Felix Baumgartner, a record-breaking skydiver who jumped from the edge of space, died in a paragliding accident on July 17th. He was 56 years old.
The accident occurred on the eastern coast of Italy in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio. According to firefighters, Baumgartner crashed into the edge of a swimming pool. His death was confirmed by the local mayor.
According to the Associated Press, a few of the locals had heard a loud noise and saw the paraglider spinning out of control. Mayor Ciarpella also told the Associated Press that Baumgarter was there on vacation.
Baumgartner was originally from Austria and started skydiving at a young age. He was also in the Austrian military, which CBS News said was information from his personal website.
He started working with Red Bull in 1988. The space jump in 2012 was the result of five years of training. He went on to break the previous record of 102,000 feet by Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger in 1960. Baumgartner’s height record was also eventually broken two years later by a Google executive named Alan Eustace at 135,890 feet.
CBS News reported:
Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who made a record-breaking parachute jump from the stratosphere in 2012, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy, a local mayor confirmed. Firefighters who responded to the scene said they found a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio, on central Italy’s eastern coast.
“Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,” the town’s mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said on Facebook. Ciarpella told The Associated Press that the extreme athlete had been in the area on vacation.
Baumgartner, 56, made global headlines in 2012 when he was lifted into the stratosphere, about 24 miles up, in a capsule carried by a helium balloon, and then parachuted down to a landing in New Mexico. During the jump, he broke the record for fastest free fall, descending at about 843.6 mph and becoming the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle.
Baumgartner’s jump was from approximately 24 miles above the Earth. He wore a pressurized suit to protect him and, reached a record breaking freefall speed of 843.6 miles per hour, which is Mach 1.25. He was the first person to break the sound barrier without any mechanical assistance by the freefall alone. The freefall lasted about four minutes and twenty seconds. Summary video posted here.
Watch:
TGP previously reported the incredible feat of the space jump that took place in 2012. Red Bull had great success with marketing the jump with Baumgartner safely landing after the risky stunt.
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