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The elite Air Force commando who fell some 170 feet to his death during a college football rope rappelling exhibition disaster Saturday was performing one of the most dangerous stunts possible when tragedy struck, expert say.
Tech Sergeant Ian Patterson of the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas was identified by officials as the airman who plunged from the rafters of the Alamodome during a pregame ceremony at the University of Texas at San Antonio vs. Navy game.
It was unclear exactly what went wrong with the highly decorated 15-year veteran‘s botched rappel in front of tens of thousands of fans, but experts cautioned the stunt was “inherently dangerous,” even after taking every safety precaution.
“There’s always a risk associated with it, no matter how skilled or well trained we are, we have to be so careful, and even then, something could still happen,” Jeremy Smith, 49, lead aviation tactics instructor for Airborne Tactical Training Solutions in Miami, told The Post Monday.
Smith trains law enforcement officers on helicopter fast-rope descents and said multiple preventative manual or mechanical measures would have to be in place for every maneuver — including anti-panic levers, manual hand devices and belayers.
“With rappelling, you’re using a device that’s attached to you to control your descent. I’m not sure what they were using in particular but there are a lot of safety devices out there with multiple backup systems to make sure the rope remains attached to where it needs to be attached,” he said.
Viral videos of the disaster appeared to show Patterson losing control and hurtling down the rope to his death during a demonstration with three other military experts.
As tributes poured in for the Fort Stewart, Georgia native from military leaders and politicians, the Air Force was tight-lipped when it came to the investigation into the airman’s horrific public death.
An Air Force spokesperson told The Post officials were “limited in what can be released.”
Patterson’s father-in-law also declined to comment, saying the family was “not ready” to talk, and his widow did not immediately respond to an interview request.
Smith and his colleague, Chief Instructor Pilot Paul Barth, noted that they had seen rappelling fatalities before.
“It’s inherently dangerous — rappelling or fast roping or any of these things,” Smith said.
“There’s always a risk associated with it, no matter how skilled or well trained we are, we have to be so careful, and even then, something could still happen.”