At 56, Felix Baumgartner—the Austrian adventurer best known for his historic supersonic free fall from the edge of space—died in a paragliding accident in Italy. According to Italian media, Baumgartner lost control of his paraglider on Thursday and struck a wooden building close to a hotel pool in Porto Sant’Elpidio, on the Adriatic coast of the country. At the scene he was said to be dead.
Falling debris hurt a hotel worker close by; he was transported to the hospital with neck injuries. Though reports indicate Baumgartner might have lost consciousness in midair, researchers are still attempting to ascertain the precise cause of the incident.
In a statement calling Baumgartner “a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,” the mayor of the city, Massimiliano Ciarpella, offered his condolences. Baumgartner’s Instagram warning of “too much wind” just hours before the accident adds to the terrible backdrop of the event.
Baumgartner rose to worldwide recognition in 2012 with the Red Bull Stratos expedition, when he parachuted from a helium balloon almost 39 kilometers (24 miles) above Earth over the New Mexico desert. Reaching speeds of more than 1,357 km/h (Mach 1.25), the achievement established him as the first person to surpass the speed of sound without vehicle help. He also broke world records for the longest freefall as well as the highest-ever manned balloon flight.
Baumgartner started parachuting at 16 and subsequently served as a paratrooper in the Austrian military. He was born in Salzburg, Austria. He began base jumping in the 1990s and swiftly became known for leaping off famous sites, including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. He became the first person to free-fall across the English Channel with specially crafted carbon wings in 2003.
Red Bull, which had backed numerous of Baumgartner’s dangerous antics over the years, affirmed his passing. Tributes from around the globe recognize his legacy as a pioneering figure in aviation innovation and extreme sports.
