SAN ANTONIO — An Airman’s fatal fall during a pregame demonstration at the Alamodome is drawing questions about safety as military officials investigate what happened.
The Air Force confirmed Sunday that the service member died at a local hospital after being injured before Saturday’s UTSA-Navy football game. He was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, a Nellis spokesperson said.
His name has not been released, and officials have not announced what caused the fall.
Powell Sand, head setter at Armadillo Boulders’ Stone Oak location, has been climbing for about eight years. After watching footage of the incident, he said his attention turned to the protections in place.
“When I first saw the incident, the first thing I looked for was: What was keeping him safe? What pieces of protection did he have that we call redundancies?” Sand said.
Sand was not at the game. He discussed recreational climbing practices and demonstrated equipment used by climbers, but he could not establish the military’s setup or what caused the Airman to fall.
“I’m not a service member, so I can’t tell you their exact methods,” he said.
At the gym, Sand designs climbing routes and helps create the movements and challenges people encounter on the walls. He said understanding risk is essential.
“You need to understand the safety and all the rules and regulations and how to keep yourself as safe as possible,” Sand said.
He demonstrated a device recreational climbers can use to manage their descent on a rope.
“You close it, you lock it with the carabiner, and then you have this handle that you use to control your descent,” he said.
“Rock climbers all over the world trust their lives to this and other similar pieces of gear.”
Sand also described how climbing partners check one another’s equipment.
“Hey, does my rope look good? Or is everything locked? Can you double-check me? Do I appear safe to you?” he said. “And then I would do the same for my climbing partners as well. I would double-check their gear, make sure all their knots are safe and tight.”
Those recreational practices do not establish what procedures were required or followed during Saturday’s military demonstration. News 4 reached out to military officials and the Alamodome about the safety protocols in place.
The Airman fell while descending from the rafters during a demonstration that was part of UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans game. Medical crews responded on the field, and the San Antonio Fire Department confirmed it transported one person.
“The service member was injured there, transported to a local hospital, where they later died,” the Nellis spokesperson said in a statement.
For Sand, the incident was also a tragedy witnessed by people who had gathered for a celebration.
“It’s incredible that we can come together and be a part of the sport,” he said. “And it’s a shame that so many people had to witness such a tragedy in person.”
He said recreational climbing involves responsibilities that extend beyond the person on the rope.
“A lot of us have families to go home to and friends counting on us to make it back from these adventures,” Sand said.
UTSA President Taylor Eighmy offered condolences Sunday to the Airman’s family and fellow service members.
“What was intended to be a day of camaraderie, tradition, and celebration has been marked by profound sadness,” Eighmy wrote.
The university is offering support services for students and employees affected by the incident.