Air Force Identifies Sergeant Killed in Alamodome Fast-Rope Fall

Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a 15-year Air Force veteran who was assigned to Joint Base San Antonio, died after falling during a fast-rope demonstration from the Alamodome rafters. That fall occurred before a UTSA football game against Navy. Patterson was one of four service members taking part in the pregame exhibition. Officials said he was treated on site at the stadium and later died at a hospital. Patterson had been named Air Force Special Warfare Enlisted Instructor of the Year in 2022. The full circumstances of the fall are under investigation. No contested claims are identified in the record. The record also contains no distinct left-leaning or right-leaning framing that foregrounds different details or reactions.