Air Force commando crashes to ground while rappelling from 170-foot ceiling at UTSA game
An Air Force commando fell dozens of feet in front of tens of thousands of horrified football fans while rappelling from the rafters before the University of Texas-San Antonio football game Saturday.
The unnamed airman slammed into the turf at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, during a pregame military demonstration at the “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game against Navy.
Video shared on social media captured the terrifying fall as the service member lost control and slipped down the line during a fast-rope demonstration involving four military servicemen — while fans could be heard screaming in the background.
Medical officials rushed onto the field and treated the airman for about 10 minutes as UTSA staff members formed a semicircle around him before he was taken away on a stretcher, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
The airman was taken the local hospital in critical condition. His condition was not immediately clear on Sunday.
“Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,” Adrian Corey, who witnessed the fall, told KSAT.
The Post has reached out to the Air Force and the San Antonio Police Department.
The demonstration had been scheduled as part of the pregame coin toss. The game was delayed about 10 minutes following the accident.
The four service members participating in the stunt belonged to Detachment 2 of the Air Force’s 6th Combat Training Squadron based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The unit trains air combat controllers, including in rappelling techniques used to descend from helicopters at heights exceeding 100 feet.
The UTSA Roadrunners have played in the Alamodome, which is owned by the City of San Antonio, since their inaugural season in 2011. The stadium’s ceiling is roughly 170 feet.
A crowd of 23,297 filled the Alamodome for Saturday’s game.
UTSA officials earlier expressed concern for the airman and those who witnessed the fall.
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues,” a university spokesperson told the outlet.
“We recognize 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.”
The American Conference, which organizes the game, also said it was coordinating with local authorities.
“The American Conference is deeply saddened by tonight’s pregame incident in at the Alamodome. Our thoughts are with the individual involved, their family and colleagues, and everyone who witnessed or was affected by it,” a spokesperson said in a statement posted on X.
“We consulted with representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities and a working group to review the information available.”
“We respect the family’s privacy and will coordinate any further updates with the appropriate authorities. We are also working with our member institutions to help connect those affected with available support resources,” the statement added.
