Overview
- Tactical Air Control Party instructor Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson fell during a pregame rappelling demonstration at the Alamodome on Saturday and was treated on the field before being taken to a hospital where he later died.
- More than 23,000 people were in the stadium when the fall occurred and medics tended to Patterson for about ten minutes before he was put into an ambulance.
- The U.S. Air Force and local authorities have opened investigations and UTSA, the conference and Alamodome management are reviewing how the demonstration was planned and overseen.
- A GoFundMe organized by Patterson’s brother-in-law has raised roughly $103,000–$104,000 toward a $120,000 goal to help his wife, Niki, and their two sons, and a separate fundraiser for relatives' travel and funeral costs has raised about $690.
- Patterson was a 15-year Air Force veteran and a TACP instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, and coverage notes that similar rappelling demonstrations have been done at the Alamodome in prior years without reported incident, which has sharpened focus on safety procedures and public-display planning.