You expect a football game to be loud. You expect a military stunt to go right. But on Saturday, the noise stopped dead in the Alamodome.
Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a veteran of 15 years, fell from the rafters. He was part of a fast-rope demonstration before the UTSA game against Navy. The fall happened in front of 23,000 horrified fans. He was treated on the field for 10 minutes before being rushed to a hospital. He died there.
The silence was absolute. The band stopped playing. Everyone just watched.
Witnesses saw the slide happen fast. According to Adrian Corey’s statement to KSAT, a person fell down as soon as the band began playing. He added, “And started coming down fast.” Corey said, according to the New York Post, “Everyone was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent.”
It was supposed to be a “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game, according to RedState. The Air Force sent four service members to show their skills. They train to drop from helicopters over 100 feet. But the Alamodome ceiling is roughly 170 feet high. That is a long drop. Patterson slipped while rappelling from the roof. He plunged to the ground.
The video circulating on social media shows the slide. It looks uncontrollable. One moment he is up there. The next, he is gone.
Patterson was not just any airman. He was a native of Fort Stewart, Georgia. Three oak leaf clusters accompanied the Air and Space Commendation Medal he received. He also won the Army Commendation Medal. The Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year title was awarded to him in 2022.
Statement from the American Conference on tonight’s pregame incident at the Alamodome. https://t.co/74owLnGreQ
— The American (@American_Conf) October 18, 2026
Brig. Gen. Scott C. Mills spoke about the loss. “This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” he said, according to the New York Post. Mills noted that Patterson and his service mattered immensely. The team is now focused on standing beside Ian’s family and fellow Airmen.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones shared her thoughts too. She expressed being “deeply saddened to hear of the passing of an Air Force service member.” She promised to keep his family in their prayers.
We love to honor our troops. We fill stadiums to cheer for them. But this shows the real risk these men and women take. They do these stunts to show us what they can do. They do it to say thank you to the community.
The American Conference said they are “deeply saddened” by the incident. They are reviewing the information with local authorities. An investigation is now under way to find out exactly what happened.
