AIRMAN DIES IN RAPPELLING FALL BEFORE UTSA-NAVY GAME
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, an instructor based at Joint Base San Antonio, died after an Alamodome rappelling fall during a pregame ceremony on October 17, 2026. He was taking part in a demonstration at UTSA’s Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans night, just before the Roadrunners played Navy.
The San Antonio Fire Department told KSAT the fall happened just before 7 p.m. Patterson was a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2. The squadron trains service members from across the military and is based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, while the detachment operates out of Joint Base San Antonio.
Witness Adrian Corey told KSAT the fall came right as the music began. “Once the band started playing, there was a guy that fell down,” he said, “and started coming down fast.” ABC7 reported the descent was about 170 feet.
The stadium went quiet. “Everybody was quiet; the band stopped performing,” Corey said.
Witnesses said UTSA students and staff gathered around Patterson while medical personnel worked on him. Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody praised them. “I was moved to see students and staff step up to provide privacy and dignity as medical personnel worked to save his life,” he said.
Siomara Corey, another witness, called it “a very sad moment.” She added, “There was no updates after that other than asking for prayers, but it did not look good.”
Patterson was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, ABC News reported. Nellis Air Force Base confirmed his death to KSAT just after midnight on October 18, 2026, and later named him in a news release.
ABC7 reported that Patterson, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, had served in the Air Force for 15 years. In 2022, he was named Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year.
The game began about 10 minutes late, Texas Public Radio reported, and it went on. The American Conference said the decision to play was made before Nellis publicly confirmed Patterson’s condition, CBS News reported.
“All of us at the American Conference are heartbroken by the death of the U.S. Air Force service member who took part in the pregame demonstration at the Alamodome on Oct. 17,” the conference said in a statement. It said it was working with member schools, the Alamodome and local authorities to review what happened.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said she was “deeply saddened.” She added, “We will keep his family in our prayers. May perpetual light shine upon him.”
UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy said, “The impact of this tragedy extends far beyond those who were present at the Alamodome. It touches families, friends, fellow service members and so many throughout our community.”
UTSA and the conference offered support resources to people affected, including a 24/7 student crisis hotline at 210-458-4140 and the TimelyCare app. The university also said it would display a “solemn white candle” on its monuments and student union tower lights in remembrance of the airman, KSAT reported.
The Air Force said the incident was under investigation. A 57th Wing spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine, “To maintain the integrity and impartiality of the ongoing investigation, [we] cannot address specific questions, operational details, or speculative scenarios at this time, as doing so could impede the investigative process.”
On October 23, 2026, the 6th Combat Training Squadron paused rappelling and fast-rope training and demonstrations after the fall, the San Antonio Express-News reported. An expert quoted by the paper said temporary pauses after serious mishaps are not unusual for the Air Force.
