The U.S. Air Force has identified the service member who died after plunging more than 150 feet from the Alamodome rafters during a pregame fast-rope demonstration Saturday night.
Tech Sgt. Ian Patterson, assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas, was named as the airman killed in the accident, Nellis Air Force Base confirmed.
Patterson was taking part in the demonstration ahead of UTSA’s matchup with Navy when he suddenly fell from the stadium’s upper rafters.
Emergency crews treated Patterson on the field for roughly 10 minutes before transporting him to a hospital, where he later died, according to Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs. The circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation.
The death was initially reported by Task and Purpose, a publication covering military affairs. Patterson served with the 6th Combat Training Squadron, which provides advanced training for Air Force special warfare personnel.
A native of Fort Stewart, Georgia, Patterson spent 15 years in the Air Force. His unit’s mission included preparing special warfare airmen through demanding advanced-skills instruction.
His military career included numerous honors. The Air Force said he received the Air and Space Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, along with the Army Commendation Medal, Air and Space Achievement Medal and Army Achievement Medal, each carrying one oak leaf cluster.
In 2022, Patterson was selected as the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year at the Headquarters Air Force level.
Videos recorded from several vantage points appeared to show Patterson striking the field at high speed, leaving thousands of spectators stunned. Alamodome medical personnel immediately ran to assist him.
Video filmed by San Antonio resident James Larken Smith showed the airman falling moments before he hit the field.
A military service member rappels from the Alamodome rafters during an earlier demonstration.
‘Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,’ witness Adrian Corey told KSAT.
Corey’s mother, Siomara, recalled the uncertainty and confusion that followed the fall.
‘There was no updates after that other than asking for prayers, but it did not look good,’ she told KSAT.
A similar rappelling performance took place at the Alamodome before a 2025 Army-UTSA game without any reported problems.
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Saturday’s game began after a 10-minute delay despite the accident. UTSA ultimately defeated Navy 38-34, and players from both teams later joined 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 Navy and UTSA, said the decision to continue with the game was made before Patterson’s death was publicly announced.
The Alamodome ceiling in San Antonio, Texas, rises approximately 180 feet above the playing surface.
‘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,’ the conference said in a Sunday 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.’
