a drop of about 170 feet.
Very sad. Prayers to his family.
An investigation will reveal what went wrong and will help to minimize these peacetime accidents.
He did it wrong............
It was horrible...there were videos of this happening all over twitter yesterday...the poor guy just rappelled down the rope full speed and hit the ground..
Please elaborate for those of us with lesser expertise.
Thanks.
He was dropping like a rock, uncontrolled and not able to slow himself.........
Could this have occured due to structural attachment failure beyond his control?
I saw a rope go slack also..
Owen Hart
On May 23, 1999, Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event.[7] Hart was in the process of being lowered via harness and grapple line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hart
Equipment failure is a possibility. Sabotage is also a possibility.............
The video I saw showed him only, and I understand there were two or three others to do the same thing. Do you know if he was first, last or in the middle?...............
His family must be devastated.
I find it hard to believe he did something wrong. I am guessing it was a structural issue that hadn’t been identified before.
I remember them tightening a line on the roof of the Illinois State Fairgrounds (70’s) where marines would be riding down. They pulled two hard and a section came off with three guys.
Equipment failure is a possibility. Sabotage is also a possibility.............
+++++++++
How would those things put this person at fault?
Are you going to stand on “he did it wrong?”
Those are just possibilities. I’m sure an investigation, by both local, military federal authorities, will reveal the true cause. Something went wrong somewhere along the line.
Another possibility is suicide, but I doubt that............
Damn ... this sucks.
Rappelling is one of several “REALLY trust your equipment” activities.
I wouldn’t presume to say he did it wrong. But I wonder why the demonstration was necessary.
To: Responsibility2nd
He did it wrong............
3 posted on 10/19/2026, 9:08:06 AM by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies | Report Abuse]
++++++++++++++++
I did not. Another poster Did.
Got a link?
The only video I have seen was taken from far away and you couldn’t make out much..............
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.