A service member died at an area hospital after falling from the rafters of the Alamodome Saturday night during a rappelling demonstration before a UTSA-Navy football game.
The soldier, who belonged to Detachment 2 of the Air Force’s 6th Combat Training Squadron, dove onto the field during the descent of the rope, causing the crowd to gasp. Emergency personnel carried him from the field on a stretcher to an ambulance waiting outside the Alamodome.
The Air Force announced Sunday morning that the man died at a San Antonio hospital. “The incident remains under investigation,” said a spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, home of the training squadron. “More information will be released as it becomes available.” The soldier has not been identified, nor the hospital where he died.
A total of four members of the Air Force detachment were scheduled to rappel onto the field from the rafters of the Alamodome before the pregame coin toss. The game against Navy is UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game.
About halfway down the descent, one of the four accelerated rapidly and crashed to the ground. UTSA personnel formed a semi-circle around the motionless soldier for approximately 10 minutes while medical personnel tended to him.
Bystander smartphone video captured the incident.
The soldier’s condition was not made public when the football game began as scheduled shortly after 7 p.m. The Air Force did not announce his death until hours later. UTSA defeated Navy, 38-34.
As part of their training, they learn to use a “fast rope” from structures 15 to 30 feet high and practice rappelling from helicopters hovering 100 feet or more above the ground.
This video shows staff practicing both skills.
The Air Force squadron’s Detachment 2 operates out of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland’s Chapman Training Annex and Camp Bullis, an Army training reserve in northern Bexar County.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones released a statement Sunday saying she was “deeply saddened” by the soldier’s death. “We will keep his family in our prayers. May perpetual light shine on him,” she said. Jones is an Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and later served as deputy secretary of the Air Force under President Joe Biden.
UTSA said in a statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred early in tonight’s game. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with the affected Soldier, his family and his fellow service members. We recognize that members of our university community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellness services to support our faculty, staff and students.”
UTSA encouraged students needing assistance to contact the University Crisis Hotline at 210-458-4140 or access resources through the TimelyCare app. University campus employees can request assistance through the Employee Assistance Program at 800-451-1834, and UT Health employees can receive assistance through their Employee Assistance Program at 800-356-3549.
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