An Air Force service member has died from injuries suffered when he fell more than 150 feet from the rafters of the Alamodome in a horrifying pregame accident on Saturday night, Air Force officials have confirmed. 

The man has yet to be identified publicly. He was one of four service members repelling from the ceiling ahead of the Navy-University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) football game when he slipped down the rope and slammed into the turf at tremendous speed.

News of the individual’s death was first reported by Task and Purpose, an online publication that focuses on military affairs. The deceased Airman was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, a unit that trains tactical air controllers and operates from multiple bases in Texas. 

Clips filmed from multiple angles showed the soldier hitting the ground as thousands of onlookers were left stunned in San Antonio. Alamodome medics quickly rushed to the fallen Airman’s aid.

He was carted off the field and rushed to a local hospital, according to initial reports from the San Antonio Express-News.

‘Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,’ witness Adrian Corey told KSAT.

Video captured by San Antonio resident James Larken Smith showed the officer hit the turf

A military member rappels from the stadium rafters in a previous demonstration

Adrian’s mother, Siomara, described the unsettling confusion after the accident.  

‘There was no updates after that other than asking for prayers, but it did not look good,’ she told KSAT. 

A similar stunt was performed without incident before a 2025 game at the Alamodome between Army and UTSA. 

Despite the pre-game incident, the game did proceed after a 10-minute delay with UTSA beating Navy, 38-34. 

The American Conference, which includes both Navy and UTSA, released a statement on Saturday before news of the Airman’s death had been revealed.

‘The American Conference is deeply saddened by tonight’s pregame incident at the Alamodome,’ read the statement. ‘Our thoughts are with the individual involved, their family and colleagues, and everyone who witnessed or was affected by it.

‘We consulted with representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities and a working group to review the information available,’ the statement continued. ‘We respect the family’s privacy and will coordinate any further updates with the appropriate authorities. We are also working with our member institutions to help connect those affected with available support resources.’

The ceiling at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas is 180ft above the field

In a similar statement to the Daily Mail, a UTSA spokesperson said: ‘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 school has offered counselling services to students in need of assistance. 

The viral X user known as Freddy was at the game and later shared a post about the incident before news of the Airman’s death had been publicized.

‘Another college game done,’ the semi-anonymous social media influencer and minor World Cup celebrity wrote on X amid his prolonged tour of the United States. ‘UTSA got the win against Navy! Thank you to all the nice people that we met today.

‘Unfortunately,’ he continued, ‘there was a serious accident before the game, which is why I stopped updating on here. Our thoughts are with the service member and his family.’

After the game, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor described the situation he faced in the locker room as his anxious team looked to take the field. 

‘The only information I had was there had been an incident, and the game was going to be delayed, and we didn’t expand upon it any further than that,’ Traylor said, as quoted by the Express-News. ‘I didn’t know if I did the right thing or not. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know what to tell them, so that’s how I handled it.

‘What I heard that happened is heartbreaking, but I want to give the family time,’ Traylor added. ‘They’re in our prayers. It’s tragic.’