Felix Baumgartner: Extreme sports pioneer dies in tragic paragliding accident in central Italy
Extreme sports icon Felix Baumgartner, celebrated for his daring feats and record-breaking skydives, has died at age 56 after a tragic paragliding accident in central Italy.
According to officials, Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant’Elpidio, a coastal town in the Marche region, and plunged to the ground near a hotel’s swimming pool.
A woman on the ground was reportedly injured in the incident, though her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
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The local mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air.
He offered the town’s condolences over the death of a “symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights.”
Only hours before the fatal paragliding crash, Baumgartner shared a photo on his Instagram from an airfield.
“Too much wind,” he captioned the photo.
In October 2012, Baumgartner captured international attention when he leapt from a balloon 38km above Earth’s surface, becoming the first person to skydive faster than the speed of sound, which is generally greater than 1100km/h.
The record-setting descent took place over Roswell, New Mexico, where he accelerated to more than 1343km/h.
Remarkably, this feat coincided with the 65th anniversary of American aviator Chuck Yeager’s historic breaking of the sound barrier on October 14, 1947.
- With Reuters
