Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, who became famous for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy, at the age of 56. According to local authorities, he suffered from cardiac arrest mid-air. Just hours before the tragic accident, Baumgartner shared several posts on Instagram.
Italian firefighters responded to the horrific crash of Felix Baumgartner as he crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the town of Porto Sant’Elpidio on the east coast of Italy.
The city’s mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, confirmed Baumgartner’s passing in a post on 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.”
According to local reports, Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider and landed in a swimming pool at a holiday resort in Porto Sant’Elpidio. It left one hotel employee on the ground injured.
Italian newspaper Repubblica reported that there were children playing in the pool who were witnesses to the extreme sports star’s tragic death. Moreover, as per MailOnline, local media reported that the hypothesis is that Felix Baumgartner suffered from cardiac arrest mid-air.
Felix Baumgartner was 56 years old and was married to Mihaela Schwartzenberg. He earned worldwide fame in 2012 when he broke a world record by skydiving from a pressurized pod at an altitude of approximately 120,000 feet.
Extreme sports star Felix Baumgartner dead at 56
His speed reached more than 840 mph, breaking the sound barrier, and he experienced a free fall of about 5 and a half minutes.
The jump took six years to plan as his team had to build a helium balloon the size of a 16-story building. To get Baumgartner up to the stratosphere, his team had to construct a helium balloon the size of 33 football pitches, weighing 3,708lbs.
In an interview with CNN Sports on the ten-year anniversary of the jump. Baumgartner explained his feelings as he stared into space above him seconds before taking a step out of the pod, heading for Earth.
“I’m standing there on top of the world outside of a capsule in space and in the stratosphere. I looked around the sky above me was completely black. I was really trying to inhale that moment,” Baumgartner said.
“You have a total lack of mobility. It always feels like you’re breathing through a pillow. You’re completely separated from the outside world. So once the visor is down, all you can hear is yourself breathing.”
Soon after landing, Baumgartner admitted he struggled to process his emotions as he approached Earth again.
“I had tears in my eyes when I was coming back a couple of times because you’re sitting there and you thought about that moment so many times, you know, how it would feel and how it would look like. And this is way bigger than I had anticipated,” he added.
Shared a tragic final post before his death
Just days before the tragic accident, Felix Baumgartner had posted a selfie from the sky pretty much directly above the spot where he died. On July 12, he posted the picture, captioning the post with the words, “Flying holiday greetings from Fermo Italy. Where are you vacationing this year?”
Only hours before the deadly accident, Baumgartner shared a picture on his Instagram Stories of a full windsock, captioning it by saying “Too much wind,” and adding the song Sit and Wait. Also, he shared a video of himself preparing the motor of his paraglider.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Felix’s family and loved ones. Rest in peace.