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Horrified fans and performers fell completely silent after they witnessed an Air Force commando fatally plunge from 170-foot rafters at a University of Texas at San Antonio football game, according to reports.
The unidentified airman slipped while rappelling from the Alamodome roof during a fast-rope demonstration involving four military personnel before the school’s “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game against Navy.
The terrifying fall shocked tens of thousands of fans across the football field and caused the performing band to suddenly go hush as UTSA staff rushed to his aid, witnesses told KSAT.
“Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down,” witness Adrian Corey told the outlet. “And started coming down fast.”
“Everyone was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,” Corey said.
The service member — who was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2 — received medical care on the field for 10 minutes before being pulled off on a stretcher, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The Air Force commando was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
The four members who participated in the stunt, scheduled as part of the pregame coin toss, train as air combat controllers and are skilled in rappelling techniques used to descend from helicopters at heights exceeding 100 feet.
The Alamodome, owned by the City of San Antonio, has a ceiling roughly 170 feet tall.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of an Air Force service member following an unfortunate accident at Saturday’s UTSA-Navy football game,” San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said in a statement on social media.
“We will keep his family in our prayers. May perpetual light shine upon him.”
The American Conference also posted a statement on X, saying they’re “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“We consulted with representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities and a working group to review the information available,” the conference wrote on Saturday.