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 victim has yet to be identified publicly. Per official Air Force policy, deceased service members are not named publicly until 24 hours after the family has been notified.
The Airman was one of four service members rappelling from the rafters 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. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died, according to a statement from Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs. The incident is under investigation.
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 conducts advanced skills training for special warfare Airmen.
Clips filmed from multiple angles showed the Airman 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 taken to a local hospital.
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
‘Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,’ witness Adrian Corey told KSAT.
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, officials proceeded with kickoff after a 10-minute delay. UTSA went on to beat Navy, 38-34, and afterwards many players took part in a group prayer for the injured Airman.
‘I know we said a prayer postgame, but they’ll continue being our thoughts and prayers, and really thinking about them,’ Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown told reporters.
The American Conference, which includes both Navy and UTSA, decided to proceed with the game before it was revealed that the Airman had died, according to a Sunday statement.
The ceiling at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas is 180ft above the field
‘During the game, representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management and local authorities met with American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti and a working group to review the information available and discuss next steps,’ read the conference statement. ‘At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member’s condition.
‘Air Force casualty notification and information-release procedures establish safeguards for notifying families and publicly releasing casualty information. In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game. Respect for the family’s privacy and adherence to the military’s notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member’s medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.
‘Later, at 11:40pm Eastern time, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member had been injured during the pregame demonstration and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. We are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who provided immediate care on the field. Our hearts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragedy.’
UTSA has offered counseling services to students in need of assistance following the tragedy.
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.’
