Four Air Force members climbed into the rafters of the Alamodome on Saturday to perform a rope descent honoring the nation’s military.
One of them died after the drop, turning a pregame tribute in San Antonio, Texas, into a life-or-death emergency minutes before kickoff.
Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member suffered injuries at the stadium and later died at a local hospital.
The Air Force has not released the person’s name.
The service member was assigned to Detachment 2 of the 6th Combat Training Squadron. The incident remains under investigation.
The University of Texas at San Antonio staged the display as part of its annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game, with Navy visiting as the opponent.
Organizers scheduled the four unit members to rappel from the rafters to the field about 15 minutes before the scheduled kickoff.
The detachment trains tactical air controllers. Its members work from Joint Base San Antonio locations, including Camp Bullis.
ESPN reported that one of the four participants appeared to lose control roughly halfway through the descent.
According to the network’s account, the person then slid down the remainder of the rope at a high rate of speed.
The service member hit the ground hard and then appeared motionless, ESPN reported.
Medical personnel reached the field immediately. They placed the service member on a stretcher and carried the person out of the stadium.
The San Antonio Fire Department confirmed it transported the patient as a Priority 1 case. That designation indicates a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate attention.
The sequence unfolded quickly.
The descent was set for about 15 minutes before kickoff, the loss of control came midway down the rope, and medical teams arrived at once.
The patient left the stadium as a Priority 1 case, and officials pushed back the start of the game by roughly 10 minutes.
UTSA then released a statement addressing the incident:
“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. 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 university said.
The statement extended the university’s thoughts to the service member’s family and military colleagues.
It also said UTSA was activating wellbeing services for faculty, staff and students.
The American Conference issued its own statement on the pregame incident. The league said it was deeply saddened by what happened before the game.
The conference said it had consulted with the participating institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities and others. It also offered support resources.
Public Affairs officials at Nellis Air Force Base have released limited details so far.
They identified the service member’s unit, confirmed the injury at the stadium and reported the death at a local hospital. They have not released the person’s identity.
The unit sent four members to take part in the demonstration. ESPN’s account centered on the one participant who appeared to lose control of the rope.
The investigation into the fall continues. The statements from UTSA and the American Conference did not address a cause.
