Tech Sgt. Ian Patterson’s widow and family are not ready to speak publicly about his death.
Patterson, 38, a 15-year veteran assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, died Saturday after falling approximately 170 feet during a rappelling exhibition at the Alamodome. The demonstration was part of a pregame Salute to Armed Forces ceremony before the University of Texas at San Antonio vs. Navy football game, held in San Antonio, Texas. His father-in-law declined to comment, saying the family was “not ready” to talk, and Patterson’s widow did not immediately respond to an interview request.
The Air Force has been tight-lipped about the investigation into the highly decorated airman’s death. An Air Force spokesperson said officials were “limited in what can be released.”
Jeremy Smith, 49, lead aviation tactics instructor for Airborne Tactical Training Solutions in Miami, trains law enforcement officers on helicopter fast-rope descents and spoke about the risks involved. “There’s always a risk associated with it, no matter how skilled or well trained we are, we have to be so careful, and even then, something could still happen,” he told The Post Monday.
Smith explained that multiple preventative manual or mechanical measures would have to be in place for every maneuver, including anti-panic levers, manual hand devices and belayers. “With rappelling, you’re using a device that’s attached to you to control your descent. I’m not sure what they were using in particular but there are a lot of safety devices out there with multiple backup systems to make sure the rope remains attached to where it needs to be attached,” he said.
Smith and his colleague, Chief Instructor Pilot Paul Barth, noted that they had seen rappelling fatalities before. “It’s inherently dangerous – rappelling or fast roping or any of these things,” Smith said.
It remains unclear exactly what went wrong with Patterson’s botched rappel, which occurred in front of tens of thousands of fans. Viral videos of the disaster appeared to show Patterson losing control and hurtling down the rope during a demonstration with three other military experts.
Tributes have poured in for Patterson, a native of Fort Stewart, Georgia, from military leaders and politicians following the Saturday tragedy. The exhibition was intended as a ceremonial display of military skill before the college football matchup.
The Alamodome, a 64,000-seat facility in downtown San Antonio, has hosted similar military demonstrations at previous sporting events. The pregame ceremony featuring the rappelling exhibition was part of the game’s Salute to Armed Forces programming.
The UTSA Roadrunners are scheduled to play their next home game at the Alamodome against Memphis.