An Air Force service member fell from the rafters of the Alamodome during a pregame rappelling demonstration Saturday evening, just before UTSA kicked off against Navy. The fall happened just before 7 p.m. as four Air Force service members were set to rappel to the field ahead of the coin toss, and it delayed the start of the game by about 10 minutes while emergency crews responded.
Pregame Tradition Interrupted
The officer was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to an area hospital, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The rappel team belonged to Detachment 2 of the 6th Combat Training Squadron, based at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, the paper reported. Witnesses told WOAI that the military member fell from the ropes before the UTSA-Navy matchup, and the game's commentator told the crowd the person had been rappelling before kickoff to present the colors.
The patient was transported as a priority-one case. It remained unclear how extensive the injuries were at the time WOAI published its story.
Service Member Dies After Fall
According to KSAT, the service member was part of a pregame demonstration alongside three other officers when the fall occurred. An Air Force spokesperson later confirmed that he died from injuries sustained in the fall.
In January, a member of a veteran parachuting group became entangled on an object and fell during a pregame performance at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, according to the Austin American-Statesman. That skydiver was later reported unharmed, with the group telling NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, “Just want to let all our fans and spectators know that the All Veteran Group is 100%, no injuries and we're just happy to be here suporting the Armed Forces Bowl.”
The service member's identity and the nature of his injuries had not been released as of publication.
