Edge of space skydiver Felix Baumgartner, 56, dies while paragliding in Italy
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Extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner (seen with technical project director Art Thompson) made headlines in 2012, when he jumped from a balloon 38km above Earth.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver known for his 2012 space jump, died in a paragliding accident in Italy on July 17, aged 56.
- Baumgartner's 2012 jump saw him break the sound barrier, reaching speeds of 833mph (1,340kmh), mirroring Chuck Yeager's historic flight.
- Beyond skydiving, Baumgartner faced controversy, including a fine for assault and expressing support for dictatorship.
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ROME – Austrian extreme sports pioneer Felix Baumgartner, famed for a record-breaking 2012 skydive from the edge of space, died on July 17 in a paragliding accident in central Italy, the local police said. He was 56.
Mr Baumgartner lost control of his motorised paraglider while flying over Porto Sant’Elpidio in Italy’s central Marche region, and fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel.
The reasons for the accident were unclear.
Porto Sant’Elpidio’s mayor, Mr Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air, and he offered the town’s condolences for the death of “a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights”.
The Austrian made headlines around the world in October 2012 when, wearing a specially made suit, he jumped from a balloon 38km above Earth, becoming the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, typically measured at more than 1,110kmh.
He made the historic jump over Roswell, New Mexico, reaching a peak speed of more than 1,340kmh, on the 65th anniversary of legendary American pilot Chuck Yeager’s flight shattering the sound barrier on Oct 14, 1947.
The self-styled God Of The Skies started parachuting as a teenager before taking up the extreme sport of base jumping.
His long career of daredevil jumps included skydiving across the English Channel and parachuting off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia.
In Austria, he was also known for courting controversy with views that included expressing support for dictatorship as a system of government.
Mr Baumgartner was fined €1,500 (S$2,240) after he punched a Greek truck driver in the face during a 2010 altercation that broke out in a traffic jam near Salzburg. REUTERS
