Felix Baumgartner Dies in Paragliding Accident 13 Years After Jumping from Space
Felix Baumgartner, the legendary Austrian daredevil who stunned the world in 2012 by jumping from the edge of space, has tragically died in a paragliding accident in Italy at the age of 56.
The incident occurred on July 17 near Porto Sant’Elpidio, a coastal village along Italy’s Adriatic shoreline. Baumgartner was piloting a motorized paraglider when he reportedly lost control and crashed into the pool area of a hotel resort. Local mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said Baumgartner appeared to fall ill while airborne. Authorities later confirmed he died on impact.
A hotel employee was also injured in the accident, sustaining neck injuries, but is expected to recover.
Tributes have poured in from around the world for Baumgartner, whose death has shocked the global extreme sports community. Red Bull, the company that sponsored his historic space jump, released a heartfelt statement: "Thank you, Felix. Thank you for being exactly who you were. Clear, demanding, and critical. With others, but most of all with yourself."
Baumgartner rose to international fame on October 14, 2012, when he jumped from 128,100 feet (39 kilometers) above Earth as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission. The unprecedented stunt made him the first human to break the sound barrier outside of a vehicle, reaching a speed of 843 mph (Mach 1.25) during free fall. He was in free fall for four minutes and 19 seconds before landing safely in the New Mexico desert.
Beyond his record-breaking space jump, Baumgartner was a celebrated BASE jumper, skydiver, and veteran paraglider. He performed iconic stunts off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, and even crossed the English Channel in a carbon-winged paraglider.
His final social media post, uploaded just before the accident, showed him preparing for his flight, adjusting the motor of his paraglider. A video clip and an Instagram story image captured the blustery weather conditions, with Baumgartner writing: “Too much wind.”