A US airman died after falling 150ft to the ground during a pre-game rappelling display before the UTSA and Navy football game in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday.
Four officers from the 6th Combat Training Squadron were scheduled to rappel from the roof of the Alamodome before the 'Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans' game. One of the participating Air Force commando officers descended at an uncontrolled speed and struck the ground with fatal force.
Incident at the Alamodome
Footage of the incident showed officials sprinting towards the scene, with the stricken officer lying motionless on the field. The service member was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries. The officer's identity has not yet been released.
"The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available," said a spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
Reactions and eyewitness account
UTSA issued a statement saying: "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight's game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues. We recognise 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."
Eyewitness Adrian Corey told KSAT that the Alamodome fell into a stunned silence. "Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down and started coming down fast," Corey said. "Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent."
Game goes ahead after delay
The fixture between UTSA and Navy was pushed back by 10 minutes before taking place as scheduled, with the airman's death not yet announced at that time. Navy raced into a 14-0 lead, but UTSA responded with three consecutive touchdowns in the second quarter. The fourth quarter produced four lead changes and four touchdowns, with UTSA holding firm to secure a 38-34 victory, taking their record to 6-1 on the season.
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor told the San Antonio Express-News that the events preceding kick-off were "heartbreaking". He said: "What I heard that happened is heartbreaking, but I want to give the family time. They're in our prayers. It's tragic." Traylor added that he had been unaware of what had occurred, knowing only that "there had been an incident".
