Airman who died in football game rappelling incident identified

The airman who died in a rappelling demonstration gone wrong on Saturday night was a Tactical Air Control Party instructor with 15 years of service in the Air Force.

The Air Force identified the airman as Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to a 6th Combat Training Squadron detachment operating out of Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. 

Patterson was part of a four-person demonstration at Saturday’s football game between the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Navy. He was rappelling from the football stadium rafters when his rope appeared to unravel too quickly, videos posted online of the incident show. He slid down his line at a high speed from dozens of feet above the field and hit the ground hard.

Emergency responders rushed to him on the field and tended to him for several minutes before he was taken away on a stretcher. The San Antonio Fire Department transported him to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries; he died at the hospital. Air Force officials said the incident is under investigation. 

“This tragedy is felt deeply across the 57th Wing,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott C. Mills, 57th Wing commander, said in a release Monday. “Tech. Sgt. Patterson and his service mattered immensely to our wing, and to the family, friends, and teammates who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. Our team is now focused on standing beside Ian’s family, loved ones, and fellow airmen as we navigate this profound loss together.”

Patterson, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, had served for 15 years. In 2022, he was named the Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year at the Headquarters Air Force level, according to the service. His awards include the  Air and Space Commendation Medal, the Air and Space Achievement Medal and the Army Achievement Medal, among others.

An Air Force TACP is a special operations airman who embeds with ground forces, typically from other service branches, to coordinate close air support to strike enemy targets during operations. 

6th Combat Training Squadron, headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, trains troops from different branches to be TACPs. Detachment 2 operates at Joint Base San Antonio, near the stadium where the incident took place.

The rappelling demonstration was part of pre-game events at the Alamodome, done as part of UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans game. Thousands of people were inside the stadium and watched the accident. The football game was delayed for approximately 10 minutes.

The services have showcased similar rappelling demos at sporting events for decades. In 2012, pararescue troops with the Kentucky Air National Guard rappelled down the side of the University of Louisville stadium and in 2016, soldiers rappelled from the ceiling at a Major League Baseball game in Florida.