Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil famed for his 2012 leap from the edge of space, is believed to have tragically died following a mid-air cardiac arrest whilst paragliding in Italy.
The 56-year-old sportsman passed away around 4pm on Thursday, 17th July, with local reports indicating that his craft landed in a swimming pool at an Italian holiday resort in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Fermo, injuring a hotel employee on the ground.
It’s understood that Felix began feeling unwell whilst airborne, subsequently losing control of his paraglider. The woman struck by his craft was swiftly taken to hospital, though her condition is not considered serious.
According to reports, the swimming pool was bustling with children at the time of the incident, who were sadly forced to witness the sporting star’s untimely death. As an investigation into the crash is underway, Italian media is suggesting that Baumgartner may have suffered a cardiac arrest mid-flight.
Baumgartner had launched from Fermo, but lost control of his powered hang glider while flying over the coast, for reasons yet to be confirmed by investigators. Following the crash, he lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest, the Mirror reports.
Emergency services called for an air ambulance to transport him to Torrette Hospital in Ancona, however, Felix was declared dead at the scene.
Just hours before the tragic incident, Felix had uploaded a video to his Instagram account showing him paragliding in loops above a field, completely oblivious to the disaster that awaited him.
He had also posted an image of an airfield accompanied by the words: “Too much wind.”
Felix Baumgartner shot to global fame in 2012 following his record-shattering leap from the stratosphere at an altitude of 24 miles (128,100ft). His remarkable descent from the ‘edge of space’ whilst wearing a pressure suit took approximately 10 minutes, making him the first person to shatter the sound barrier during free fall.
However, his extraordinary career had begun much earlier, after he took up skydiving at the tender age of 16.
From 1988, he forged a partnership with the Red Bull brand, and throughout the 1990s, he ventured into base jumping, establishing numerous records and achieving 14 world records. In 2003, he also made history as the first person to soar across the English Channel wearing a wingsuit.
The city’s mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, announced Baumgartner’s death via social media, stating: “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.”
Heartbreakingly, just days earlier, Felix had shared a selfie taken almost directly above the location where he would perish in his motorised paraglider. On Saturday, July 12, he had written alongside the image: “Flying holiday greetings from Fermo Italy. Where are you vacationing this year?”