Beachgoers sensed something was wrong when a loud noise erupted as the paraglider spun out of control, resulting in the tragic death of extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner.
A 30-year-old mother witnessed the incident along with her two children while they were enjoying the busy paragliding scene above the beach town of Porto Santa Lipido in central Italy.
“It all started spinning like a top, and everything seemed fine,” Milera Ivanov recalled. At that moment, she thought perhaps the glider had crashed into a rock, prompting her to turn around. That’s when she spotted two lifeguards rushing toward the area.
As she saw others attempting to revive the victim, she quickly moved her children away.
The city’s mayor confirmed that the 56-year-old Baumgartner had died. Renowned for being the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, the cause of the accident remains under investigation, and police have yet to comment.
“He symbolizes the spirit of flight and record-breaking endeavors, and it’s challenging to comprehend that a man who once traveled to space has met such a fate,” Mayor Massimiliano Ciapera told The Associated Press.
Ciapera indicated that Baumgartner was vacationing in the area, and investigators suspect he may have suffered some sort of medical issue during the ill-fated flight.
The Club des Soles Le Mimos resort, where the incident occurred, reported that a hotel staff member sustained minor injuries, but all guests were unharmed, and the pool has since reopened.
Baumgartner’s social media featured a recent video of him flying an electric paraglider, known as the Paramoko Ring, over a coastal town after taking off from a nearby airstrip surrounded by cornfields.
In 2012, Baumgartner, dubbed “Fearless Felix,” made history as the first individual to free-fall faster than the speed of sound. He jumped from a capsule above 24 miles, using helium balloons to ascend in New Mexico.
During his nine-minute descent, he reached a speed of 843.6 mph, which is 1.25 times faster than sound. He even encountered a dangerously fast spin at one point, spinning for 13 seconds at supersonic speeds according to his team.
For two years, his altitude record stood until Google’s Alan Eustace surpassed that record for free-fall jumps and distances.
The world watched live as Baumgartner exited the capsule high above Earth, deploying his parachute as he neared the ground, capturing the moment on YouTube.
A former parachutist from Austria, Baumgartner had made thousands of jumps from various heights, including iconic landmarks like the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.
In 2003, he famously flew across the English Channel using carbon-fiber wings after being dropped from an aircraft.
In more recent times, he showcased his skills as a helicopter stunt pilot across Europe, performing alongside the Flying Bulls, an aviation team financed by Red Bull.
On Friday, Red Bull paid tribute to Baumgartner, acknowledging the courage and research that characterized his approach to “the biggest challenges.” They remarked that in his line of work, details matter greatly, and while risks exist, they are often calculable.
